Working to end single-use plastic pollution

at Beyond Plastics.

Danielle: As many know, Bacardi established a long-term partnership with Beyond Plastic. We chose this charity because of its alignment with Bacardi’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives, which includes taking bold action to have a positive impact on the environment. So, Katie please share a quick summary of Beyond Plastic and its mission.

Katie: Beyond Plastic came together from a partnership between two long-established Bermuda charities, Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB) and Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST). We are a volunteer group of about eight that is leading this campaign. Beyond Plastic is committed to supporting the community, the government, and other organisations, towards moving away from single-use plastic. This is one of the most toxic things to the planet. We know it’s not easy when you make a big change and change needs to happen. So that’s what we’re trying to facilitate. You can put legislation on the books, but unless you have the community behind it, that desired change won’t happen.

Danielle: What impact has Bacardi’s donation had on helping Beyond Plastic achieve its objectives?

Katie: We literally could not do what we’re doing without Bacardi’s support because as I said, we are a volunteer team working with two non-profits. Without Bacardi’s commitment, we could not do any of the community outreach and education that we do. Everything costs money. For example, although we do as much as possible with our volunteers, such as designing ads and posters in-house, when you place a Google ad, or print the posters, or use any other social or traditional media, there is a cost. We do need the financial support to be able to have the impact that we need.

Danielle: So the funds that Bacardi has donated have been invested to help raise public awareness about the campaign via newspaper articles…. etc”

Katie: We’ve been trying to be on every single platform to connect with every part of Bermuda. One of the things that we did in the beginning was research into how to connect with different segments of Bermuda, whether it’s individuals, community groups, businesses, or the government. And our whole campaign is about touching and connecting with every single one of those groups. And that’s what Bacardi helps us do, and the relationship between Bacardi and Beyond Plastic has been a fantastic one because the values are the same. You asked us to do a plastic audit of your Global Headquarters building and following that, you made important changes, such as literally clearing out all plastics from your staff canteen. So you’re walking the walk and talking the talk.

Danielle: Yes, that was an exciting milestone for us, being named a Beyond Plastic Champion, which means we are certified as a plastic free facility. Hopefully this is inspiring other corporates to do the same.

Katie: Yes, Bacardi has led the way. Twenty other companies in Bermuda and organisations have come behind you and are now Beyond Plastic Champions. And we’ve recently been working with sixteen more. Having Bacardi say that they’re committed to this has really inspired a change. When a global brand like Bacardi says this is important, other brands pay attention. The other thing that we released a few months ago is Champions of Change, which is people from all walks of life from Bermuda who are saying that they’re committed to Beyond Plastic. Those people are featured in a YouTube video: https://youtu.be/rDi-_P4LW3s/ The video really speaks to the fact that the campaign is designed around individual action, organisational support, and supporting the government. And so those three pieces together is how we’re making this change happen.

Danielle: Being fearless, being a leader, is something that Bacardi holds near and dear. That is us living our values. But with every great thing, there are challenges. What has been the biggest challenge so far for Beyond Plastics?

Katie: We’re coming out of COVID, and the community is trying to rebuild itself. There are the best of intentions and people are trying hard in tough times, and yet there’s so much ‘greenwashing’, where organisations overstate their positive environmental activities or products. It’s hard for organisations and individuals to do the right thing, that’s why we need them to engage with us because we can say: “this is what you need to be aware of, this is greenwashing, this isn’t”. What’s exciting is that the wholesalers and retailers in Bermuda are bringing in more environmentally acceptable products. We are seeing a shift, and we’re in constant correspondence with them. They ask us “is this ok? What about this?”. So, we’re excited to start seeing the impact of what the campaign is doing.

Danielle: I really like how you’re taking challenges and turning them into opportunities. You talked earlier about how Bacardi’s leadership has inspired other corporates. Are you getting a good response to the campaign?

Katie: Yes, there’s a lot of support there. When you ask them to be a plastic free building, there’s a little bit of resistance around some things — coffee pods come to mind – but there are options, and we’ll get there. But it’s not just corporates that are joining in. It’s also restaurants and hotels. We’re so pleased that all four of the restaurants at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club are Beyond Plastic Champions. This is huge, and is because of Bacardi. You have helped inspire that change and so we couldn’t do it without you.

Danielle: So outside of Bacardi providing funding, what are some other ways that we, and others, can get involved with Beyond Plastic.

Katie: The biggest thing is outreach. The people you speak with every day and the places you reach become vehicles for this message — to persuade even more people to get onboard. We need everybody’s help to make this community change.

Danielle: So, as a call to action for our community, we are requesting that they help spread awareness around the Beyond Plastic campaign, choose environmentally friendly products when purchasing items, encourage their organisations to become a Beyond Plastic Champion and as an individual, become a Champion for Change?

Katie: Yes, absolutely. One of the main things about our campaign is about inspiration and innovation — inspiring people to change and to look at things in different ways. If any organisation or individual has a challenge in making that change, such as moving away from coffee pods that I mentioned earlier, we encourage them to contact us at Beyond Plastic. We’ll help support you, offer some options, make some suggestions.

Danielle: So, what’s next?

Katie: We have done a lot of work around the two big campaigns — Beyond Plastic Champions and Champions of Change. You’ll see even more of that coming through in the coming months. We’re going to continue to work with organisations, corporates, businesses, retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, and hotels. If they are getting stuck, or finding it a challenge to move, we’re here to help them figure it out and make it easier for them, and for us all to do our best to help make a positive impact on the environment.