Volvo’s Thai unit backs global beach clean-up campaign

Volvo joined with the Saensuk Municipal Office to focus on removing plastic waste and other garbage from Bang Saen Beach in Chon Buri province. Volvo executives and staff, along with dealers and media guests, comprised almost 200 helpers who came to join this activity and collected 494 kilgrams of garbage. 
The waste included plastic, bottles, packaging, paper, wood, foam, food wrappers, glass, cans, newspapers and bottle caps.
The beach cleaning campaign drives awareness and builds positive thinking among the local population, encouraging everyone to take care and show genuine concern for the beaches of Thailand, and to clean up where necessary. 
“It is only if people change their behaviour to reduce plastic use - and not drop plastic or any other garbage in the klongs, rivers or seas - that Thailand as a country can avoid destroying sea-life, endangering people’s future and damaging the environment through plastic pollution,” the company said.
Volvo Cars has taken part in a global beach cleaning initiative to raise awareness and help tackle plastic pollution in our oceans around the world. 
Over 850 Volvo Cars employees and dealership staff in 16 countries put down their tools, and instead picked up trash in aid of the 2018 United Nations’ World Environment Day. 
Since it began in 1974, World Environment Day is dedicated to take action and care for the planet. This year’s theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution.” According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans each year. 

Time for action
If nothing is done to alleviate the situation, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.
 Chris Wailes, managing director of Volvo Cars (Thailand) Limited, said: “Thailand is one of the world’s most prominent producers of plastic waste per capita and one of the world’s heaviest consumers of single-use plastics by net volume.
“This beach-cleaning activity emphasises Volvo’s wish to see changes and activation of the community, because we believe in Thai people and are concerned for our future should things continue along the current trajectory.”