Bentley Environmental Foundation - joins clean-up mission including innovative educational project in Thailand

2024-04-20

British marque’s global sustainability body lends support to a new schools’ initiative in Bangkok, led by foundation partner, everwave. Educational programme supports the on-going drive to rid major river of pollution and establish waste processing infrastructure. Bentley Environmental Foundation will work alongside Ferry Porsche Foundation and Audi Environmental Foundation. Bentley Environmental Foundation launched last year to support long-term sustainability initiatives.

Bentley Motors today announced its backing for a major sustainability initiative in Thailand, in collaboration with everwave, a foundation partner for the recently-established Bentley Environmental Foundation. The clean-up mission including a new innovative educational project is part of a wider scheme being run by everwave, in collaboration with Audi Environmental Foundation and the Ferry Porsche Foundation, to help rid a major river of harmful plastic rubbish and establish a stable infrastructure for waste processing.

Bentley’s support for everwave in Thailand has so far focused on protecting rivers, streams and the ocean from plastic waste, employing a ‘smart’ refuse-collecting boat fitted with AI technology. With the help of drones, cameras and artificial intelligence, everwave tracks down garbage patches, collects them, and transports around 20 tons of garbage per month out of the Chao Phraya River. Employees of the TerraCycle Global Foundation then sort the waste and process it further.

The new educational scheme in Bangkok will involve a ground-breaking drive to raise awareness among children of the serious sustainability issues surrounding the Chao Phraya River. The schools’ initiative will centre on ‘learning by doing’, with children helping with a canal clean-up exercise on the Phasi Charoen Canal, which flows into the Gulf of Thailand 25 kilometres west of Bangkok, carrying some 385 tons of waste to the sea every year.

“Last year, 66,000 kilogrammes of garbage were fished out of the water. If things go well, the Chao Phraya can be waste-free in ten to twenty years,” Clemens Feigl, CEO of everwave, explained. “Back in the classroom, students will set up a recycling system for their school. They will be intensively coached for a year and accompanied by the local NGO TerraCycle Global Foundation. This will help them understand the dangers of plastic waste and why we need to restore the world’s oceans to good health,” Feigl added.

The newly-formed Bentley Environmental Foundation, launched in June last year, is a key part of the luxury marque’s Beyond100 strategy. It represents Bentley’s long-term commitment to supporting global sustainability projects, many of which are dedicated to water-based causes.

Wayne Bruce, Chief Communications and DEI Officer at Bentley Motors and responsible for the Bentley Environmental Foundation, commented: “The Bangkok initiative is just the latest by the Bentley Environmental Foundation to support global sustainability projects, this time helping to clean-up a river that has become a ‘plastics highway’. Such initiatives are a key part of Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy to reduce our own environmental impact. I am very glad that we are collaborating with the Audi Environmental Foundation and the Ferry Porsche Foundation in the clean-up mission project, preventing plastic and waste entering oceans and preserving the delicate ecosystems they sustain.

“Our partnership underscores our collective commitment to combatting plastic pollution and safeguarding our planet's precious resources for generations to come, while instilling in future generations a deep understanding of environmental stewardship and the importance of sustainable practices. Through educational initiatives like the one in Bangkok, we aim to empower and inspire young minds with the knowledge and tools necessary to enact positive change in their communities and beyond.”