Sustainability
BASF Volunteers Cleanup Coastline at Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park
April 25, 2021
On April 25, BASF held its “Family Day” at Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park, during which we co-organized our first corporate coastal cleanup program with Rendu Ocean, a Shanghai-based non-governmental organization committed to marine environmental protection. Led by Dr. Bradley Morrison, Senior Vice President, Operations and Site Management, Greater China, BASF, 76 BASF employee volunteers and their families gathered on the coastline where Huangpu River, Yangtze River and East China Sea meet, and cleaned up a total of 222.75 kg of wastes, including 1,422 pieces of plastic foam, 269 cigarette butts, and more than 200 PET bottles. We fulfill our commitment to reducing plastic wastes through this coastal cleanup activity.
In stark contrast to the beautiful river-side view, large amounts of wastes scattered in plain sight. These wastes, carried by rivers into the ocean and washed up by tidal waves, accumulated in breakwaters. Among different types of wastes lying on the coast, plastic foam, commonly used in packaging, is most overwhelming in its quantity and its difficulty to clean up.
According to Rendu Ocean’s report, plastic foam pieces account for 61% of the total waste cleaned up by BASF volunteers on April 25. In addition, an oil drum, sets of discarded medical equipment, and residual wastes of the fishing industry were found. The sheer variety of waste is thought-provoking.
A highlight of this coastal cleanup activity is our little volunteers. These children, mostly under the age of ten, showed great passion and perseverance. Despite the blazing sun, they squat by the breakwaters, carefully picking out wastes from the rubbles underneath their feet.
Due to frequent coastal cleanups, it was hard to find large chunks of waste. However, small pieces remain abundant. Seeing this, a parent said to her children, “we shouldn’t discriminate wastes based on their size. Picking up small pieces is equally important as picking up large pieces.” For these children, coastal cleanup was not only a fun family activity, but also a memorable lesson on environmental protection.
As a responsible corporate citizen, BASF is working on innovative technologies contributing to circular economy for plastics. We also support our employees to participate in coastal cleanup activities, making our collective contributions to reducing wastes, especially plastic wastes in the environment. Today, I’m very happy to be part of the team.
At BASF, societal engagement is a key corporate strategy while our employees are the best ambassadors. As a co-founder of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), BASF is committed to helping end plastic waste in the environment and driving the circular economy of plastic.