The global travel and tourism job market is predicted to see a loss of 75.2 million jobs worldwide due to covid19 pandemic. Amid the economic downturn, Seven Clean Seas saw an opportunity.
In addition to the threat to public health, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought economic and social disruption that threatens the long-term livelihoods and well-being of millions – either through shortened hours, extended paid or unpaid leave on partial wages, or complete job loss. The Singapore-based Social enterprise, Seven Clean Seas, however, saw an opportunity to offer employment and sustain their mission to clean the oceans.
Seven Clean Seas, a Singapore-based social enterprise, whose mission is to help corporates and companies to achieve plastic neutrality via plastic credits, has taken an initiative to employ the furloughed tourism workers of Nikoi and Cempedak Islands in Riau, Indonesia for its beach clean-up programmes.
See the global statistics of the employment loss in travel and tourism sector worldwide 2020 due to Covid19 pandemic, by country here.
Sustainable Livelihoods for Tourism and Hospitality workers
Seven Clean Seas seizes the opportunity to help the furloughed workers from travel and hospitality around Nikoi and Cempedak islands. Team of about 20 are cleaning up beaches on the east coast of Bintan, which is a marine protected area hence helping on the conservation efforts as well.
Not only we doing plastic recovery from the ocean but we’re doing it form a marine protected area and helping on the conservation side of things as well. The workers love it, we’ve actually got more people wanting to do it than we can afford to employ
Currently the funding is coming from Seven Clean Seas’ own pockets and it is seeking corporate sponsorship to scale this program of funding clean-up activities as well employing workers from travel and hospitality who have lost their jobs. The program sponsorship is priced at US$26,000 for a one-year commitment to employ teams of 20 in these clean-ups
Seven Clean Seas is also signing up as an associate member of The Long Run, a membership organisation of nature-based tourism businesses committed to driving sustainability around the 4Cs – Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce.
Through this, it hopes to be able to offer clean-up programmes where Long Run members are – from Zanzibar to Mauritius – and secure corporate sponsorships to deploy their furloughed staff.
For more information about how you and your organisation can achieve plastic neutrality and be part of the change to protect our seas and oceans, surf over to www.sevencleanseas.com or visit their Facebook page
