Sustainable Scouts' story
The eco-tableware company, Stroodles, and London recycling company, Bywaters, teamed up with Thomas Franklin (who was 9 years old at the time!) and his Scout Group to support a new initiative to Make A Splash in the fight against plastic pollution through a new scout badge, for their camp blankets.
Every year 8 million metric tonnes of plastic enter our oceans, causing lasting damage to biodiversity and ocean ecosystems. This problem resonates across industries, spurring a shared ambition for real and drastic change.
The desire to tackle this crisis brought together an unlikely collective, with the aim of inspiring the next generation to make a more positive impact on the planet. Working in partnership, Stroodles and Bywaters teamed up with Thomas to support his ambition of making scouts more sustainable.
Thomas' passion for environmentalism has driven him to push for change across the Scouting movement, increasing emphasis on actions for the environment. In reply to Thomas' campaign, Bear Grylls, Chief Scout, commented "I totally agree we need to help more young people understand this issue and take positive action."
The overarching aim of the new two-tiered scouts badge is to educate and inspire the younger generation to understand the threat plastics pose if not handled correctly, ensuring that young people have a better understanding of biological preservation than current generations.
The 1st Sid Vale Cub Scout Group launched the scheme and, after undertaking a Beach Clean in Sidmouth, became the first scouts to earn the new 'Ocean Helper' and 'Ocean Hero' sustainability badge.
It is hoped that this collaboration will act as a springboard to catapult the scheme nationally. With a reach of over 348,000 male and female Scouts in the UK, and over 153,000 adult helpers, this scheme has the potential to scale local impact in the fight against ocean plastics.
In response to the launch of the scheme, Thomas said "I want the whole of scouting to be plastic clever and do more to help save our world. All the young people in scouting can make a huge difference to the environment and be an example to others. Scouting needs to take action to save our planet now!"
Our advice
Anyone can perform a litter pick, it only takes the drive to get involved. That is the simplicity of the project, as everyone can make a difference to the volumes of plastics making their way in to our waterways each year. However this campaign looks to go beyond just dealing with the effects of littering and inspire real behavioural change in the younger generation that will ensure that there is less litter to clear in the future.
As part of the initial event, Stroodles, Bywaters and the regional scout master all delivered speeches to the scout troop. This rally helped to educate and inspire on the issues surrounding ocean plastics.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the uptake of scout groups across the UK implementing the badges; the volume of waste picked up through litter picks (and avoided in the first place through education); and by behaviour change and a greater sense in the younger generation of how easy and fun sustainability can be.
