British Sailing Team and Volvo Car UK team up for World Environment Day
by Will Carson, RYA 5 Jun 2018 14:31 BST
British Sailing Team and Volvo Car UK beach clean up - World Environment Day © Volvo Car UK Ltd
The British Sailing Team has marked World Environment Day by joining forces with long-term sponsor Volvo Car UK to highlight the issue of plastic pollution.
Rio 2016 gold medallist Hannah Mills was joined by team mates Eilidh McIntyre, James Peters, Chris Grube, Jess Lavery, Chris Rashley and RYA Director of Racing Ian Walker for a beach clean at Lee-on-Solent, Hants.
Dozens of staff from Volvo Car UK, which has supported the British Sailing Team for 20 years, also took part in the clean-up to rid the beach of plastic and other waste.
The beach clean was part of the British Sailing Team's commitment to sustainability, which also includes reducing use of plastics wherever possible.
British Sailing Team athletes and support staff use refillable water bottles and bring reusable lunch boxes to events, while all athletes, support staff and contractors strive to minimise waste and reuse/recycle plastic whenever they can.
"Reducing plastic use is something I'm really passionate about," said Mills, a silver medallist at London 2012, "and it's great to see the British Sailing Team getting behind it too. Hopefully we can inspire people to do the same."
Walker, a two-time Olympic medallist and reigning Volvo Ocean Race champion, added: "Having sailed around the world three times in the Volvo Ocean Race, I've seen just how bad plastic has been on the environment."
"As sailors we spend most of our time out on the seas and oceans, and we're absolutely delighted to partner with Volvo because they care so much for the environment."
The beach clean was part of a worldwide initiative from Volvo involving more than 850 employees from 16 countries to mark World Environment Day.
Jon Wakefield, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said: "We take our environmental responsibilities seriously at Volvo, and this beach clean initiative really helps to raise awareness of plastic pollution in our oceans.
"As a company, we have also started to remove single-use plastics from our offices and factories, and by 2025 we will be carbon neutral in all our manufacturing plants across the world."