Laken with EOCA at the OUTDOOR by ISPO trade fair

If the amount of single-use plastic consumed in general is already alarming (3.5 billion bottles per year, in Spain alone), in some events the figures are even higher than the average. This is the case of festivals, for example, or large fairs of different industries.

At least this was the case until very recently.

More and more, associations such as the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) are defending the celebration of #freefromsingleuseplastic fairs, through measures such as installing a fountain on their stand, so that anyone can refill their reusable bottle; encourage fair staff, exhibitors and visitors to use reusable containers, even providing them themselves when necessary; do not use or distribute single-use items, from bottles to glasses, cups or plates; and invite all participants to follow these tips and help spread them.

All these actions are contained in a manifesto that the Association invites all exhibitors to sign at the OUTDOOR by ISPO fair to be held between 30 June and 3 July in Munich, Germany.

In addition to these measures, directly related to the fair itself, the event is an excellent opportunity to raise funds for conservation, within the biennial project that the Association announced in early 2019: Plastic Free: Mountain to Sea.

The project was born with the aim of cleaning various habitats from plastic, from mountain summits to the shores of the seas, in collaboration with the members of the Association, while reducing the use of disposable plastics. If all goes according to plan, over the next 2 years 3000 km of habitat will be cleaned of plastic (the approximate distance between the Mediterranean and Lapland). So far, the project is progressing very well and there are already funds earmarked for the cleaning of 1200 km. To make this possible, several fundraising channels have been set up:

• At the fair, at the Association's stand and those of some of its members, funds will be raised. In addition, members have collaborated with products of different value, to thank the donations of attendees. So if you're going to the fair and go to the EOCA stand (B6/200), don't stop collaborating and take a beautiful thermal bottle Ternua, by Laken, decorated to convey the spirit of the action.

• EOCA has also launched a fundraising project open to the general public to enable individuals and companies who wish to contribute to make donations. Each donation has a specific purpose, which the person making it can know. For example, in the Ocean Initiatives Project, of the Surfrider Foundation Europe, every 10 € donated translates into the cleaning of an area of Europe similar to the area of 2 Olympic swimming pools. If you want more information about this or other projects, please visit the website of the Association.

 

For all this, and because as an outdoor company we are sincerely committed to the fundamental objective of the Association, to preserve the environment, and more specifically to reduce the massive consumption of single-use plastic, it is a privilege for us to be part not only of the initiative of the fair, but of the Association.

Enjoy the fair!