Plastic Free Balearics: Who We Are
Save The Med Foundation
Save The Med Foundation is a non-profit organisation whose main objective is the regeneration of the marine ecosystems of the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast. We develop and implement different programs and activities focused on the reduction of plastic pollution, environmental education, awareness-raising, and research work around the creation of new marine protected areas and improving the management of existing ones. Save The Med has generated alliances and partnerships between stakeholders that allow us to improve and increase the scope and scale of these tools, as a strategy to achieve the greater protection and regeneration of marine ecosystems.
IbizaPreservation
IbizaPreservation is a non-profit foundation working for the protection and regeneration of Ibiza and Formentera. Founded in 2008, IbizaPreservation's vision is to help the islands become models of sustainability, where their natural heritage is valued by all as vital to long-term well-being and prosperity. By building consensus and forming cross-sector alliances, the foundation promotes environmental initiatives that seek to identify and implement lasting solutions. Since 2018, it has prioritised the funding and promotion of four strategic projects: Posidonia Protection; Ibiza Produce; the Sustainability Observatory and Plastic Free Ibiza and Formentera.
Beyond Plastic Med
Plastic Free Balearics is co-funded by the association Beyond Plastic Med. Beyond Plastic Med was created in 2015 as an initiative of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Today, the association BeMed, headquarters in Monaco, brings together the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Tara Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe and IUCN. Its mission is to develop and support a network of Mediterranean stakeholders committed to curbing plastic pollution through innovative and sustainable solutions.
Our History
Plastic Pollution Reduction
In 2018 Save The Med carried out the pilot program "Balears Sense Plàstic", which consisted of a study in which the consumption of single-use plastics by 45 businesses of different sizes and from different economic sectors on the island of Mallorca was evaluated. Through an analysis of the data obtained and an investigation into the management and classification of plastic waste, Save The Med developed, together with the environmental consultancy Inédit, an innovative tool: the Honest Alternatives to Plastics Index (HAPI).
The HAPI allows us to measure, compare and improve the environmental impact of the consumption of single-use plastics and proposes "Honest Alternatives" for their substitution.
All the knowledge gathered and strategies designed have since been integrated into the process of developing the new Plastic Free Balearics certification. Our wish is that the certification be used as a tool to help protect the ecosystems of the archipelago and that it becomes recognised as a seal of environmental quality in the Balearics and wider Mediterranean.
Our Team
Core group
Project Manager
Coordinadora
Coordinadora
Project Developer Mallorca
Desarrolladora Técnica
Comunication
Comunicación
Comunicación
Comunicación
Video
Legal
Asuntos Legales
Coordination
Coordinadora Regional Ibiza
Coordinador Regional Formentera
Coordinadora Regional Menorca (Beneficiaria)
Plastic Free Ibiza and Formentera
Plastic Free Ibiza and Formentera is an alliance of 14 non-profit organisations founded in 2018 in order to fight together against pollution from single-use plastics in the islands.
Led and funded by IbizaPreservation, the alliance works to offer solutions for the reduction and elimination of single-use plastics in homes, businesses and public institutions, through actions and awareness campaigns, environmental education and the certification of committed companies.
The Plastic Free certification was launched in 2019, inviting the most iconic companies operating in the hospitality sector of Ibiza and Formentera to start eliminating or reducing single-use plastic from their operations, awarding them from one to three stars for their achievements. More than 130 companies were certified in the first two years. In 2020, the certification was revised to include up to 5 stars, giving added recognition to companies prioritising zero waste policies.
The Plastic Free Balearics certification is one more step towards a future without plastics. Achieving an alliance at the Balearic level is a great opportunity for companies in the hospitality sector throughout the four islands to position themselves at the forefront of tourist destinations with added value: care for the environment through a solid and authentic commitment.
Plastic Free Menorca
Plastic Free Menorca is a project promoted by Menorca Preservation to create a common, coordinated and consensual framework among the various entities of Menorca that carry out actions of different types to reduce plastic pollution on the island.
The alliance was formalised in September 2020 and is formed by five Menorcan entities, all with an important trajectory in the protection and preservation of the environment and which have now joined forces to fight against single-use plastic. They are Menorca Preservation, Instituto Menorquín de Estudios, GOB Menorca, Asociación Leader Isla de Menorca and Por el Mar Vivo. The project also receives funding from Marilles Foundation.
Menorca launched its Plastic Free certification scheme for companies in the hospitality sector in 2021, drawing on the experience of the initiatives previously developed in other Balearic islands. Having the same Plastic Free certification throughout the Balearics creates a common criterion for all hospitality companies in the archipelago, identifying themselves as a sector and region united against plastic pollution.