Waitrose launch Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge

“Plastics” is today a hot topic.  Or should I say a major concern.  Hailed as a valuable invention of the 20^th Century that served so well in our daily lives , plastics however has become today an environmental problem - especially those made for single use only.  

David Attenborough’s Blue Planet TV series woke up the world  to the plastics problem directly affecting and polluting our oceans.  Since then we have seen on our screens and online metres of footage of vast islands of plastic waste floating in our open seas that have shocked us to this rude awakening that all fish are now contaminated with  some degree of micro plastics, according to environmental experts.   

SEAQUAL ™ converts plastic waste to filament yarns.
Photo © Lucia Carpio.

It is somewhat comforting to learn that a growing number of retailers are announcing their plans to do something about it, from sustainable sourcing to working towards plastics-free packaging and various efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

UK supermarket chain Waitrose & Partners have just launched a scheme called Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge to award grants of between £150,000 and £300,000 to a ange of organisations using money raised from 5p carrier bags.

Tor Harris, Partner and head of corporate social responsibility, health and agriculture for the supermarket, said: “We hope the fund will help new and effective ways of accelerating action to rethink how we all use and dispose of plastic now and in the future.”

Applications could be from projects encouraging and enabling recycling, campaigns raising awareness and changing behaviour, or initiatives inspiring new ways of shopping and consuming.  Schemes focusing on fining alternatives and increating reuse of plastics in the food, agriculture and farming industries are also welcomed, along with those aimed at preventing micro-plastic pollution.

Trewin Restorick, founder and chief executive of environmental charity Hubbub, which is working with the retailer on the fund, said: "We'll look out for entries that show a tangible impact and have a longer-term legacy beyond the grant funding stage."

Applications will be accepted at planplasticfund.com until 24 February and the chosen grantees will be announced in May.

So if you are taking action to reduce plastic pollution, your project could benefit from the £1 million fund launched this week by Waitrose.