Imagine a planet without plastic. A future without huge islands of waste, carried through the majestic oceans of the Earth. A possible world where the trees do not have plastic bags instead of fruit and leaves, and the animals do not swallow the wind-scattered plastic products that think about food.
The future begins today. And from us. Small steps to the big goal. The first steps can even be surfing and take you on an ecological adventure all along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast from Durankulak to Rezovo.
That was exactly what happened in 2018, when surfers Iliana Stoilova and Yoan Kolev in partnership with Kaufland Bulgaria stood on the wave of the future. They began with a windy Windsurf fight against the plastic. Then we told you about their challenge, Wind2WindChallenge, which provoked them to travel over 300 kilometers on water to draw attention to the pollution of the Black Sea with plastic.
But plastic is not just in the sea – it’s everywhere around us. Kaufland, Iliana and Yoan have created a video with practical tips for limiting plastic when shopping. Because big change does not happen suddenly, it starts gradually and from basic things. The wave of ecologically clean and beautiful future is reinforced by our daily behavior. Not everyone is surfing, but everyone goes through the store. And that’s where, though with small steps, a battle with plastic can begin.
Here are the useful five ways for less plastic when shopping:
1: Without a bag for the fruit and vegetables – label directly on them or your own small bag
2: The beverages in glass bottles
3: Products with cardboard, paper and metal packaging
4: Bag for freshly baked bread
5: Reusable or recyclable pouch at the cash register
During Wind2WindChallenge, Iliana and Yoan were accompanied by marine biologists on board a portable motorboat that explored on-site samples of sea water to establish levels of purity, the status of the marine ecosystem and its biological activity.
“This is yet another small but necessary step to solve the problem,” said Dr. Dimitar Berov of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who works at the Marine Ecology Laboratory and is one of the two marine biologists to accompany the surfers during the challenge. The study conducted by him, which lasted a week after the challenge, confirmed expectations that the most commonly observed waste at sea is plastic. According to a number of modern studies, they are hardest to break down.
In summer, the main polluters on beaches are objects left or ejected by tourists – beads, plastic cups and packaging. In spring and autumn the big problem is the plastic caps, which are relatively light and easily carried by the sea.
The challenge and survey data clearly point to the direction of the struggle with plastic.
For this, Kaufland has been working for several years. Since 2013, the company has abandoned its microplastic in its own cosmetics, sanitary and hygienic brands, as well as detergents and cleaning agents.
The plan is to reduce plastics by at least 20% by 2025, and the plastic packaging of their own brands is 100% recyclable. By the end of 2019, certain plastic goods will not be deliberately targeted, but only sustainable alternatives.
The wave of the future starts from shopping in the store and can take us to a sea adventure. The sea, which we can do together again cleanly and freely. And perfect for surfing.
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