Unilever Bangladesh, Kewkradong Bangladesh organise coastal cleanup at Saint Martin's Island

Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL), partnered with Kewkradong Bangladesh (KB) to conduct a Coastal Cleanup at Saint Martin's Island.

350 volunteers removed 1,500 kilograms of marine debris from the island’s beach and ensured safe disposal on the mainland. The predominant types of debris included food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, utensils, and lids, according to a media release.  

Kewkradong Bangladesh (KB), Bangladesh’s Country Coordinator of the US-based non-profit Ocean Conservancy, has been conducting beach cleanups at Saint Martin’s Island for the past 13 years. The organisation has been associated with cleanup programmes along the Cox's Bazar - Teknaf peninsula and St. Martin's Island. These initiatives contributed to the collection of data on marine debris for the global record and analysis.

This year, the initiative gained new momentum with the involvement of UBL, continuing the significant efforts that have mobilized over 5,700 volunteers and removed more than 28,500 kilograms of marine debris from the island’s shores, the release says. 

Shamima Akhter, Director - Corporate Affairs, Partnerships & Communications, Unilever Bangladesh Limited, said, "Since 2020, Unilever Bangladesh has been dedicated to fulfilling its commitment to plastic sustainability through various initiatives. Since 2022, we have been collecting and processing more plastic than we sell in Bangladesh. However, we recognize that plastic waste pollution is too large of an issue for us to tackle alone. We must collaborate to design scalable systems and interventions that will reduce our environmental footprints and protect vulnerable ecosystems, such as St. Martin's Island. This year, the St. Martin Coastal Cleanup, in partnership with Kewkradong Bangladesh, engaged youth volunteers and the local community to foster a sense of shared responsibility and demonstrate our commitment to improving the ecosystem."

Muntasir Mamun, Country co-coordinator, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, said, “It is a wonderful thing that Bangladesh is the biggest delta on Earth and has incredible sea beaches in various locations. Saint Martin is one of the national treasures of this country. However, evolving socioeconomic challenges are consistently creating a threat to the biodiversity of the beautiful island and the seashore. We believe Unilever’s proactive environmental stewardship will reach a new height as together, our partnership will inspire others to do what’s good for Bangladesh.”