An open letter to the future Prime Minister

Dear Future Prime Minister,

With COP28 upon us, this is now the third year in a row I write this open letter, hoping for a real and substantive response.

2023 has been a challenging year for many, as inflation and the economy are not easy to address in a changing political landscape, however, my message remains the same:

The Cost of Living Crisis Cannot Cost the Earth.

Our team at Prevented Ocean Plastic? continues to push for the use of recycled plastic instead of new plastic. Plastic needs to be collected properly, and reused into new products, instead of being discarded after a single use.

Last week, we got physically close to making our case directly to Parliament. Members of our team were invited to a ceremony inside the Houses of Parliament, alongside leading environmentally focused UK businesses. We were thankful to receive the Green World Champion & Green World Ambassador Awards. Many of the businesses recognised at this event, including us, have proven ideas that can impact how plastic is used and collected in the UK (and abroad) for ocean plastic prevention at a meaningful scale.

For example, regarding the recent UK Plastic Packaging Tax, which has not gone far enough to change company behaviour in 2023 (we have the stats), it is possible to learn from successful models in other countries. In Spain, the penalty (tax) for companies not using required minimums of recycled plastic is double what is regulated in the UK.

As a UK social entrepreneur, focusing on ocean plastic prevention in many countries, I can tell you definitively that the penalty for not using recycled plastic in Spain is working. There are further examples in South America, and in other regions, where evolved deposit return schemes and brand-level extended producer responsibility schemes are working.

We can all make better choices - the NHS has.

The Prevented Ocean Plastic? programme offers consumers and businesses a better plastic choice - empowering people to contribute positively to both dignified job creation and the clean-up of the environment. We work with recyclers and collectors in coastal areas that are at-risk of ocean plastic pollution, and provide a just transition to better collection infrastructure, stable jobs and a cleaner environment. Our material is fully traceable, responsibly sourced, and of the highest quality.

We are thrilled to see the NHS proudly display the Prevented Ocean Plastic? logo on the front and inside of their health screening boxes, and visible in their latest TV campaign. There are currently over 400 products on UK shelves displaying our distinctive blue triangular logo. Thank you to all who are supporting better plastic choices, hard working plastic collectors / recyclers, and our ‘POP’ team.

Choose Prevention - You are invited.

We invite you, or one of your representatives, to meet with us at our Prevented Ocean Plastic Research Centre on the Richmond Green. As official Earthshot Prize nominees, and with multiple other award-wins in 2023, we are incredibly proud to be part of the UK business community. The UK should be at the forefront of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and we invite you to join us on that journey. Let’s not wait until prevention is no longer an option for our environment.

Raffi Schieir

Founder of Prevented Ocean Plastic? by Bantam Materials UK Ltd.