"I founded the Plastic Free Pledge, alongside Claire Potter, in early 2017. Having taken up a volunteer role with Surfers Against Sewage in Brighton & Hove, I was fed up with seeing so many single-use plastic items everywhere I went. Having spent a lot of time conducting beach cleans with the SAS team, it became obvious that we had to become proactive on the issue of plastic pollution, rather than just reactive. This gave rise to the Plastic Free Pledge.
As a Product Designer, I know how fantastic plastic can be as a material – but not if it is used only once in the throwaway culture we have created. Irresponsible use of plastic is poisoning our oceans, our wildlife, and ultimately us.
As well as co-ordinating the Plastic Free Pledge; I work as a Design Researcher at Claire Potter Design, where marine research and the Circular Economy are our focus and speciality. We regularly engage in projects from electronics reuse and recycling, through to the reintegration of waste Ghost Gear (abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear) into material product streams.
