Selfridges bans single-use water bottles to support new campaign
PLASTIC water bottles are set to be banned from the shelves of a Birmingham department store as it agrees to support a new initiative designed to raise the awareness of the danger the containers pose to the world’s oceans.
Selfridges has pledged to reduce plastic waste by removing all single use plastic water bottles from its Foodhall and restaurants as part of the retail activism initiative called Project Ocean.
Project Ocean is an innovative partnership with international conservation charity The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Marine Reserves Coalition (MRC). It campaigns to reduce plastic waste and change attitudes towards the use of plastic.
Shoppers will be offered alternative solutions to plastic water bottles, including glass options, as well as a host of reusable water vessels.
The move links to Selfridges’ commitment over the past four years to not sell or serve any endangered fish within its Foodhalls and restaurants, or shark-based squalene in its Beauty Halls.
As part of Project Ocean 2015, there will also be a host of fundraising opportunities, including ‘Donate as you Dine’ which will allow customers to pledge their support to protect the oceans and make a small donation when they pay their bill in Selfridges restaurants and eateries. The voluntary donation will be added after service charge and VAT, with the option for the customer to remove it or add a greater value if they choose.
Project Ocean 2015 fundraising initiatives will support the growth of Selfridges’ Marine Reserve from 50 hectares to 200 hectares, 200 beach cleans across the UK, and the seeding of over two million oysters to help restore the UK’s oldest and largest native oyster beds.
Sam Watts, deputy general manager at Selfridges Birmingham said: “The Selfridges Project Ocean campaign is one which is very close to our hearts and our business. This latest initiative aims to drive awareness of the serious threat plastic poses to our oceans; in particular single use plastic water bottles. We will be encouraging people to think twice about their use of plastic water bottles, which ultimately end up as waste which destroys our oceans.”
