- World's first recycled plastic sailing dhow will promote circular solutions and call for an end to unnecessary single-use plastic in the region
- The Lake Victoria expedition - setting sail on 4th March - is promoting regional collaboration to address plastic pollution
- Lake Victoria, Africa's largest freshwater lake, is facing a myriad of environmental and social challenges that could impact the 40 million people living in the region
Kisumu, 4 March 2021 - Flipflopi, the world's first sailing boat made from 100% recycled plastic, is joining forces with the UN Environment Programme's Clean Seas Campaign once more, this time embarking on an expedition by sailing around Africa's largest freshwater ecosystem - Lake Victoria. The voyage aims to send an urgent message to the East Africa community on the need to end the unnecessary single-use plastic scourge that is threatening the region.
The current state of Lake Victoria, supporting 40 million East Africans, through food supply and livelihoods, symbolises the catastrophic effects of human activities and climate change, among other issues, resulting in significant water pollution which threatens the health and livelihoods of communities.
A recent study estimated that 1 in 5 of the fish in Lake Victoria had ingested plastic. Another recent study ubiquitously recorded microplastics in surface waters in several sites of Lake Victoria. At the heart of the plastic waste problem is the linear 'take-make-dispose' model of consumption, as products get manufactured, bought, used briefly, and then thrown away.
The Flipflopi is an initiative showcasing alternative uses of plastic waste and the possibilities of circular economy approaches. Over a three-week period, Flipflopi will sail from Kisumu, Kenya to several locations in Uganda and Tanzania, raising awareness and inspiring communities to adopt circular-waste solutions to beat plastic pollution.
"This Lake, Nam Lolwe, matters to me. It must matter to us all. Investing in research and development on blue economy investments, improving the health of the lake and riparian environment while ensuring that investments are 'lake friendly' from inception are amongst my priorities" said Governor of Kenya's Kisumu County Anyang' Nyong'o.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to address the myriad environmental crises, which can only be done through regional and global consensus on key issues like single-use plastic, and climate change," said Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). "Flipflopi is a great African example of the circular economy in action; we are proud to see it start this new journey around Lake Victoria, a shared resource that we must do all we can to protect."
