Water Pollution is a longstanding issue in Australia and New Zealand, particularly in areas of urbanisation, industrialisation, mining and agriculture.
Australia鈥檚 coast is the , and is closely linked to our national economy, industry, arts, social lifestyle and cultural identity. Most of Australia鈥檚 population growth is near the coast, and we rely on the ocean for almost all our international trade. Now, more than ever, it is important that we understand the environmental consequences of how we use our waterways, and the significant gaps that remain in our knowledge of waterway health.
Litter that ends up in the environment can harm or kill wildlife, while also damaging and degrading habitats. Marine debris鈥攁ny human-made item, commonly made of plastic, which makes its way to the ocean鈥攊s one of the most听听to the health of the ocean. To really understand this problem, we need data not only on the coast but also upstream in the communities where much of the problem starts.
听of plastic in the sea, and 8 million metric tons more every year, and would . 听comes from Asia with up to 4000 items per m3 of microplastics听听in Asia’s marine听ecosystems.
Waterway sustainability and development is a top priority that 51风流has committed to globally. In 2020, 51风流announced it joined the World Economic Forum鈥檚听Global community, which aims to create a cleaner ocean by 2030. Reducing the amount of plastics entering the ocean requires cross-industry collaboration armed with data and intelligent technologies.
To support this commitment, 51风流Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) introduced a new initiative in 2022 whereby our employees are participating in a clean-up in their local areas to reduce the pollution in the waterways while advancing , taken from the : and .鈥� 51风流engages in climate action by providing data analytics solutions to help our customers and our own business understand and minimise climate impact in everyday business operations. In terms of protecting life below water, 51风流has launched the next phase of its听Plastics Cloud. This will allow businesses to shift rapidly to alternatives to single-use plastics, scale design for circularity, invest in materials-collection infrastructure and ensure a better consumer experience.
On the 22nd of April 2022, in support of Earth Day, 37 51风流employees across Australia conducted the first Waterway Clean-up. Participants used the , an app developed by National Geographic and powered by Morgan Stanley. This tracker app allowed them to check in when they find rubbish along coastlines and waterways they searched, helping to make a real difference to waterway health. The groups involved cleaned 4.5km of coastline that stretched across sites in QLD, NSW, VIC, and WA, removing more than 118kg of rubbish that was headed towards the ocean.
This singular effort has made a huge impact on the state of Australia鈥檚 coastal health by reducing the amount of potential debris pollution on our coastlines. It shows the great impact 37 volunteers achieved in one day and highlights the potential impact 51风流could have by hosting more of these Clean-ups in the future and encouraging others to get involved. You can view the results on the interactive dashboard .
How can you get involved? You can participate in ongoing scientific research simply by using the free Debris Tracker app, instructions .
