Stena Line replaces 1,000,000 plastic bags
Stena Line sells almost one million plastic carrier bags every year on board the 36 vessels operating the ferry company’s 20 routes in Europe. Now they are replaced with a fully biodegradable bag. An important step towards the goal to phase out all carrier bags and disposables made from plastics.
”Plastics ending up in the oceans is a growing environmental problem. Therefore we have set the ambitious target to phase out carrier bags and disposables from plastics onboard all our ferries during the coming year,” says Erik Lewenhaupt, Head of Sustainability at Stena Line.
In 2016 Stena Line introduced a plastic bag made from 80 per cent recycled plastics. Now it is replaced with a fully biodegradable and compostable carrier bag, made from the bio material Biodolomer®, produced in Sweden by a company named Gaia. The degradation time depends on temperature and environment, but in best case it is 60 days.
The change to a biodegradable carrier bag is an important step in Stena Line’s efforts to phase out all carrier bags and consumables made from plastics during 2017-2018 onboard all 36 Stena Line ferries. During this summer more than 1.3 M disposable coffee cups onboard will also be replaced with a biodegradable alternative.
Stena Line’s sustainability efforts includes the entire company; onboard, in ports, terminals and offices.
“We focus on four key strategic areas based on the Sustainable Development Goals developed by UN and this is connected to goal number 12 – Responsible consumption and production,” says Erik Lewenhaupt.
The other three focus areas are:
- 3 Good Health and Wellbeing
- 7 Affordable and Clean energy
- 14 Life below water.
Erik Lewenhaupt, Head of Sustainability at Stena Line
erik.lewenhaupt@stenaline.com
+46 704 855 188
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators with 36 ferries and 20 routes in northern Europe. Stena Line is developing new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road and sea and it is an important part of the European logistics network. The company is family-owned, was founded 1962 and the head office is located in Gothenburg. Stena Line is part of the Stena AB, which has around 15.000 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 36 billion.
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