Sri Lanka’s largest environmental advocacy and action network backed by over 9,000 volunteers, ZeroPlastic Movement has officially announced its partnership with Mark and Comm Ltd. The Colombo-based leading PR agency is now its Strategic Communications Partner.
ZeroPlastic Movement has evolved into a foremost grassroots’ environmental activist group in Sri Lanka with thousands of volunteers from universities, corporations, and schools, coming together to combat plastic pollution through education and advocacy. It was also named National Winner 2023 – Sri Lanka earlier this year in recognition of its ZeroPlastic River Strainer project.
The agreement was exchanged on 03rd of August at Uga Residence in the presence of ZeroPlastic Movement Founder Nishshanka De Silva together with Mark and Comm Ltd Managing Director Thanzyl Thajudeen and Director Chamanie Nanayakkara.
The partnership will go on to strengthen visibility and raise awareness of ZeroPlastic Movement and its many initiatives carried out island wide. According to government figures, around 500,000 metric tons of plastic-related material are imported into Sri Lanka annually, and only a tenth of those or less are recycled, resulting in a significant disposal of waste both in land and ocean with severe repercussions to the entire ecology and society including threats to animals.
ZeroPlastic Movement continues its call on various stakeholders to act and respond swiftly, beginning from the much-needed education and change in societal behavior. The movement is actively expanding its collaborations and sponsorships, backed a strong network across the country, driven by passionate volunteers coming together to make this change.
Nishshanka De Silva, Founder of ZeroPlastic Movement, said ‘‘We could not have been prouder of our partnership with Mark and Comm and their extensive experience and know-how to take our movement to greater heights not just in Sri Lanka but also in the region and globally.’’
Thanzyl Thajudeen, Managing Director of Mark and Comm Ltd, who also sits on the expert panel of ZeroPlastic Movement as consultant overseeing public affairs, PR and communications, said ‘‘We have always embraced social change for the good and this is reflected in all our efforts. Our partnership with ZeroPlastic Movement stands as a testament to our notion of instilling positive change through powerful and meaningful narratives and actions, and bringing about a cohesive and sustainable impact in the society and economy we live in.’’
Some of the notable initiatives of ZeroPlastic Movement together with its sponsors include the Bamboo Bloom project where bamboo samplings are planted with plans now underway to explore avenues with bamboo product makers to use bamboo as an alternative to single-use plastic items, Climate Change Hackathon which is a series of events held across Universities, and numerous climate action projects carried out in various towns and regions, and a host of informative and collaborative workshops, webinars, seminars, and platforms, backed by their extensive network of grassroot chapters that are created and managed throughout the country.