PwC on board

PwC welcomes Barbados’ single-use plastic importation ban with a series of initiatives, including new environment commitments and clean-ups.

“More than 40 per cent of plastic is used just once, and it’s choking our waterways. We are facing a global plastic waste crisis,” says National Geographic.

On April 1, PwC East Caribbean welcomed the new national ban on the importation of single-use plastics in Barbados with a weigh-in of plastic items collected by competing PwC teams.

The day’s activity started with a weigh-in competition that accumulated over 290 lbs of recyclable plastics. Of that total, over 57 lbs were plastic bottles, one of the main sources of single-use plastic waste in Barbados.

In addition to the competition, every member of staff was given a reusable PwC branded bottle as part of an initiative to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bottles in the offices in Barbados. Staff in the St Lucia firm also received reusable bottles and are planning their own activity when their country’s ban comes into effect.

At a time when we have to choose between planet or plastic, PwC is excited about the introduction of a ban to help support the survival of the island’s environment and economy.

According to National Geographic, “Less than a fifth of all plastic gets recycled globally, it’s less than ten per cent in the US, so we know, no matter how small the amount, every bit helps. No one knows how much-unrecycled plastic waste ends up in the ocean, but we do know that the impact is catastrophic. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. Some are harmed visibly—strangled by abandoned fishing nets or discarded six-pack rings.” (PR)