Over 100 actions to reduce plastic with the ‘Plastic Free Menorca Commitment’

The initiative is developed by our Plastic Free Menorca Alliance and advises businesses outside the Hospitality sector to reduce the use of plastics

The ‘Plastic Free Menorca Commitment’ project, developed by the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance, promoted by Menorca Preservation, accompanies and advises businesses outside the Hospitality sector to reduce the use of plastic in their establishments. The initiative consists of a totally free certification process through which businesses, advised by the technical team of the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance, analyse and define actions focused on 6 categories: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Collect, Recycle and Reflect. Since its launch in 2023, 14 businesses have obtained the ‘Plastic Free Menorca Commitment’ certification, managing to commit to carry out a total of 114 commitments: ‘we help businesses to understand what plastic is, the great impact it generates and we encourage them to take action. The truth is that it doesn’t cost us much, because all the businesses that have participated have welcomed our suggestions very positively and have even been encouraged to go further’, explains Marta Pérez, coordinator of the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance and responsible for the “Plastic Free Menorca Commitment”. In turn, she highlights that ‘to date, we have managed to add 13 actions focused on REPENSING, 37 actions focused on REDUCE, 18 actions aimed at REUSE, 9 actions aimed at COLLECT, 14 actions related to RECYCLE and 23 actions dedicated to REFLECT’.

Enza La Brocca, from Blue Islands Diving, highlights that ‘Discovering the Plastic-Free Menorca Alliance was a very important step on our way to reduce the use of plastic, both in our dive centre and in our activities. With their support and guidance, we were able to achieve very good results in a very short time. In addition, their total willingness to organise and participate in beach and seabed clean-up events is second to none. All the support we can get when we need it, I think you can’t ask for better. We are very proud to have achieved the ‘Plastic free Menorca Commitment’ certification, but we don’t stop there. With your help, we are sure we can do even better’.

Blue Islands Diving team

‘Plastic Free Menorca Commitment”: The certification process step by step

Firstly, the business interested in participating in the initiative contacts the Plastic Free Menorca Alliance by email (info@plasticfreemenorca.org or directly through this form.

The process then begins with an initial diagnosis to identify both the use and the role that each business can play in reducing plastic pollution. Next, the possible commitments and actions to be carried out by the business are defined, always with the advice of the Alliance’s technical team, which proposes different ways to reduce the use of plastics, encompassed in the following categories:

  • Rethink: Have you identified changes you can make in the design of your products and/or services that will enable you to prevent the use of plastic?
  • Reduce: Do you consider it feasible in the short term to reduce the generation of waste created in the manufacture of your products and/or service and/or activity?
  • Reuse: Could you reuse a waste that you generate in your business for your own activity or for others? Have you considered being part of a circular economy initiative?
  • Collect: Do you have any initiative of your own or do you participate in any action to clean up the environment?
  • Recycle: Do you recycle the plastic waste you generate and do you give your plastic waste a new life by transforming it into raw material for the manufacture of new plastic products?
  • Reflect: Do you think that you can contribute, through your own activities or actions, to explain and reflect on plastic pollution?

Finally, once their situation has been evaluated and commitments have been identified, they are encouraged to draw up a policy aimed at reducing the use of plastics in their establishments and are given the ‘Plastic Free Menorca Commitment’ badge. It should be noted that the cost of this certification is fully financed by Menorca Preservation and does not involve any outlay for the company.