‘PLASTICUS’, THE PLASTIC WHALE, COMPLETES ITS TOUR OF THE UK

Millions of Brits have engaged with Sky Ocean Rescue’s Plastic Whale Tour as the nation gets behind the issue of ocean health

• The 10 metre whale - made from the same amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean every second** – has today completed its tour of the UK

• Named 'Plasticus' by members of the public while on tour – capturing the spirit of the fight against plastic in the ocean

• Almost half a million members of the public joined the tour throughout England, Wales and Scotland, millions more were reached through national and social media

• The Plastic Whale Tour engaged local councils, MPs, NGOs national media and celebrities

• Sky Ocean Rescue aims to raise awareness of the issue of ocean health and give people simple and easy tips on how to make a change to their own plastic consumption

Sky Ocean Rescue’s Plastic Whale Tour today concluded as the 10 metre long whale, named ‘Plasticus’ by members of the public, returned to London after engaging Brits on the issue of ocean health.

The whale – made from plastic recovered from the ocean, beach cleans and local recycling plants – embarked on a tour across England, Wales and Scotland, offering members of the public tips on how they can reduce their own plastic consumption as research highlighted nearly 90% of Brits are concerned by plastic usage in the UK*.

Group Chief Executive of Sky, Jeremy Darroch, said, “We embarked on the Plastic Whale Tour knowing that Brits are aware of the issues facing our oceans, particularly around plastic pollution, but we have been overwhelmed by the response in the last two weeks. Almost half a million people joined the tour, and millions more through social media, all concerned by ocean health with many asking how they can be part of the solution. Sky Ocean Rescue aims to drive awareness and help be a vehicle for change. We have been delighted by the level of public engagement and the support of local councils, MPs, NGOs and the media throughout the tour. In naming the whale ‘Plasticus’, the public have brought to life the fight against plastics in the ocean - a fight we must all join and will continue to champion through our campaign.”

The tour united many campaigners and causes with support from Greenpeace, Surfers Against Sewage, Love My Beach, The Marine Conservation Society, Keep Britain Tidy and Keep Wales Tidy. Local councils joined forces with these organisations to arrange community beach cleans and events, whilst MSP Colin Beattie and Martin Whitfield MP attended the Musselburgh Beach stop and Suffolk Coastal MP and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Minister Thérèse Coffey, also joined the tour in Felixstowe.

Minister Thérèse Coffey said, “Our oceans are critical to the future of our planet and we must act now to protect them for future generations. The introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge was a great step forward, and alongside the recent launch of the Litter Innovation Fund, work to ban harmful microbeads and reduce plastic packaging, I am determined for us to remain a world leader in protecting our marine environment. We all have a role to play in stopping plastic being discarded into the ocean – that is why I am supporting the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign and encourage others to get involved.”

Chief Executive of the Marine Conservation Society, Sandy Luk, added, “The Marine Conservation Society thanks Sky Ocean Rescue for its hard work and commitment to raising awareness on plastic pollution. The Whale Tour was a tremendous success, working together to take the message far and wide, but as we all know the job is far from over. We must continue to act as ocean heroes in our daily lives. Conservationists, volunteers, entrepreneurs, politicians and journalists must join forces to save the oceans. Make a simple change, spread the message or get out and join us at events like the Great British Beach Clean in September. Turn a day by the sea into a true act of nature conservation.”

Campaigner Sir Ranulph Fiennes and model Jodie Kidd also helped launch the tour in London; Olympic Rower James Cracknell OBE attended the Cardiff event; and model and reality TV star Jamie Jewitt and actress Roxanne Pallett got behind the Blackpool event, all helping to engage audiences through national, regional and social media.

Footfall of almost half a million people across the 13 tour stops, was combined with a reach of millions through social and digital media. People as far as California and Greece engaged on the topic of ocean health and helped to decide the name of the plastic whale through the ‘Name The Whale’ campaign. Plasticus was suggested by numerous members of the public and selected by Sky Ocean Rescue

because it captured the spirit of the fight needed against plastic pollution in order to help save our oceans.

The Plastic Whale Tour aimed to raise awareness of the issue and inspire and educate the nation on how to make small and easy changes that can have a real and measurable impact - from saying no to plastic straws and plastic bags, to using refillable water bottles. For more information visit

skyoceanrescue.com and become an #OceanHero.

Research:

* Research conducted by FlyResearch and commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue to a pool of over 2,000 respondents across the UK in August 2017.

** Estimated 8 million tonnes plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean globally in a year (Jambeck et al. Science Feb 2015). Whale made from 250kgs of plastic, calculations for plastic into the ocean every second derived from the 8 million tonnes annual figure.

Press Office:

For more information on the tour, video footage of the making of the plastic whale and on tour b-roll and photos, please contact the Sky Ocean Rescue Press Office:

• Jo Torn - jo.torn@onegreenbean.com / 07341 838 770

• Jess Spokes – jess.spokes@onegreenbean.com / 07595 622 857

• Alice Briggs - alice.briggs@onegreenbean.com / 07960 033 840

Plasticus The Plastic Whale

Plasticus is made of plastic recovered from UK oceans, beach cleans and local recycling plants by recycling experts and material management company Bywaters. The whale is being transported around the UK on a Sussex Transport vehicle and Sky Ocean Rescue is carbon offsetting the journey.

Plastic Whale Tour locations:

15th August – London, Potters Fields

17th August – Newquay, Porth Beach

18th August - Instow, Sandhills

20th August – Cardiff, Cardiff Bay

21st August – Birmingham, Bullring

22nd August – Blackpool Promenade

23rd August – Leeds, Sky Office

24th August – Livingston, Sky Office

25th August – Musselburgh Beach, Edinburgh

26th August – Edinburgh, Ocean Terminal

27th August – Gateshead Intu Metrocentre

28th August – Felixstowe Beach

29th August – Sky Campus, Osterley London

About Sky Ocean Rescue

As Europe’s leading entertainment company, we want to use our voice and potential reach to inspire people to take action to protect our planet, raising awareness of how plastics and other pollution are affecting our oceans. Sky Ocean Rescue is the environmental campaign, part of the Bigger Picture which also inspires the new generation through the power of sport, and invests further in creativity and diversity in our industry to make a difference.

Plastic – The Facts

• 13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold in Britain each year (an average of 200 per person) – less than half of these are recycled (source: Nottingham University, Environmental Technology Centre)

• Most types of plastic are not biodegradable. They can stay in the ocean for centuries. (source: UNEP)

• Microplastics have been found inside a third of fish in the English Channel (source: Plymouth University)

• We use over 35 million plastic bottles every day in the UK (source: WRAP)

• 40% of all plastic in Europe is only used once (source: Plastics Europe)

• 80% of the plastic pollution in the ocean comes from us on land (source: Eunomia Research & Consulting)

Additional quotes from The Plastic Whale Tour:

Explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, one of the world’s great explorers who has seen first-hand just how far plastic waste can travel around the globe, said: “I’ve explored some of the most remote and vast points of the world and yet still witnessed the reach of ocean pollution. Between 1979 and 1982 my team completed the first surface circumpolar navigation of Earth and during both the Atlantic and the Pacific voyages we witnessed the amount of pollution, much of which was plastic and that was just on the surface. It is vital that we all take action to protect our oceans and we must act now before the scale of this problem heightens further. Simple changes to everyday life are easy to do and give us the chance to prevent further damage. We all use plastic but we have to think beyond ourselves and save our beautiful and important seas. I’m pledging my support and hope others will follow.”

Jodie Kidd, former supermodel and passionate supporter of the oceans, said: “There is nothing I enjoy more than being on or by the water – sailing, rowing, on holiday – and it terrifies me that our beautiful oceans are being destroyed. As a mother I want my son to grow up in a world where oceans are vast and beautiful, not damaged and under threat. It is vital that we all make changes, even in the smallest of ways, to help save our oceans. I really encourage everyone to find out more about the issues affecting our oceans and how you can become an #OceanHero by joining in the conversation on the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook page or visit skyoceanrescue.com.”

Double Olympic gold medal rower, James Cracknell, said: “I’ve spent so much of my life in and on the water and ocean health is an issue that is very close to my heart. I’ve seen the immense beauty and scale of our oceans when I rowed the Atlantic, but they are now so vulnerable and it’s down to all of us to help protect them. That’s why I’m here in Wales today to encourage people to support the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, make small changes in their everyday lives and become an Ocean Hero.”

Love Island runner up and model, James Jewitt, said: “It’s hard to get your head around the effect we are having on the ocean until you see the plastic whale and realise how much plastic is being dumped in the ocean every second. It’s terrifying and is the reason I’m here in Blackpool supporting the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign. I love swimming and enjoying the beauty of our oceans and we are all putting that at risk. It’s not hard to make a change, it’s simple; get a refillable bottle or don’t take a straw it really doesn’t take much but if we all do it it will make a difference.”

Actress Roxanne Pallett said: “I grew up coming to Blackpool at the weekend and on holiday, so this beach has a very special place in my heart. This morning I took part in a beach clean with the amazing team from Blackpool Council, who are out here every day, and I saw first-hand the rubbish that’s left on the beach. The Plastic Whale is a great reminder of the amount of plastics that get dumped in our oceans every second and the action we all need to take to save our oceans. We all need to act now to prevent further damage.”