Selfridges axes plastic water bottles for latest ocean campaign
Selfridges will no longer sell single-use plastic water bottles from its food halls and has introduced a drinking fountain in its London store as part of its ongoing Project Ocean marine conservation scheme.
The department store retailer said that the move would prevent some 400,000 plastic bottles being sold at its outlets annually, as it looks to raise awareness about the harm plastic causes to the world’s oceans through a number of initiatives.
Water will now be available in grab-and-go glass and tetrapak formats but Selfridges wants this to be a “stepping stone” to reusable plastic vessels, which will also go on sale.
The retailer’s London food hall will be home to the Sea Change Drinking Fountain – said to be a first in any department store – that will offer customers freshly filtered tap water to fill these vessels.
Selfridges has also committed to a reduction in plastic packaging across the board and will continue its policy forbidding the sale of endangered fish.
As part of Project Ocean, the London store’s special events space will host an eight week exhibition featuring films and art works highlighting the issue of waste plastic in oceans as well as a special water bar offering “alternative water drinking experiences”.
Project Ocean is run in partnership with international conservation charity The Zoological Society of London and the Marine Reserves Coalition.
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