Meliá joins Circular Seas project to clean coastline

Leading Spain-based hotel group Meliá Hotels International (Meliá) is joining the ‘Circular Seas’ project to help clean coastal areas and the seabed.

The initiative has been organised by the Ecomar Foundation and Chelonia and Vertidos Cero Associations with the support of Coca-Cola, and Meliá will participate as part of of its Corporate Responsibility and environmental management strategy.

The hotel company will be organising volunteer days so that guests and employees can help clear waste from three Spanish beaches between October and November – in Magaluf (Calvià, Mallorca), Santa Eulalia (Ibiza) and Sitges (Barcelona).

The event will further extend Meliá’s commitment to environmental protection, while also raising awareness among guests and employees about the need to combat climate change and protect the natural environment, both essential factors for the development of more sustainable and responsible tourism.

The beach clean-up gets under way

Partly financed by The Coca-Cola Foundation, ‘Circular Seas’ is a comprehensive project that aims to help recover natural spaces, raise awareness to enhance prevention and generate greater scientific research and a circular economy.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, through the General Secretariat of Fisheries, the Chelonia Association, the Ecomar Foundation and the Vertidos Cero Association. It also involves over 100 public and private organisations including town halls, NGOs, universities and other associations.

‘Circular Seas’ began at the end of May focused on the conservation of 100 per cent of the marine reserves in Spain and a natural area in Portugal.

Waste collection campaigns are also being carried out on 80 beaches over more than 270km of coastline. Sailing clubs have also become involved by providing transport to beaches that are difficult to get to or not included in the local authorities’ cleaning plans.

More than 50 fishing boats in 12 ports in Spain and Portugal will also help by transporting to shore all the waste they catch while fishing and placing it in special containers. Local diving clubs will also help clean the seabed in marine reserves.

Collecting plastic bottles retrieved from the sea

All of the PET plastic that is collected is recycled to the Coca-Cola value chain in Spain with the aim of creating a road map towards a more circular economy.

To help raise awareness, ‘Circular Seas’ will inform 5,000 members of the public about the importance of recycling and waste management with the support of town halls. Some of the actions involving children will focus on helping them get first-hand knowledge about marine reserves and understand the problems created by waste in the ocean.

Awareness activities have also been carried out on 12 of the busiest beaches over the summer.

As part of the programme to encourage a circular economy, Coca-Cola in Spain will support university research on ocean sustainability with the waste collection data for the Spanish coast and seabed and will inaugurate a competition that will provide seed capital of 5,000 euros for start-ups focused on solutions to environmental problems generated by waste in marine environments.

For more information the programme, click here.