Bantam Materials, the supplier of Prevented Ocean Plastic, have announced a milestone in its collaboration with leading plastic processor PET UK, having stopped more than 100 million bottles from ending up in the world’s oceans and waterways, the equivalent weight of 15 blue whales. Through the collaboration, Prevented Ocean Plastic is upgraded through the PET UK European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved process for the UK market.
There are an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste in our oceans. If we carry on as we are now, the annual flow entering the ocean will triple by 2040 to 29 metric tons. PET UK is progressing recycled plastic technologies to directly address the problem and reduce the need for new virgin plastics. It is taking the fully traceable raw material from the Prevented Ocean Plastic Programme and turning it into material that can be used on mass in the majority of household plastic products.
Prevented Ocean Plastic is a certified recycled plastic made from waste plastic that has been collected from coastal areas in developing countries that are at risk of ocean plastic pollution. As well as diverting plastic away from our oceans, it benefits coastal communities in developing countries by supporting bottle collectors, collection centres and local recyclers based there.
Raffi Schieir, Director of Bantam Materials and the Prevented Ocean Plastic programme, said:
“As one of the UK’s leading plastic processors, PET UK is setting an example for the industry on how to incorporate safe, high-quality, recycled plastic into business models and is supporting much needed recycling infrastructures globally. PET UK’s partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic helps support a circular economy on plastic which is essential if we are to mitigate the climate crisis, protect marine life and support people working in materials collection in developing countries across the world.”
John Currie, Managing Director, PET UK:
“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic, which will push us closer to our environmental goals. By using Prevented Ocean Plastic, we will help reduce the amount of plastic entering our oceans and harming our environment. At the same time, we’re reducing our use of new plastic which generates more carbon emissions than recycled plastic.”
Prevented Ocean Plastic ambassador, Scottish Para Table Tennis Player, and member of the Scottish Business Network, Martin Perry, was the first to commend the partnership on its efforts towards helping drive a circular economy on plastic in Scotland.
Martin Perry, Para Table Tennis Player and Prevented Ocean Plastic Ambassador, said:
“It’s fantastic to see businesses such as PET UK leading the way in the fight against plastic pollution. As a professional athlete, I travel a lot and it’s shocking to see how much waste is produced and how few recycling options are available worldwide. While we wait for recycling infrastructure to catch up, we can all make small but powerful lifestyle changes like choosing recycled products wherever we can. What’s really exciting about this partnership is that it will mean more recycled plastic options for people to choose from – making sustainable swaps even easier.”
