RCS COMMONWEALTH CLEAN OCEANS PLASTICS CAMPAIGN
More than 12 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans each year, and by 2050, it’s estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Plastic suffocates and kills birds, fish, and sea mammals, it infects and destroys coral, mangroves, and other vital habitats.
Harmful microplastics from plastic waste enter the human body through contaminated food and water, and there is currently no known way to remove them.
The Commonwealth accounts for one-third of the world’s ocean waters, and almost half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States that disproportionately suffer from the impact of plastic pollution. Together we must take action to prevent plastic from entering our waterways and help fulfil United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, ‘Life Below Water’.
The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign will prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.
The campaign will combine education and local action to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste, highlight alternatives, and reduce pollution across the Commonwealth.
In partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation, the campaign will also feature a sustainability relay, uniting athletes, youth, conservation groups, and local communities for country-specific weeks of action.
The launch of the campaign took place at the Ulalei Vaiala, Taula Stadium in Apia, and, was attended by the Commonwealth political and diplomatic community, including UK Foreign Secretary The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, the Executive Chair of the Royal Commonwealth Society Dr Linda Yueh CBE, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Dr Chris Jenkins OBE, Commonwealth athletes from Samoa, local volunteers from the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association, and Commonwealth young leaders (including members of the Commonwealth Youth Taskforce, the RCS’s Associate Fellow Network and the RCS Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network (CYGEN)).
The RCS is honoured that our Patron, His Majesty The King, highlighted this ambitious pan-Commonwealth campaign at CHOGM, highlighting his long-standing commitment to the environment.
Get Involved
If you are a Commonwealth-based individual, group, or organisation interested in getting involved with the RCS Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign—either through running a physical pick-up or promoting its work—please sign up
via this form so that you can be kept up to date on opportunities to get involved.
Alternatively, if you would like to speak with a member of the team about the campaign please contact: William.Bolton@royalcwsociety.org
With your support we can help rid the oceans of plastic and protect our environment for future generations.