Earthwatch: Building a better world for 20 years
Sustainability
April 22, 2020Reading time: 3 minutes
2020 is an important year for climate action. It marks 50 years of Earth Day and 20 years of Amcor’s partnership with Earthwatch Institute, a non-profit environmental organization that connects Amcor people with top scientists to inform research on pollution and climate change.
2020 is an important year for climate action. It marks 50 years of Earth Day and 20 years of Amcor’s partnership with Earthwatch Institute, a non-profit environmental organization that connects Amcor people with top scientists to inform research on pollution and climate change.
To celebrate both occasions, we are reflecting on a long and successful partnership with Earthwatch. From Peru to Canada, Scotland to South Africa, Indonesia to Iceland, more than 200 Amcor team members have travelled to unique areas around the world. In small groups they conduct research in partnership with Earthwatch and under the direction of research scientists from a variety of organizations in order to better protect the environment.
Since 2001 we’ve studied a broad range of topics, including dolphin behavior in New Zealand, rare plants and flamingos in Kenya, and climate change at the edge of the Arctic. In 2015 we shifted our focus to marine debris primarily, traveling to Bali (2016 and 2019), Cape Town (2017) and Peru (2018) to study the causes and effects of plastic waste on the environment.
Taking part in Earthwatch is an incredible opportunity to contribute to direct action that protects the environment, and to experience new places and cultures. Participants say it has changed them personally and professionally. It has also prompted action that leads to long-term social, economic and governmental solutions in countries that need it most.
So, what are some of these solutions? What positive changes have come about as a result of the research conducted during expeditions, and how are these contributing to a better, more sustainable planet for all?
Keep reading to find out.
Tracking Brazil’s Elusive Jaguars in 2014
How research moves us closer to a more sustainable future
Marine debris is a global problem that affects oceans, land, wildlife and food chains, which is why it has been the focus of Amcor’s Earthwatch expeditions in recent years. Not enough is known about the build-up of waste on land and how it subsequently ends up entering oceans – so, the objective of our latest expeditions has been to increase the data available.
During each expedition, Amcor people look at a number of transects (points or paths of study) along the coast and document the pieces of debris they find. The sites of transects are carefully selected by the scientists’ team based on factors such as population density, infrastructure, poverty and education levels, land use and coastal proximity.
By understanding the various socio-economic factors that drive pollution, and how this interacts with other factors such as site characteristics, we can help to identify solutions to the issue at its roots and drive lasting change. And it allows scientists to make predictions about debris flows in other areas, and how effective certain measures may be in preventing them.
Related read: Paradise Reimagined: Forging a Way Forward in Bali
“Bespoke programs, such as the one we run with Amcor, are particularly valuable as it not only provides the opportunity for research to be specifically targeted around a real-world issue, but also with a company who is very well placed to make a difference and become a world leader in best practice solutions.” - Viki Nathan, Learning and Engagement Manager Earthwatch Institute
Protecting the Rivers of California in 2013
The importance of collaboration to turn research into more sustainable solutions
Assisting Earthwatch with research is the first step. The next is using data to inform recommendations to governments, industry, funders, and civil society groups, and to initiate measures to remedy the flow of litter into oceans. Collaboration is vital to implementing viable waste management solutions and creating a better environment.
As a leading packaging manufacturer, Amcor people see how packaging is reused and recycled in the real world, which helps us better understand how important it is to design for recycling – and that means designing packaging that is both safer and easier to recycle, the basis of our 2025 pledge.
__Some of Amcor and Earthwatch’s research outcomes and achievements __
• 2019 Paradise Lost? The Impact of Marine Debris in Bali: This was our return trip to Bali, three years after our first visit in 2016 to conduct marine debris surveys. Both trips analyzed the same set of beaches to study how government policies are impacting the levels of beach pollution over time.
• 2013 South African Wildlife: The Biodiversity Management Plan (developed using Earthwatch data) was formally accepted into South African law
• 2011 Turtles in Trouble: A six-year Earthwatch study in Queensland, Australia, concluded that turtles mistaking plastic litter for jellyfish accounted for nearly 30% of turtle deaths – double what was previously thought
• 2010 Mangroves of the Kenyan Coast: Earthwatch scientists developed the first community mangrove conservation project, helping to preserve the ecosystem and reduce poverty
• 2005 Lakes of the Rift Valley: Earthwatch teams help to get Lake Elmenteita, Kenya, designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, which helps to protect almost 30% of the world’s flamingo population
Paradise Lost? The impact of marine debris in 2019
“My research with Earthwatch and Amcor has helped to identify activities that generate some of the most common and harmful debris items, as well as quantifying their prevalence on beaches in different geographical settings. The data provided by Amcor volunteers in Bali in 2016 and 2019 provided considerable insight into littering trends and the effects of island-wide efforts to drastically reduce marine debris.” – Steve Smith, Marine Benthic Ecologist, Southern Cross University, led the Earthwatch/Amcor expedition to Bali in 2016
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“In the current global plastics leakage project, one of the goals Amcor is contributing to is creating a baseline against which change can be measured. Importantly for us, working with Amcor has increased our understanding of some of the details within the plastics production business, which is immensely useful to understand some of the challenges and opportunities to help reduce plastic waste.”* – Dr. Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)’s Oceans and Atmosphere
“The data gathered over the past 19 years by Earthwatch teams has fed into many scientific publications, several master’s and doctoral theses and, most importantly, into government policy to try to protect the endangered African penguin. Without this data, the penguins probably wouldn’t have received the same level of protection.” - Peter Barham, Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol, who has led the African Penguins project since 2001
“The work that the Earthwatch teams did during the Mangroves of Kenya project from 2004-2010 laid the foundation for Mikoko Pamoja. This is the world’s first community-based mangrove conservation project funded by carbon credits, a model now used by other communities. The research had a major impact on me, on local people and on climate policy and mangrove conservation.” - Mark Huxham, Professor of Environmental Biology, Edinburgh Napier University, who led the Mangroves of Kenya project from 2004-2010
Tracking Brazil’s Elusive Jaguars in 2014
How Earthwatch impacts people, packaging and planet for the better
Earthwatch has changed the lives of many Amcor people over the last 20 years. The knowledge that Earthwatch Fellows bring back is valuable to Amcor, and is taken into account as we develop more sustainable packaging and make progress towards our 2025 pledge and EnviroAction goals.
For example, Earthwatch Fellows have returned and led awareness campaigns on waste management to help us achieve zero waste-to-disposal at Amcor facilities, while others have improved water management strategies and educated others on the efficient use of natural resources. In their day-to-day roles at Amcor, Earthwatch Fellows use their experience to influence product design to encourage recyclability and reusability.
Related read: A brighter future: Amcor’s commitment to sustainability
Studying the Icelandic Glaciers in 2009
“After returning from Earthwatch, I presented information about the expedition to my factory employees – for most of them it was a real “discovery”. Earthwatch is a unique opportunity to learn, build connections and contribute to sustainability. – Irina Kichatova, Global Quality Director ASC, Switzerland. Irina participated in the 2011 small mammals in Wytham woods expedition.
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“As an R&D Team member… having "first person" experience helps in understanding challenges of plastic recycling.”* – Michal Kaczorowski, Product Development Engineer, AF Łódź. Michal participated in the 2016 expedition: Paradise Lost? The Impacts of Marine Debris in Bali.
“I attended Earthwatch prior to Amcor making the commitment to make all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025. After attending Earthwatch and seeing firsthand the impact plastic waste is having on marine life and the environment, I am proud to work for a plastics company that is willing to address this issue. I came away from the experience feeling that it is my part of my job to make sure that we are creating packaging responsibly in our community.” – Brooke Higgenbotham, Quality Lead, ARP Ames, IA, USA. Brooke participated in the 2017 Cape Town South Africa expedition.
“We learned a lot from completing beach transects and studying the debris we found; I think we learned even more from immersing ourselves in the culture and experiencing some of the challenges firsthand. Visiting local recycling initiatives, meeting community members working to bring recycling into their communities, following trash trucks to open-air landfills, and stepping onto some of the world’s most polluted beaches really drove home the need for systems-level solutions. Going through this experience with my fellow co-workers gave us the unique opportunity to consider the role Amcor can play in supporting these solutions.” – Carolyn Billetdeaux, Sustainability Manager, Amcor Plc, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Carolyn participated in the 2019 Bali Marine Debris expedition.
2017 Cape Town, South Africa expedition
To continue to improve and protect our planet, developing more sustainable packaging is only one piece of the puzzle – effective waste management infrastructure and ongoing waste collection and recycling is essential if we are to minimize marine debris.
We will continue to partner with Earthwatch and other like-minded organizations – to conduct research, raise awareness and collaborate with others in order to move closer to a circular economy.
Related Insights
Paradise Reimagined: Forging a Way Forward in Bali
October 14, 2019
After three years away, 16 Amcor people return to Bali for Earthwatch 2019. This is an opportunity to see what has changed, on a local level, and understand how this long-term partnership is helping to better protect the environment.
After three years away, 16 Amcor people return to Bali for Earthwatch 2019. This is an opportunity to see what has changed, on a local level, and understand how this long-term partnership is helping to better protect the environment.
A brighter future: Amcor's commitment to sustainability
October 3, 2016
Amcor's commitment to sustainability resonates throughout the company. This includes engaging its co-workers to get involved and walk the talk.
Amcor's commitment to sustainability resonates throughout the company. This includes engaging its co-workers to get involved and walk the talk.
