Shipping and logistics services provider GAC UK announced progress in its efforts to reduce plastic and other waste. As the yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race set off on Leg 10 from Cardiff yesterday, Managing Director Herman Jorgensen unveiled practical steps already taken to reduce the company’s impact on the environment.
GAC is the official logistics provider for the round-the-world sailing race due to finish in The Hague later this month. Jorgensen had been inspired by the Volvo Ocean Race’s first Ocean Summit in Alicante, Spain, last October, and after signing up to the United Nations Environment’s #CleanSeas initiative, decided that actions would speak louder than plans and promises.
“We hear a lot of talk about intentions to step up efforts to fight pollution within the next 20 years or so,” he says. “But I wanted to start implementing initiatives straight away. After the Alicante Ocean Summit, we set up a Sustainability Team of driven, proactive people with a passion for the environment and they have already made phenomenal progress.”
Anne-Cecile Turner, Volvo Ocean Race Sustainability Program Leader, said: “The Ocean Summits are a forum for collective, creative, ground-breaking initiatives and aim to inspire organizations to sign up to #CleanSeas and take action to tackle the environmental plastic problem affecting our oceans.
“After the Alicante Ocean Summit, GAC have shown a clear commitment, through their actions, to reduce consumption of single-use plastics and promote a healthier future for our seas.”
#CleanSeas encourages companies, individuals, governments and not-for-profit organisations to commit to taking one to six pledges from a list specific to the group in question. Every GAC company in Europe has signed up to the company pledge, which includes implementing measurable actions to reduce single use plastic waste and inspiring staff, stakeholders and suppliers to do likewise.
Jorgensen adds: "GAC UK’s Sustainability Team already has all six boxes ticked. They’ve taken part in a local river clean event, switched to bottled milk deliveries, provided reusable water bottles for every employee, and coffee cups for colleagues on the road. Our people are also taking up the individual challenge by saying no to straws, and boycotting plastic bags and products containing microbeads.
“We now look at potential suppliers’ environmental and sustainability ethos and hope that when our clients do likewise, they will see GAC UK means business.”
