International shipping association BIMCO is creating reusable bottles to replace about 1.75 billion single-use plastic bottles a year being used on board ships.
BIMCO has partnered with Ocean Bottle to create co-branded reusable bottles as part of move to more sustainable alternatives such as onboard water supplies or larger dispensers.
“We’ve learnt from members who have successfully implemented initiatives to remove single-use plastics bottles from their ships that providing crew with a reusable bottle, alongside other actions, can make a big difference,” said Bev Mackenzie, Head of Intergovernmental Engagement at BIMCO.
“Over half of the companies that recently completed a BIMCO survey are already providing such bottles.”
BIMCO is a global direct-membership organisation for shipowners, charterers, shipbrokers and agents. It estimates that an onboard water supply system is a quarter of the cost of providing water in single-use plastic bottles and can pay for itself in just one year. In addition, BIMCO evidence suggests that refills can save about 2355 kilograms of emissions per ship per year.
“While solutions exist, we still have work to do and will be working with our members to support them in selecting onboard systems and bottles to best suit their needs,” Mackenzie said. “What we do know is that our industry’s small steps in phasing out single-use plastic bottles could have a big impact.”
The BIMCO/Ocean Bottle branded bottles will be distributed among key stakeholders, leaders, and volunteers soon to help address single-use plastics on board and spread the campaign message.
Every bottle bought by BIMCO will fund the collection of 11.4 kilograms, more than 1000 single-use plastic bottles in weight, of Ocean Plastic from the world’s most polluted waterways.
Plastic is collected by locals from some of the worst affected coastal communities such as the Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, and Indonesia, who then exchange the plastic for money or receive digital credit to swap for tuition, tech goods, healthcare, and micro-finance. This is made possible with help from Plastic Bank, Plastics for Change and rePurpose.
On Oceans of Plastic Day, 22 November, Australian volunteer community beach cleaning group Beach Patrol urged the Federal Government to act on ships dumping litter.
Beach Patrol recently commissioned a report with an independent environmental consultant that confirmed shipping litter is contributing heavily to ocean pollution, and that shipping debris has been a high-level source of litter along Australia’s coastline for many years.
For more information, visit: www.bimco.org
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