Single-use plastics are among the biggest pollutants found in our oceans today. In 2016, plastic production amounted to as much as 335 million metric tons, approximately half of that amount used for single-use purposes. A whopping 32% of plastic packaging being left to the environs, with 8 million tons of plastic packaging wind up in the ocean each year.
Dedicated to making sure beaches stay clean and healthy, international beach apparel brand Reef pledges to use the fun, freedom and spirit of the beach to champion a better life for people and planet.
To achieve this, Reef is targeting to accomplish 1,500 beach clean ups, remove 150,000 lbs of trash, and engage 30,000 volunteers around the world this year, in the hopes that their industry and communities play an equally big role in enacting meaningful change for the planet.
Globally, Reef partnered with Surfrider and has cleaned up 840 beaches and collected 206,871 lbs of trash which is beyond the target mentioned with the help of 30,654 volunteers as of this writing. In the Philippines, Reef hosted their annual Free the Sea Movement, a fun-filled 3-day event and coastal clean-up that aims to promote responsible travel and environmental conservation.
Now on its third year, Reef’s Free the Sea Movement 3 in San Juan, La Union was created in partnership with WWF-Philippines and aimed to encourage people to live a sustainable lifestyle by not using single-use plastics that are harmful to the environment, specifically oceans.
The event also included free surfing clinics for the volunteers and a fun Music Festival Night graced by bands like Orange & Lemons, G2 & the Bundocks, Coeli, The Geeks PH, Rusty Machines, Eazyhead, We are Imaginary, Cheats.
Aside from mounting coastal clean-ups, Reef is also committed to supporting environmental programs of local communities. Recently, Reef also donated cash and goods to the La Union Surfers Club to support the organization’s environmental efforts in the area.
“A lot of our programs next year will be geared towards encouraging people to live a sustainable lifestyle. Most of our products are now PVC free and we even have sandals enhanced with Eco One as well which makes them 100% biodegradable,” says Reef Philippine Marketing Head Marnelli Gaerlan.
Eco-One®, by Ecologic, LLC. Eco-One is an organic additive that enhances the biodegradation process through a series of chemical and biological processes when disposed of in a biologically active landfill. A normal plastic bag could take hundreds of years to breakdown, but with Eco-One, the material will biodegrade over a shorter period of time.
Next year, Reef will also enhance their plastic packaging with Eco-One.
Reef’s pledge for cleaner beaches is in line with their latest campaign Beach Freely, which encourages everyone who steps into the sand or into Reef products to experience the beach in their own way and take that fun spirit of the beach with them wherever they go. By committing to preserve and restore beaches, Reef aims to help ensure that everyone continues to have the opportunity to Beach Freely.
Embrace the spirit of fun, freedom and the beach with Reef – watch the recap of Free the Sea Movement 3 in La Union by visiting https://bit.ly/2EcTPEw. For more updates on Beach Freely and Reef’s products and activities, follow www.facebook.com/reefphils/.
