• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Thursday March 21 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Plastic campaigners City to Sea receives finance from Triodos Bank

A Bristol-based campaigning organisation that aims to stop ocean plastic pollution, City to Sea, has received new lending from sustainable bank Triodos, which is headquartered in the city.

The finance, in collaboration with grant and donation funding, will allow the organisation to continue to expand its campaigning and education work.

The two Bristol-based organisations were both founded to tackle social and environmental issues.

City to Sea, which was established as a community interest company in 2016, works with communities, businesses, and activists to provide practical solutions to the problem of single-use plastic and the link to ocean pollution.

It has campaigned across areas including water refills and disposable coffee cups, as well as plastic-free periods and brought about significant legislative bans on items such as cotton buds, cutlery and polystyrene.

Triodos Bank UK has a 25-year history of lending to organisations working for positive social and environmental change and was named Charities’ Bank of the Year at the Charity Times Awards 2023.

From water refills to returnable coffee cups, City to Sea helps reduce plastic pollution

City to Sea’s reusable cup scheme

City to Sea helps turn the tide against ocean plastic pollution

City to Sea has recently announced an expansion of Refill Destinations with ten more local authorities across the UK, as well as offering its returnable coffee cup scheme to university campuses in Bath to help cut pollution.

It has also recently launched a campaign to ban single-use packaging in restaurants, cafes and bars.

Natalie Fée, founder of City to Sea, said: “City to Sea have banked with Triodos for almost ten years now, so when it came to securing a loan to support our growth, it was incredibly valuable to have a relationship with a local, ethical bank that know us well and could take us through the lending process painlessly.

“We’re grateful to have Triodos finance backing us so we can keep investing in our much-needed environmental campaigns.”

Simon Crichton, South West team leader for business banking at Triodos Bank UK, added: “We finance sustainable organisations all across the UK – and Europe – but it’s always particularly exciting when you’re able to work with a likeminded organisation in the city where you’re based.

City to Sea has had an incredible impact in transforming the public’s awareness and approach to unnecessary, everyday plastic use, so we’re pleased to be able to enable them to continue building on this work.”

Pictured: The City to Sea team in Bristol Inset: City to Sea’s reusable cup scheme
Both images by Jon Craig Photography

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