Biodegradable flip flops fly for free

Specialist air cargo management company Magma Aviation has transported over 1 000 kg of flip flops on a pro bono basis for UK-based non-profit, Sea Sense. The flip flops have been delivered using multimodal transport solutions from the point of manufacture in Fuzhou, China, to the point of sale in the United Kingdom.

“We are grateful for Magma Aviation’s efficiency and their eagerness to assist our cause. By donating their time and resources we were able to transport our flip flops across the world quickly, and as a result we have been able to free up funds to employ more plastic collectors in Sierra Leone, providing them with a truly vital income,” says Sea Sense founder, Luke McMillan.

Sea Sense produces plastic-free biodegradable flip flops, the sales of which fund the prevention of plastics from reaching our oceans. The organisation works with grassroots organisations and communities in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Indonesia to reduce plastic pollution whilst also providing a vital income for plastic collectors in developing countries.

“We had two priorities with this charter: the first was to ensure the transport was as quick and easy as possible, reducing Sea Sense’s lead time. The second was that Magma Aviation would pay for the transport, end-to-end,” adds Magma Aviation operations manager James Le Poer Trench. Profits from each pair of flip flops enable 500 ocean-bound plastic bottles to be removed from some of the world’s most polluted waterways and coastlines, so we are delighted to have transported over one tonne of flip flops to their point of sale to fund this amazing endeavour.”

“Plastic flip flops are the world’s most popular shoe, with three billion pairs sold globally every year,” McMillan points out. “Awareness of ocean plastics is high, but the methods of helping the cause are relatively unknown. We are providing people with the chance to make a difference; a simple way to convert concern into action.”

So far, Sea Sense has collected over 22 000 kg of ocean-bound plastic, equivalent in weight to over 2.2 million plastic bottles.