Wimbledon’s plan to cut down on plastic
30th June 2019 | Recycling
Wimbledon has vowed to ramp up its efforts to cut plastic waste at this year’s Championships after coming under fire for the rubbish-strewn grounds seen in 2018. Evian, one of the main sponsors, is using this year’s championships to pilot its new bottle made from 100% recycled plastic. The brand, which is owned by Danone Waters, has pledged to become a “circular brand” by 2025, meaning all its packaging is both recycled and recyclable.
To tackle the problem of on-the-go recycling, the tournament’s organisers have upped the number of recycling bins as well as fielding on the ground “eco champions” to make sure spectators do their bit. The initiative is being overseen by UK-based environmental charity Recoup.
Wimbledon
Elsewhere, to hammer home the sustainable message, Evian will be replacing its logo with “I recycle” on all players’ bottles on site. Last year fans voiced their disgust at the amount of waste Wimbledon generates – posting images of the piles of litter left on courts. When asked about themes, British tennis start Johanna Konta said, “I think you need to speak to Evian more than Wimbledon”. She added that she too was trying to cut down on plastic, saying, “It’s a battle that everybody is facing.”
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is part of the UN Sport for Climate Action initiative, which encourages sports events to show “climates Leadership” by tackling their environmental footprint. The initiative hopes to trigger climate action beyond the sport sector.
James Pearson, managing director of Danone Water in the UK and Ireland, said, “We are excited to be partnering with Wimbledon to put circularity centre stage at such a global event.” He added, “We hope to be able to show how working in partnership we can take a circular approach so that packaging can be kept within the economy where it belongs, rather than become waste.”
More information available on the website below
https://www.itv.com/news/2019-06-30/wimbledons-plan-to-cut-down-on-plastic/