Supermarket retailer Morrisons has teamed up with marine experts from SEA LIFE Blackpool as part of its major drive to reduce plastic use.
A large group of colleagues from the company’s head office in Bradford and its Squires Gate Lane store travelled to Blackpool Promenade to gain a deeper insight into ocean conservation.
Aquarists from SEA LIFE Blackpool, one of the UK’s most popular aquariums, gave a Blue Planet II-style presentation on the impact of plastic pollution on marine life, as well as other threats, such as intensive fishing and habitat destruction.
The Morrisons team then took part in a big beach clean, helped by aquarists from SEA LIFE Blackpool, as part of the company’s commitment to continue to do more to eradicate plastic packaging from the business wherever possible.
Morrisons Blackpool store manager, Marc Gordon, said: “As a business, we are committed to reducing the use of plastics and to helping our shoppers and colleagues to do the same. It has been great to have the opportunity to lend a hand and to learn more about marine conservation and initiatives taking place to protect and conserve endangered species.
“We’re grateful to the team from SEA LIFE Blackpool, who gave an excellent presentation which gave us an even deeper insight into ocean conservation.”
Before the beach clean, Morrisons colleagues had a guided tour around the popular seafront aquarium. This included learning more about Lulu, the remarkable 79-year-old giant sea turtle and star of the show at SEA LIFE Blackpool, as well as other creatures, such as sharks and stingrays, including six-month-old Ariel, the first baby blacktip shark born in the UK.
Matthew Titherington, general manager at SEA LIFE Blackpool, added: “We were delighted to host the team from Morrisons, who were great company and did a fantastic job on the beach clean. We hope they’ll come and join us again. We were really pleased to be able to talk about the ocean conservation work we do and some of the projects we’re involved in.”
