Sky : Plastic Whale Tour reaches Birmingham, inspiring the public to change the way they consume single-use plastics

• A 10 metre whale - made from the same amount of plastic dumped in the ocean each second - was on display at the Bullring in Birmingham today

• Research* shows that almost 90% of Brits are concerned by the UK's plastic usage and over 64% of respondents in Birmingham are willing to see a 5p plastic bag 'charge' applied to other single-use plastics

• The plastic whale will tour the UK as part of the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, encouraging the public to make changes to their plastic consumption

An independent survey - commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue - has found that 87% of Brits are concerned by the UK's plastic usage and over 64% of respondents in Birmingham are willing to see a 5p plastic bag 'charge' applied to other single-use plastics* such as straws, bottles and cups.

The research highlights a desire from the public to see behaviour change, as over eight million tonnes of plastic pollution is dumped into the ocean globally every year.**

In a bid to further drive awareness and inspire the public to make changes to their own plastic consumption, a 10-metre plastic whale has appeared at the Bullring in Birmingham today. The whale is made of single-use plastics pulled from the ocean, and represents the same amount of plastic that pollutes the ocean every second**.

Group Chief Executive of Sky, Jeremy Darroch, said, 'Sky is truly committed to raising awareness and encouraging people to change the way they consume single-use plastics to help save our oceans. Research tells us that almost 90% of Brits are also concerned with plastic usage in the UK. Through the Plastic Whale Tour we want to highlight how easy it is to make small changes that can have a real and measurable impact'.

The Plastic Whale has already visited London, the South West of England and Cardiff and has been welcomed by local communities and famous faces that passionately support ocean health, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Jodie Kidd and James Cracknell, as well as ocean health campaigner, the Marine Conservation Society.

CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, Sandy Luk, said; 'The Plastic Whale Tour is timed perfectly to highlight some of the huge issues our seas face right now. Our research repeatedly finds items such as plastic drinks bottles, wrappers and bags on UK beaches. So much of this has been used just once and thrown away. Small charges on packaging items, and deposit return systems can help bring the problem under control and we are pleased to work in partnership with Sky Ocean Rescue to bring awareness to the issue and advise on how to make simple changes that can have a big impact'.

The plastic whale will travel through England, Wales and Scotland, visiting iconic beach and water front locations as well as city centres. The campaign will also give members of the public tips on small and easy changes - from using a refillable plastic bottle, to saying no to straws and plastic bags - helping reduce plastic consumption. More details are available at www.skyoceanrescue.com.

Find out more about the Plastic Whale Tour and the issues affecting our oceans at the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook page, @skyoceanrescue on Twitter, or visit skyoceanrescue.com.

Notes to Editors

Research:

* Research conducted by FlyResearch and commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue to a pool of over 2,000 respondents across the UK in August 2017.

** Estimated 8 million tonnes plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean globally in a year (Jambeck et al. Science Feb 2015). Whale made from 250kgs of plastic, calculations for plastic into the ocean every second derived from the 8 million tonnes annual figure.

Press Office:

For more information on the tour and regional visits including interview opportunities, video footage of the making of the plastic whale and on tour b-roll and photos, please contact the Sky Ocean Rescue Press Office:

• Natalie Kutscher - Natalie.kutscher@onegreenbean.com / 07766 797 866

• Jo Torn - jo.torn@onegreenbean.com / 07341 838 770

• Alice Briggs - alice.briggs@onegreenbean.com / 07960 033 840

For more information on Marine Conservation Society visit: www.mcsuk.org

The Plastic Whale

The whale is made of plastic recovered from UK oceans, beach cleans and local recycling plants by recycling experts and material management company Bywaters. The whale is being transported around the UK on a Sussex Transport vehicle and Sky Ocean Rescue is carbon offsetting the journey.

Plastic Whale Tour locations:

15th August - London, Potters Fields

17th August - Newquay, Porth Beach

18th August - Instow, Sandhills

20th August - Cardiff, Cardiff Bay

21st August - Birmingham, Bullring

22nd August - Blackpool Promenade

23rd August - Leeds, Sky Office

24th August - Livingston, Sky Office

25th August - Leith Dock, Edinburgh

26th August - Edinburgh, Ocean Terminal

27th August - Newcastle Intu Metrocentre

28th August - Ipswich

About Sky Ocean Rescue

As Europe's leading entertainment company, we want to use our voice and potential reach to inspire people to take action to protect our planet, raising awareness of how plastics and other pollution are affecting our oceans. Sky Ocean Rescue is the environmental campaign, part of the Bigger Picture which also inspires the new generation through the power of sport, and invests further in creativity and diversity in our industry to make a difference.

Plastic - The Facts

• 13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold in Britain each year (an average of 200 per person) - less than half of these are recycled (source: Nottingham University, Environmental Technology Centre)

• Most types of plastic are not biodegradable. They can stay in the ocean for centuries. (source: UNEP)

• Microplastics have been found inside a third of fish in the English Channel (source: Plymouth University)

• We use over 35 million plastic bottles every day in the UK (source: WRAP)

• 40% of all plastic in Europe is only used once (source: Plastics Europe)

• 80% of the plastic pollution in the ocean comes from us on land (source: Eunomia Research & Consulting)

Additional quotes from the launch of the Plastic Whale Tour in London on August 15:

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, one of the world's great explorers who has seen first-hand just how far plastic waste can travel around the globe, said: 'I've explored some of the most remote and vast points of the world and yet still witnessed the reach of ocean pollution. Between 1979 and 1982 my team completed the first surface circumpolar navigation of Earth and during both the Atlantic and the Pacific voyages we witnessed the amount of pollution, much of which was plastic and that was just on the surface. It is vital that we all take action to protect our oceans and we must act now before the scale of this problem heightens further. Simple changes to everyday life are easy to do and give us the chance to prevent further damage. We all use plastic but we have to think beyond ourselves and save our beautiful and important seas. I'm pledging my support and hope others will follow'.

Jodie Kidd, former supermodel and passionate supporter of the oceans, said: 'There is nothing I enjoy more than being on or by the water - sailing, rowing, on holiday - and it terrifies me that our beautiful oceans are being destroyed. As a mother I want my son to grow up in a world where oceans are vast and beautiful, not damaged and under threat. It is vital that we all make changes, even in the smallest of ways, to help save our oceans. I really encourage everyone to find out more about the issues affecting our oceans and how you can become an #OceanHero by joining in the conversation on the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook page or visit skyoceanrescue.com'.

Additional quote from the Cardiff tour location, August 20:

Double Olympic gold medalist rower, James Cracknell, said 'I've spent so much of my life in and on the water and ocean health is an issue that is very close to my heart. I've seen the immense beauty and scale of our oceans when I rowed the Atlantic, but they are now so vulnerable and it's down to all of us to help protect them. That's why I'm here in Wales today to encourage people to support the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, make small changes in their everyday lives and become an ocean hero'.