Recycling innovators confirmed as Title Sponsor of pioneering all-female ocean plastic science research mission

SHELTON, Conn., May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Reverse vending recycling leader TOMRA has come on board as the Title Sponsor for eXXpedition's next highly anticipated all-women plastic research voyage North Pacific 2018.

eXXpedition North Pacific 2018, in collaboration with TOMRA, aims to: raise awareness of the devastating impact of single-use plastic and toxics in the world's oceans; celebrate women in science, leadership and adventure; create a community of female change-makers and inspiring global ambassadors to tackle the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution; and champion and contribute to innovative scientific research to tackle the crisis.

Working across more than 60 markets worldwide, Title Sponsor TOMRA collects 35 billion used drink containers every year for reuse and recycling through their reverse vending solutions. Currently, only 2% of the world's plastic packaging is turned into new packaging, while 32% ends up in our oceans, nature and communities. When a financial value is given to bottles and cans through a container deposit system, TOMRA is able to collect up to 97% of used beverage containers – ensuring that the bottles are kept in the clean loop and do not end up in our oceans as litter.

TOMRA circular economy communicator Kristine M. Berg will also join the North Pacific 2018 voyage as a crew member, contributing to its Expert team focused on different solutions for protecting oceans. Kristine's background in Industrial Ecology and sustainability, and connection to circular economy via TOMRA, adds unique expertise to the eXXpedition team.

eXXpedition soon sets sail

The eXXpedition crew will be sailing Sea Dragon, a 72ft scientific exploration vessel from Oahu, Hawaii to Vancouver, British Columbia (June 23rd - July 15th 2018) and then from Vancouver to Seattle (July 21st - July 28th 2018) where the journey will end. A roster of events in each place will be announced closer to the departure. The crew will sail 3,000 nautical miles through the densest ocean plastic accumulation zone on the planet – better known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch because of the plastic that gathers there.

The eXXpedition voyage team is a diverse and international group of 24 women. Crew members will make daily trawls for plastics and pollutants, and collect data for a variety of global datasets and scientific studies during the voyage, which is endorsed by the UN Environment #CleanSeas initiative and Ocean Wise.

Emily Penn, co-founder of eXXpedition, said: "It's a dream for us to welcome TOMRA as our Title Sponsor for the eXXpedition North Pacific voyage. For over 45 years they've made it their business to be innovative leaders in the resource revolution providing smart solutions for our planet's resources. Like TOMRA, we believe that in order to move forward, we all need to rethink and rework how things have been in the past. We hope our voyage will inspire others to do just that. To be a platform for ambassadors to take forward projects tackling plastics and toxics, and raise the profile of the issues to create change at a personal and organisational level, and influence national and international policy makers."

Kristine M. Berg, community manager and circular economy communicator at TOMRA, said: "TOMRA is dedicated to reducing plastic pollution on land and at sea, so eXXpedition's goals to track the impact of ocean plastic and raise awareness of the environmental consequences of marine litter are very close to our hearts. We are excited to extend our contribution by coming on board as Title Sponsor for the North Pacific voyage and rolling up our sleeves to participate in the journey, to experience the scale of the issue first hand and help build urgency and understanding around the topic of marine litter. We are pleased to support the eXXpedition voyage and important research into marine litter, as well as helping to raise awareness of this important environmental issue."

All costs of the expedition are covered by crew contributions and mission sponsors which include Title Sponsor: TOMRA plus Gold Sponsor: The Copernicus Marine Service and Silver Sponsors: Princess Yachts, Hawk Yachts, Iridium & Global Marine Networks plus Bronze Sponsors: Daedalus Yachts, Y.CO, Iridium and Finisterre - to date. Partnerships for the expedition include Parley for the Oceans, 11th Hour Racing, UN Environment & Clean Seas, Ocean Wise, Pangaea Explorations, Biodiversity Research Institute, Marine Debris Tracker & Another World Adventures.

CONTACT:
Candace Vadnais 
Fastlane on behalf of TOMRA
973-229-9426
[email protected]

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SOURCE TOMRA