Plastics 2020 Press Release: 'Industry Bottle-Top Initiative Wins Sports Gear for School'

Girls from a Brighton junior school have won their first  7- a- side football tournament wearing a brand new kit made from recycled plastic bottles, thanks to a Plastics 2020 Challenge initiative, financially backed by the BPF, PAFA and PlasticsEurope.

It was a visit from the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) Cool Seas Roadshow to Patcham Junior School in February that inspired the girls to participate in the Bottles Champions competition where the collection of closures from bottles sent to recycling is rewarded by an offer of football kits actually made from used bottles. The competition is the fruit of a partnership between the MCS and The Plastics 2020 Challenge.

In the last two years funding from Plastics 2020 has allowed the Marine Conservation Society to deliver 157 Cool Seas Roadshows briefing children on the wonders of the ocean and the irresponsibility of littering used objects such as plastics artifacts. Some 26,971 children have now been involved and 207,020 bottles been recycled. Fifty- seven schools have now been awarded the sports kit made from recycled bottles.Peter Davis of the Plastics 2020 Challenge said 'This is one of several initiatives we have taken in the UK to help prevent plastics getting into the sea. These are valuable materials and should not be irresponsibly thrown away. We want to set others an example.'

For their part, the Patcham girls took up the challenge with real gusto. Their Headteacher, Peter Barker, said the pupils took up recycling after hearing from the Roadshow how plastic littered in the sea could pose a threat to marine wildlife. “The whole school felt incredibly inspired to make a difference to the pollution of our seas. When they realised that much of the pollution comes from plastic washed up on the shore, they really were motivated to collect the plastic bottle tops.”

Now Patcham Junior schools has joined a select group of teams including Arsenal, Portugal and Brazil who all wear strips made from recycled plastic bottles. Following their success in winning the Brighton & Hove Girls 7-a-side tournament , the Patcham team, made up of girls from years 5 and 6  won the Brighton & Hove Girls 7-a-side tournament and will now represent Brighton and Hove Schools in the Sussex finals next March at Lancing College.

Ten - year old Hannah Bassett who played in the winning team said: "It was really cool wearing a shirt that had been made from bottles that we may have collected.”

ENDS

Above is a photograph of the Patcham Junior School girls' football team.

Notes for Editors :

The Plastics 2020 Challenge
The Plastics 2020 Challenge commitment is to lead the UK in diverting plastics from landfill by 2020 in order to reduce climate change impact, address the energy deficit, and achieve a step change in efficient use of resources.

The founding members are the British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and the Packaging & Films Association. Together they represent 5,000 small, medium and large enterprises that employ approximately 186,000 people across the UK. The industry’s exports are worth £4.6 billion a year and the UK remains dominant in worldwide markets.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. MCS campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, and protection of marine life. Through education, community involvement and collaboration, MCS raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to protect the marine environment.

MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk ), the Good Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org  on sustainable seafood, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects such as MCS Beachwatch Big Weekend and Basking Shark Watch www.mcsuk.org

MCS Cool Seas Roadshow – is funded by Plastics 2020 and part funded by the Save our Seas foundation and visits primary schools in the UK taking the secrets of the seas into the classroom revealing the amazing wildlife beneath the oceans.

For further information contact :

Philip Law - Plastics 2020 - 0207 457 5011 or email [email protected]