Plastic is Not Fantastic
- With Photo
- Erin O'Connor Launches New 'World Without Bottles' Campaign
LONDON, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- British supermodel and environmentalist Erin O'Connor has teamed up with SodaStream to launch "A World Without Bottles", a campaign to raise awareness of plastic bottle waste and its devastating effects on the environment.
Erin's involvement follows new research out today that reveals a shocking 63% of British adults do not know how the 13.1 billion* plastic bottles - over 500 per household - used annually by UK households could damage the environment.
What's more, Brits hugely underestimate the amount of bottle waste they generate; with 42% of adults believing they use between 1-5 bottles a week in their household when the actual figure is double that.
Known for her green credentials as much as her famous walk, Erin O'Connor is spearheading a new drive to educate consumers on the benefits of 'precycling', the practice of trying to reduce waste before recycling is necessary in the first place as according to SodaStream's research 43% of consumers recycle less than half of their plastic bottle waste.
Shattering the illusion that children are more eco-aware then adults, the research also shows that a near identical 61% of children are also in the dark about the specific effects of plastic bottle overuse on the environment. Despite this, 67% adults still assume that their kids are more aware of the environmental issues around bottle overuse than they were at their age.
Hope may be on the horizon as the research shows the willingness to go green: 50 per cent of children say they actively encourage their parents to be more environmentally-friendly and 69% of children say they would use less plastic bottles if their parents did.
Erin comments: "We take plastic bottles for granted in our everyday lives but it's easy to forget that plastic bottle overuse and wastage can clog up our landfill sites, seap toxic chemicals into the ground and take thousands of years to decompose.
By precycling you can help tackle the problem by avoiding plastic in the first place. SodaStream is one way to help reduce plastic bottle waste in our everyday lives."
Fiona Hope, Managing Director of SodaStream UK, comments: "With so many environmental issues competing for the public's attention, bottle waste often gets forgotten. Yet reducing the casual use of plastic bottles is one of the easiest, most impactful we can do for the environment."
SodaStream is committed to reducing bottle waste; its reusable carbonating bottle is estimated to save 2000 bottles and cans in 3 years.
Notes to Editors
*Source: Recoup.org
**Consumer research carried out between 23rd and 25th March 2011 among a nationally representative sample of adults and children.
- SodaStream drinks makers enable consumers to transform tap water into fizzy drinks in seconds, eliminating the need for bottled fizzy water and bottled soft drinks
- Each of the single 500ml containers of SodaStream concentrate produces 12 litres of soft drink and each of these can replace 24 500ml PET bottles
- SodaStream offers a range of 30 different flavours and is a great alternative to pre-mixed drinks
- To mark the launch of "A World Without Bottles", SodaStream, which has introduced a Limited Edition green and white drinks maker in specially designed packaging that highlights the campaign messages. Each purchase will be matched by a donation from SodaStream to The Water Project, which helps to make clean drinking water available to deprived communities in Africa.
About The Water Project
- The Water Project, Inc. is a non-profit organization bringing relief to communities around the world who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean, safe water. For more information please visit http://www.thewaterproject.org
Note to Editors:
A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.
To find out more and to support the campaign can be found at http://www.sodastream.com/worldwithoutbottles
Share this article