Sustainable Coastlines - BE IN THE KNOW

ZM are proud supporters of Sustainable Coastlines

Sustainable Coastlines is a New Zealand charity that exists to bring people together to reduce plastic pollution and other litter to protect the moana we all love.

Their goal is to see 60% less litter on the coastlines of Aotearoa by 2030. They intend to achieve it through empowering communities to take action for their local beach through coastal clean-up events, educational programmes, public awareness campaigns, and litter data collection. 

Since they began in 2009, volunteers have removed over 1.7 million litres of litter from Aotearoa’s coastlines. That’s more than 25 40-foot containers full of rubbish that our marine life doesn’t have to deal with. But the charity sees its real value in the behaviour change that’s sparked when people come to a beach clean-up and see the problem first-hand. Alongside changes people can make in their everyday lives, Sustainable Coastlines encourages people to ask the right questions, and take action to influence broader change.

The charity also runs Aotearoa’s first national litter database, Litter Intelligence, where it enables citizen scientists to collect litter data at their local beach. This litter data is available for anyone to use, and Sustainable Coastlines works with businesses, councils, and government to inspire change in behaviour, policy, and practices.

INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE DAY - 15 MAY

• Did you know that single-use plastic is not only a pollution crisis, but a climate one?
• In 2021, lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from single-use plastics were equivalent to the UK’s total emissions — that's 450 million metric tonnes CO₂e.
• Most of these emissions occur during extraction and production.
• That’s why Sustainable Coastlines goes beyond simply removing litter from the beach, and looks to inspire solutions that affect the production of single-use plastics in the first place.

How to join Sustainable Coastlines in stopping the tide of plastic pollution:

• Join the community! Sign up to their newsletter and follow them on social media.
• Become a volunteer. Visit sustainablecoastlines.org/events for upcoming events near you.
• Spread the word. Find out how the rubbish found on your local beach compares at insights.litterintelligence.org and share what you find.
• Become a regular donor. If you love what these folks do, consider giving monthly at sustainablecoastlines.org/donate