Fishing for Plastic: We MUST Clean Up Our Act!

Emma Bondsfield

Marketing Manager

As part of OSKA’s commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), the team worked together to collect litter and waste from our local beach after a sunny weekend on the South Coast. Team OSKA divided into two teams, each tasked with tackling a different area of the coast to cover as much space as possible. With our litter pickers, bin bags and high vis jackets, we were ready for action!

Why are Beach Cleans Important?

A study conducted in 2024 researching beach litter statistics, found that over an area of 100 meters stretch, there is an average of over 400 pieces of litter (Alfie, 2024). As a nation, our beaches are loved by many, enjoyed by people of all ages, and home to thousands of species in the surrounding oceans. Sometimes it is easy to lose track of where our waste may end up, however it is now estimated that there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050 (WWF, 2023).

This staggering statistic is a sharp wake-up call that we must do more to care for our coastal habitats and this starts by cleaning up our beaches. Protecting our beautiful English Coastline is paramount and everyone can make a difference, no matter how big or small.

OSKA’s Commitment

As a company that is committed to enhancing our sustainability efforts, and caring for our people and local environment, organising a beach clean was an excellent activity for us. With Head Office being only a short distance from an array of beautiful beachfronts, we understand the difference that can be made if everyone helps out.

Our local area is classed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with recreational disturbance categorised as a high-risk pressure (Natural England, 2024). This makes our efforts in helping to reverse these actions even more impressionable. On a beautifully warm and sunny July Monday morning, our beach clean was not only a great teambuilding activity to kick off another busy week, it boosted everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. We also made incredible progress in reducing the detrimental waste found in the area. This not only benefits us individually but also supports a diverse range of habitats and enhances the experience for everyone who enjoys these beautiful beaches.

The Results!

So… was our hard work worth it? Of course! Even if we found a single piece of litter, we would still be proud to have made a difference. However, in just 45 minutes we were in fact able to collect an astonishing 11kg of litter from across the beach, including:

29 aluminium drink cans

22 single use plastic bottles

13 takeaway cups and 12 lids

2 vapes

10 glass bottles, plus a lot of broken glass bottles

16 takeaway food containers

Fishing line, kids’ crabbing nets, lines and reels

This is not an exhaustive list; we also collected discarded swim shorts, electrical cables, slippers, socks, an insole and even more worryingly, a full canister of Nitrous Oxide. This large amount of litter was discovered in a small, quiet area, serving as a representation of what might be found on other, larger beaches.

As well as being important to us as individuals, you may be wondering why activities like our beach clean are so important to OSKA as a business. Read on to learn more…

The Care Sector’s Responsibility

Given the Care Sector’s unwavering commitment to prioritising patients and long term care residents, it is crucial to acknowledge the growing importance of sustainability. Sustainable practices and initiatives are becoming a strong influence in the sector, as service users increasingly care about the environmental practices of the organisations and distributors they engage with.

According to Care England, “the care sector is a key contributor to emissions generated by their supply chain”. OSKA, in partnership with Care Providers, recognises our impact in this supply chain and is ensuring our business operations exceed sustainability standards expected by the care operators we work with. Therefore, we feel it’s important to demonstrate our commitment to supporting these care providers in making long term sustainable decisions.

OSKA is fully committed to supporting Care Providers in minimising their environmental impacts of the products and services they use. We are focussing on the following key areas:

REDUCE the amount of foam Care Providers send to waste disposal - introducing mattresses that last up to 3 times longer to greatly reduce the environmental impact (and save money).

REDUCE the use of electricity - massively reduce overuse and reliance on air mattresses through product innovation and rigorous staff training.

INCREASE transportation space with rolled and vacuumed packed mattresses, eliminating the need for excess plastic use, whilst increasing the number of mattresses carried per truck.
ENGAGE with supply chain and customers to collaborate and join forces to tackle and reduce our combined carbon footprint.

However, OSKA’s ESG commitments don’t stop here. Sustainable business must also be driven by the people too, which is why we have recruited our OSKA Green Team. Our keen Green Ambassadors ensure OSKA is doing everything to keep sustainability efforts high; from ensuring sustainable business operations where possible, to organising companywide events to promote teambuilding and sustainable actions simultaneously.

As part of driving sustainable every day practices in the office, we have installed categorised waste bins, battery and electrical equipment recycling bins, as well as other recycling initiatives. Installing separate bins for general waste, mixed recycling, paper and card, and mixed glass encourages transferable habits that everyone can act on within their everyday lives. Other small but achievable actions have also been implemented, like reducing paper usage and encouraging the use of reusable bottles. These actions all aid in reducing our environmental impacts as individuals and a business as a whole.

The Beach Clean is just one of the many exciting initiatives OSKA has in store. Our dedication to ESG is only growing as we continue to focus on our commitments, so stay tuned for what’s coming next.