September 13, 2018 (VANCOUVER/TORONTO/MONTRÉAL/HALIFAX) – On World Cleanup Day this Saturday, September 15th, Greenpeace and partner organizations will be adding an extra investigative component to a series of simultaneous cleanup events in four cities by conducting Plastic Polluters Brand Audits. These audits seek to identify the major corporate contributors to plastic waste polluting shorelines, green spaces and communities.  ^[1]

These events are taking place as Minister McKenna calls on Canadians to take action on plastic pollution by joining cleanup events in their communities for the week of September 8th to 15th. This call comes in advance of the  G7 Ministerial Meeting on Working Together on Climate Change, Oceans and Clean Energy. Greenpeace was critical of the Ocean Plastics Charter that came out of the June G7 Summit for its heavy reliance on end of pipe solutions like recycling, and for its failure to adequately tackle the gargantuan scale of the plastic pollution crisis. ^[2]

Greenpeace Canada’s Head of Oceans & Plastics campaign Sarah King: “The Canadian government and corporations need to go beyond half-measures  and putting the onus on individuals to tackle corporate waste. Corporations push mass production and consumption of single-use plastic products, leaving little alternative for consumers. We are all impacted by plastic pollution and we need to stop it at the source. Our Plastic Polluters Brand Audits connect companies to the problem and serve as a clear indicator to governments of those who must be held accountable.”

Brand audit events will be taking place on five continents, led by various Greenpeace offices and ally groups in the global Break Free From Plastic movement. Greenpeace Canada is proud to be coordinating audits in Vancouver with Surfrider Foundation Vancouver; in Toronto with Don’t Mess with the Don, Stop Plastics and Strawless Toronto; and in Halifax with Ecology Action Centre. In Montréal, plastic waste will be collected from Mission 10 Tonnes volunteers to be audited on September 16th. Surfrider Pacific Rim will also be conducting an audit in Tofino and sharing results.  ^[3]