Government calls on sports industries to tackle plastics waste

Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, has called on the sports industry to use its influence and promote best practice in dealing with plastics waste.

The call comes as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that is taking place in London this week, where the Prime Minister has already announced a £61.4 million funding package to help countries across the Commonwealth stop plastics waste from entering the oceans and launched the ‘Clean Oceans Alliance’.

Gove is holding a roundtable to call on sports leaders in each of the Commonwealth countries to drive forward innovation and agree actions to avoid mass plastics waste generated at major sporting events.

Working with representatives from Premier League football, swimming and ocean sailing Gove says the meeting will "build on the work already underway" by industry.

This year’s Commonwealth Games, for example, banned the use of plastic balloons and introduced water refills to reduce plastic. Twickenham Stadium recently introduced a deposit return scheme for ‘fan cups’, where fans pay an extra £1 for their cup and get the money back when they return it to the bar.

Tottenham Hotspur has also announced its commitment to phasing out single-use plastics across all Club operations.

“Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time and we all have a role to play to tackle the threats our oceans face,” commented Gove.

“There are few groups which have the global reach and power the sports sector does to inspire change and mobilise action. The industry is already making great strides, and I look forward to seeing how they can build on this progress to be true ambassadors for global change.”

Bill Bush, Executive Director of the Premier League, attending the roundtable, said:

“The Premier League is well aware of the importance of taking action against plastic pollution, it affects us all and our fans expect us to do what we can to tackle this threat.

We are here today to learn from others as we develop our plans to reduce plastic use throughout our operations. We also want to use our reach to fans here and across the world to spread the word that each and every one of us can make a difference by choosing to use less plastic."

Jointly co-hosted with United Nations Environment, attendees at the roundtable will also be encouraged to join the UN’s ‘Clean Seas’ campaign – a global initiative to reduce plastic pollution in the oceans.