Our Leave No Trace Campaign

Around the world, we humans use billions of single-use items every day! From plastic straws, cups, takeaway containers, cutlery, bottles and more! And it isn’t just plastic that’s having an impact! Paper, aluminium and other single-use products also have enormous environmental and social impacts from cradle to grave and ‘greenwashing’ of some so-called ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ items is only prolonging the solution - a re-usable revolution!

Plastics are made from oil and gas, which means they have a huge carbon footprint and environmental impact, choking and entangling marine life, while leaching toxins into the sea. Paper is made from trees and, while many prefer paper to plastic, we often don’t think about where these trees come from or the enormous impact that the paper industry has on biodiversity, climate and ecosystem health.

So, what’s the solution?

Just a century ago, there were no single-use plastics, however in the 1960's the plastic revolution and the rise in post-war consumerism came to a head and, over the past 50 years or so, we've literally been drowning ourselves in fast food, fast fashion and fast trash. The good news is, a transition doesn't have to be overwhelming, it starts with changing the way you perceive consumption and addressing it at its source.

LEAVE NO TRACE

Our Leave No Trace (formerly Don’t Be A Sucker) campaign merges our on-ground marine debris and circular economy projects, targeting major businesses and corporations to:

• Address supply-chain packaging waste at its source, whilst developing solutions to move towards a waste free future;

• Participate in our accreditation program through a staff teaching staff teaching customers model - shifting behaviour through ownership;

• Developing alternative products to existing company marketing and community engagement materials, with a focus on supporting developing communities and producing ocean-friendly upcycled products.

Why we focus on source reduction?

As PCFML has grown over the years, we’ve noticed that single-use plastic packaging awareness is starting to gain traction, with a myriad of new community groups and existing NGO’s now focused on the problem, especially when it comes to single-use plastic items in cafes, restaurants and other businesses. While our new Leave No Trace campaign still focuses on single-use plastic prevention and awareness (including harmful so called ‘biodegradable’ items and PLA plastics), we believe that the only way to effect change on the scale currently needed is through targeting the supply chains of major companies and shifting them towards non-plastic, ocean friendly alternatives.

Our new Leave No Trace initiatives will commence in late 2020/early 2021. Watch this space as we aim to target plastic packaging and supply chain plastic reduction with some of Australia’s biggest brands!

Check out our guide to single-use 'Biodegradables & Compostables:

How does YOUR business get involved?

It’s simple:

1)    Take the pledge to address supply-chain plastics and polystyrenes or create value-added products through our fair-trade women’s empowerment factories in our target community in India;

2)    We’ll set up a meeting to discuss the first steps and engage staff champions within each of your stores to participate in our accreditation program;

3) Once accreditation is complete, your staff Champions will work with us, store staff and the larger brand to target popular and high-waste packaging brands to reduce/shift their packaging materials, utilising sustainably-sourced, ocean-friendly materials and thereby preventing millions of items from making their way into the waste stream!

4)    Together we launch the Leave No Trace Campaign through events, media and community gatherings;

5)    We launch associated Leave No Trace branding, marketing and customer engagement programs throughout your stores.

Want your business to be a part of our LEAVE NO TRACE Campaign?

At present, we are focusing on working with Australian-based companies. Reach out below and someone from our friendly team will get in touch as soon as possible:

CONTRIBUTE

Photographs © Positive Change for Marine Life