Bangkok--6 Jun--Vivaldi Integrated
Volvo Car Thailand hosts beach cleaning exercise involving 200 Volvo executives, employees, dealership, customers and media as part of Volvo global campaign on plastics
Volvo Car Thailand has joined Volvo's global campaign on reducing plastic usage, removing plastic waste and increasing awareness for the crucial worldwide issue of seaborne microplastics pollution the ocean. Thailand is one of the world's most prominent producers of plastic waste per capita and one of the world's heaviest consumers of single-use plastics by net volume. This issue affects all countries, but particularly countries in South-east Asia where plastic waste production volume ranks Thailand number six, as annually it produces over 1 million* metric tonnes of mismanaged water-discharged plastic. In Thailand, Volvo's first CSR program of this series focused on removing plastic waste and other garbage from Bangsaen Saensuk City Beach, Chonburi Province. Two hundred Volvo executives, employees, dealers, clients, media and local community joined this activity Volvo believes that cleaning rubbish and plastic from beaches is an immediately practical way to contribute to a better health state for the world.
Volvo Cars has taken part in a global beach cleaning initiative to raise awareness and help tackle plastic pollution in our oceans around the world. Over 850 Volvo Cars employees and dealership staff in 16 countries put down their tools, and instead picked up trash in aid of the 2018 United Nations' World Environment Day. Since it began in 1974, World Environment Day is dedicated to take action and care of the Earth. This year's theme is "Beat Plastic Pollution." According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans each year. If nothing is done to alleviate the situation, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.
Volvo Cars is proud to mobilise its employees as part of the United Nations' Clean Seas Campaign which is supported by the Volvo Ocean Race. It aims to raise awareness of, and take action against, the problem of plastic pollution in the world's oceans. To date, over 600 employees have already undertaken clean ups in Race stopovers on every continent, as well as near Volvo Cars offices and facilities. Last month, Volvo Cars took action within its own operations by announcing that it will eradicate single-use plastics across all its premises and events by the end of 2019.
Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme (VOR) is one action Volvo has taken as part of the company's commitment to environmental care. This year, VOR has fitted the race boat Turn the Tide on Plastic with state-of-the-art sensors that will measure marine health, including levels of micro-plastics, as it sails across remote oceans. Volvo is funding the project through sales of the V90 Cross Country Volvo Ocean Race.
Chris Wailes, Managing Director Volvo Cars (Thailand) Limited said, "The beach clean-up activity aims to increase awareness for the crucial worldwide issue of sea born micro plastic pollution the ocean. Also to mobilise its employees as part of the United Nations Clean Seas Campaign. The theme 'beat Plastic Pollution' shows Volvo's commitment to our core value of environmental care. We are proud to be supporting the Volvo Ocean Race and UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign in raising awareness of and tackling the massive problem of marine plastic pollution. And this campaign is a call to action for all of us to come together and fight one of the great environmental challenges of our time. A simply way to help the wider community in which we live in."
Jean-David Harel, Marketing Director, Volvo Car (Thailand) Company Limited, says, "We wish to express our sincere gratitude to all participants in our beach cleaning exercise. Whilst this was a valuable social contribution on a small scale, it was merely indicative of the types of effort people can and should make. Environmental protection is something that affects us all and we are all stakeholders in the future of our planet. Volvo is extremely concerned about environmental issues, particularly with Bangkok air pollution recently affecting millions, and with plastics being currently the largest threat to the world's oceans".
Mr. Sawas Homepreum, Mayor of Saensuk Municipality, Chonburi, expressed his gratitude to Volvo for arranging a beneficial and meaningful effort within their local community. He says, "A campaign like this will make people care more about the environment. We wish the wider Volvo global program great success, and we will continue to deploy these measures locally so as to instigate resounding and sustained improvement resulting from Volvo's initiative in this important field".
* https://www.statista.com/chart/12211/the-countries-polluting-the-oceans-the-most
World Environment Day (WED)
WED occurs on 5 June every year, and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. WED has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, WED has a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes. This year it is plastic pollution of our oceans, with a hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution.
For in-depth information into World Environment Day and this years' theme of marine plastic pollution please see http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/news-category/beat-plastic-pollution
Volvo beach cleaning at the Volvo Ocean Race
Sustainability is in our DNA which is why we have been using the Volvo Ocean Race to implement beach clean-ups and bring further attention and action towards this fight on plastic in localities around the world. So far we have hosted 5 beach clean ups in Alicante, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Auckland and Itajai.