[Durban – 24 April 2023] Footwear company, Bata South Africa, has pledged its support as a clean-up partner to The Litterboom Project (TLP), a non-profit organisation running South Africa’s first large scale river interception programme to stop plastic pollution from reaching the ocean.

Bata has provided funding to power TLP’s regular beach clean-ups in Durban throughout the year.

The two first worked together when Bata donated Bata Industrials gumboots to TLP for volunteers and staff cleaning beaches after the devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods of April 2022. A second consignment of Bata gumboots was donated to TLP late last year.

With the latest collaboration, Bata and other corporate partners are helping TLP in its quest to raise public awareness as part of a Source to Sea approach which aims to tackle the plastic pollution problem through an upstream, eco-system model.

Bata South Africa Country Manager, Michael Wyatt, said, “As a multinational company present in more than 70 countries, Bata believes in local collaborations to address global issues. The Litterboom Project does incredible work intercepting, educating and innovating to tackle plastic and other pollution along our coastline, and it’s our honour to be able to support their efforts in some way.”

Bata is currently on a global drive to reduce its own impact on the environment and encourage the circularity of its products.

TLP’s latest beach clean-up event was held for Earth Day on Saturday, 22nd April at Glenashley Beach. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, 3rd June at Durban Undersea Club ahead of World Oceans Day on 8th June. Regular clean-ups will run throughout the year with activities including music, games, a wastepreneurs showcase of products created from plastic waste, and much more.

CEO of The Litterboom Project, Cameron Service, said, “This year is about celebrating the beaches and oceans, and by enjoying these open spaces we hope to see more people protecting them. We’re always grateful for support, as this enables us to reach more people in our drive to reduce ocean pollution.”

Donations to The Litterboom Project are welcome via the "Donate" button at https://www.thelitterboomproject.com, with Zapper, SnapScan and PayPal options available.