On 1 August 2024, Trinasolar Asia Pacific took a step towards a cleaner future by hosting a beach clean-up in Singapore. Under the theme “Cleaner Beaches, Brighter Futures”, 47 employees joined forces to clean up the litter along the beach at Singapore's East Coast Park. This initiative aimed to not only clean the beach, but also raise awareness about environmental protection.

The Marine Litter Crisis: Why Beach Clean Ups are Important

Our oceans are clogged with trash comprising mainly plastic waste. Every year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans, and if things continue, the amount of plastic will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050. The main culprit of plastic pollution in our oceans? Land-based consumption and disposal.

The detrimental impact of plastics on marine life will span across centuries, even if the world completely stops all plastic consumption today. Plastics contribute to:

• Chemical pollution: Plastics can leach chemicals into oceans.
• Ecosystem disruption: Plastics can bind with toxins and host harmful bacteria, such as those associated with coral bleaching and gastroenteritis, harming both humans and marine life.
• Physical harm to marine life: Plastic debris can injure, entangle, or choke marine life.
• Lower oxygen production and carbon sequestration: Plastics affect how marine life produce oxygen and sequester carbon, affecting the earth's climate in the long run.

In the context of biodiverse Singapore, these are significant risks to our rich marine biodiversity. Singapore's coastal waters house 12,000 to 17,000 organisms, many of which are vulnerable or critically endangered. Beach clean-ups are a crucial mitigative effort to combat plastic pollution in oceans.

Doing Good By the Community for the Community: The Importance of Ground-Up Initiatives

Around the world, many countries are actively tackling plastic pollution. As one of the world's greatest single-use plastics consumers per capita and the largest consumer by volume in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore is also doing its part through a plastic bag charge across major supermarkets, new policies for producers of packaged products to manage their use of disposable packaging, and collaborations with businesses to encourage consumers to reduce their use of disposables. To maintain cleanliness, Singapore's beaches are also cleaned from four times a week to twice a day (depending on the season) using technologies that enhance the efficacy of beach cleanup activities.

However, a top-down approach alone is insufficient. Everyone plays a part in keeping our environment clean. Hence, community-driven initiatives, which harness the power of local residents, organizations and businesses, are crucial in raising awareness of and combating marine plastic pollution.

Beach clean-ups are one of the most popular ground-up initiatives to engage the public and provide a direct perspective on the impact of plastic pollution in our coastal waters. They provide a clear, firsthand view of how the world's reliance on plastic has impacted our planet and foster a stronger sense of responsibility towards our natural environment. Such ground-up initiatives complement governmental initiatives to inculcate lasting behaviour change.

Trinasolar's Contribution to Singapore's Coastal Clean Up Efforts

The unfortunate truth is most of the plastic in the ocean remain floating close to the shoreline and are continually washed ashore by winds and tides. Volunteers from Trinasolar collected a  whopping 90 kilograms of trash, including household trash, plastic bottles, metal cans, cigarette butts, and styrofoam pieces, in only one hour.

Trinasolar APAC employees actively participating in the beach clean-up at East Coast Park in Singapore

However, the impact of the beach clean-up on the volunteers was undeniable. For many Trinasolar volunteers, this was their first time participating in a beach clean-up. Surrounded by the scenic beach, distant ships, and a clear sky, volunteers not only appreciated the beauty of nature but also felt a strong sense of accomplishment with each piece of trash that was removed from the coast, strengthening their resolve to reduce plastic pollution in their daily lives.

Speaking about this event, Todd Li, President of Trinasolar Asia Pacific said, “This was more than just a beach cleanup; it was a testament to Trinasolar's commitment to environmental sustainability, and an active step in renewing its dedication to continue engaging in and supporting more environmental initiatives, contributing to a cleaner, low-carbon Singapore and planet.”

Beyond beach clean-ups, Trinasolar plays an active role in maintaining environmental integrity in all countries that we operate in. Read more about our efforts in our latest sustainability report.