Campaigns - Plastic Free July

Plastic Free Philippines

admin — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 08:46:38 +0000

Plastic Free Philippines

Maliliit na hakbang, malaking kaibhan. Sumali sa milyon-milyong tao sa buong mundo sa pagtanggi sa single-use plastic. Sasali ka ba sa paghamon?

Our free posters, social media assets and resources have been created in Tagalog (and one poster in Bisaya) to share Plastic Free July with friends, family and colleagues in the Philippines and help end plastic waste. Our 2025 Philippines Plastic Solutions Showcase shares inspiring stories of change in the Philippines.

More resources

View all resources

Image Gallery

Supported by the CSIRO ‘Establishing a marine plastic litter baseline in the Philippines’ project

The post Plastic Free Philippines appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Plastic Free Pledge

admin — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 03:28:28 +0000

Take the Plastic Free Pledge

Join participants around the world taking a small step by pledging to refuse either single-use cups, plastic drink bottles or plastic food wrap this July. Committing to take a Plastic Free Pledge and sharing it publicly is a great way to show leadership and inspire others. Together we can make a difference and stop billions of single-use plastic items ending up in landfill or litter each year.

How to Get Involved

It’s your choice, simply choose your item, download the pledge card, take a photo and share on social media so others can be inspired to take a step towards ending plastic pollution. Some people take a photo just holding a pledge card and others invite a group to join in and hold up their reusable alternative to single-use plastic. Rather than focusing on the plastic pollution problem this campaign is a great way to visually share solutions in a visual way and inspire others.

Including #PlasticFreePledge and tagging @PlasticFreeJuly on social posts helps spread the word.

Consider sharing the campaign with your local elected official or workplace or community leader and inviting them to join you in taking the pledge and choosing reusable alternatives.

To share your pledge photo please email your (landscape) photo to info@plasticfreejuly.org

Resources for Download

Social Media Posts

Posting to social media? Here is some copy you might like to include on your posts

I’m choosing to [Bring my own cup/bring my own bottle/use reusable containers instead of wrap] this July. Every [takeaway cup/takeaway bottle/plastic wrap] I avoid makes a difference by reducing landfill. By being more resourceful (and less wasteful), together we can make a real difference #PlasticFreePledge.
I’m taking a small step to be part of the solution to plastic pollution, join me today and bring your own cup to your local café #PlasticFreePledge.
I’m taking a small step to be part of the solution to plastic pollution, join me today and refill a reusable bottle #PlasticFreePledge.
I’m taking a small step to be part of the solution to plastic pollution, join me today and avoid using plastic wrap #PlasticFreePledge.

Download pledge card

We’re pledging to refuse single-use plastic

[See image gallery at www.plasticfreejuly.org]

The post Plastic Free Pledge appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Plastic Free July 2025

admin — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 04:58:15 +0000

Plastic Free July 2025

Are you looking for ways to be part of the solution to plastic pollution? This July, join millions of people worldwide reducing their plastic waste by choosing to refuse single-use plastic. Check out our resources and ideas below and get inspired to help reduce plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and even at your local café.

Getting started

Whether you’re a beginner looking for a few single-use plastics to avoid, ready to take next steps or want to share with others, we have ideas to inspire you at home, work, school, and within the community. Best of all, being part of Plastic Free July will help you to find great alternatives that can become new habits forever.

Take the challenge and get ideas, solutions, stories of other participants and news from across the global movement
Do the Plastic Free July Quiz (it takes less than 5 minutes) to discover the items you use and decide what you’d like to choose to refuse
Decide to take your first step or really challenge yourself!

Take the challenge

Plastic Free Pledge

This year’s Plastic Free July campaign focuses on small changes each of us can make to reduce plastic waste under the slogan “Small steps, big difference”. Each year millions of Plastic Free July participants from over 190 countries worldwide are together making a big difference by choosing to refuse single-use plastic.

An astonishing 10 billion kgs of household waste has been avoided by participants over the last five year because millions of people choose to make a change for cleaner streets, healthy oceans, and beautiful communities or just to do the right thing.

Choose one single-use plastic to avoid or take the pledge to avoid single-use cups, plastic drink bottles, or plastic food wrap. These “Top 3” items are single-use plastic items we commonly use each day that most of us can be easily replaced by;

Refilling reusable water bottles from the tap
Bringing a reusable cup or sitting and enjoy a real cup
Switching from plastic wrap to reusable containers or wax wraps.

Make a pledge

Sharing with others

A great way to continue to grow the positive impact of Plastic Free July is by sharing the challenge with others. The resources toolkit contains assets and promotional tools for people to take to school (using the Plastic Free Schools Program), at work, or share in the community to spread the word.

Across the globe are inspired by the Plastic Free Morning Tea: a popular way of making and sharing food, fun and conversations about plastic free solutions. People who host their own at work, home or out in the community find it’s a great way of inviting others to get involved.

As people are realising single-use coffee cups aren’t readily recycled, many people are choosing to tackle isposable coffee cups during Plastic Free July. Our Choose to Up Cup initiative helps coffee lovers, cafes and workplaces make a big difference. It’s as simple as Bring, Borrow, Stay! Either bring your own reusable cup, borrow or swap a cup from some cafés, or take ten minutes and enjoy your favourite cuppa there.

Resources toolkit

Use our logo (for non-commercial use)
Access logo files >

Share the Plastic Free July story
Go to video >

Post on social media
View tiles >

31 days avoiding single-use plastic
Content to share >

Share posters
View files >

Invite people to take the Pesky Plastics Quiz
Go to quiz >

The post Plastic Free July 2025 appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Plastic Free Morning Tea

admin — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 04:44:24 +0000

Plastic Free Morning Tea

Across the globe, communities are inspired by the Plastic Free Morning Tea: a popular way of making and sharing food, fun and conversations about plastic free solutions. People who host their own at work, home or out in the community find it’s a great way to invite others to get involved.

Getting organised

Making it fun and motivating

What's next?

Resource library

Participants

Getting organised

Many businesses, schools and local governments around the world have found sharing food, fun, and conversations about plastic free solutions a simple way to create new habits and kick-start bigger changes. Reducing our reliance on single-use plastics can have a significant impact on creating a healthy and sustainable future.

What is the Plastic Free Morning Tea?

The Plastic Free Morning Tea is a time for people to share a meal of food and drink that hasn’t been wrapped in plastic. It’s a tangible and delicious way to get others involved and start having conversations around plastic free ideas, sharing solutions, and making a real difference together.

People also call it the Plastic Free lunch, tea break, elevensies, coffee break, recess, fika, smoko, coffice and many more.

Tag @plasticfreejuly and let us know if we’ve missed a name and we’ll add it to the list!

Brainstorm ideas

Decide on a date, location and event format

Food and drinks

Some choose to work with a caterer who will deliver food in reusable containers, others visit a local bakery or store that allows BYO containers for takeaway such as dips, cakes and olives, whilst some invite everyone to bring a plate to share. Participants have shared more plastic free ideas are on our website: Picnic, Food Service, Food Storage, Event vendors.

Top tips include checking with your local Plastic Free groups or search online for a list of local restaurants, bakeries and cafes that don’t use plastic packaging and allow you to BYO a container.

Communication and promotion

Making the invitation positive and appealing can help drive attendance.

It can be as simple as “Join our Plastic Free Morning Tea – where we will be sharing food, fun and conversations about plastic free solutions”

Check out the links for:

Sending out invites by email or workplace intranet.
Putting up or sending out digital posters.
Posting social media tiles about the event.
Download and print the Plastic Free Morning Tea posters from our website. Fill in the details of your event and post them around your workplace.

Making it fun and motivating

There are many great ideas to help make the event fun and motivating such as inviting attendees to share ideas and pledges, bringing plastic free treats for the group, asking a question about a tricky plastic item that people are struggling to avoid, or sharing ideas or successes people have had in their journey to be more plastic free.

Decorations

Decorations can be created from scrap materials, borrowed from many libraries, or attendees can be asked to bring something festive from home. Check out our guide for more ideas.

Competitions

Hold a competition in the lead-up to the morning tea. (e.g. ‘ugly mug’ contest, the ‘most delicious’ item or challenging people to bring a piece of plastic they couldn’t avoid).

Providing helpful reusables as a competition prize or door prize can help incentivise attendees (e.g. beeswax wrap, insulated water bottle or metal straw).

Pledges

At some Plastic Free Morning Teas, people give out pledge slips to take them home or to display on a wall in their workplace to check again at the end of July.

Popular pledges are ‘to remember a reusable coffee cup, skip the straw, sign up for the challenge or tell someone about what they have learned’.

Employees of organisations in the process of setting or implementing new sustainability targets find that from from little things, big things grow. Starting with personal and team pledges can help create new habits and cultural norms and kick-start bigger changes.

Sharing stories

Get curious! Encouraging people to share their own stories of how they reduce single-use plastic waste at home, work, or in their community can be inspirational. People often ask questions about the steps they took, the challenges they overcome and lessons learnt.

Don’t forget to take photos so you can share your story with us later!

Event activities

A demonstration or hands-on workshop such as making your own beeswax wraps, lip balm or natural cleaners is a great way to engage your guests.

Screen the 1 minute Plastic Free July animated video to introduce the challenge and start the conversation.

Sharing on socials

People around the world are showing how small steps make a big impact by taking a photo or video of themselves choosing to refuse a single-use plastic item.

Be part of the social movement and take your own photo/video and share with your friends, family, colleagues and community. Don’t forget to tag us at @plasticfreejuly on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

What’s next?

Spread the word that small steps make a big impact!

Send thank yous

Enthusiastic Plastic Free Morning Tea hosts often send a ‘thank you’ to attendees.

Here are some helpful links and ideas to help people take a next steps on the plastic free journey.

What others do – participant stories

Changemaker toolkit

Submit your Plastic Free Morning Tea story to inspire others

Let us know how your Morning Tea was planned and any successes or learnings. Submit your story and photos here

Post on social media to inspire others

Could your story inspire and empower others?

Share with your community and let them know your commitment to a healthier and more sustainable future. Don’t forget to tag @plasticfreejuly

Next steps

Your Morning Tea participants may be excited to continue on their plastic free journey. Ideas for continuing the conversation include a monthly meet-up, making plans for Plastic Free July, or forming a Green Team. Whatever small steps you can take, you will be contributing to a big impact!

Resources Library

Social media invitation tile

Poster invitation

Morning Tea general poster

Pledge cards

Implementation guide

Participants

[See image gallery at www.plasticfreejuly.org]

The post Plastic Free Morning Tea appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Choose to Up Cup. Bring, Borrow, Stay.

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:49:13 +0000

Choose to Up Cup

As more people realise single-use cups aren’t readily recycled, it’s getting easier to avoid them. Up your cup game too – either bring your own reusable cup, borrow or swap a cup from some cafés, or take ten minutes and enjoy your favourite cuppa there. Help make a difference to avoid the billions of single-use cups that end up in landfill and litter each year, simply Bring, Borrow, Stay.

Get involved

Fortunately there are plenty of solutions to the single-use cup so we can still enjoy our favourite cuppa. The Up Cup challenge provides resources and ideas to help you (and millions of others around the world) reduce your coffee cup waste as well at work, in the community and even cafés.

Decide how you will Up Cup

‘Up Cup’ is the new name for this whole habit of making better cup choices so we can all reduce plastic waste and together make a difference.

Some people up their cup game and remember to Bring their reusable cups by keeping them in their car, bag or at the desk so that they are always handy when they are needed. Often people forget their reusable cup because they weren’t planning on getting a coffee on the run. So being prepared means you are never caught short when the coffee urge strikes.

Choose glass, stainless steel, or ceramic cups to avoid any plastic chemicals. Plastic free is better for our health and environment.

Solutions for cafés which are growing in popularity are cup exchange schemes or informal ‘mug libraries’ where coffee lovers Borrow or swap a cup from participating cafés. Our cafe section shares some ideas for establishing a borrow scheme as well as ways to connect with existing schemes.

And perhaps best of all, choose to Stay. Sitting down to enjoy a coffee or other hot beverage from a ceramic cup or standing up for a morning espresso Italian-style is a great way to smell the coffee, without the waste!

Inviting others (colleagues, friends and family)

You can amplify your impact by encouraging your friends, community groups or workplace to Up their Cup game too. Help create a mug library in the office kitchen, or research nearby cafés with a swap scheme. Distribute the posters, share the social media assets, or write an article for your company newsletter or intranet.

Scroll down to the Resource Library at the bottom of the page to download posters and social media assets.

Inviting cafés to join

If your favourite coffee spot needs a little encouragement to offer alternatives to single-use cups, ask them to get involved. You can provide posters, show them the public health advice about reusables being safe to use, or help them set up a mug library. Every single-use cup avoided is a win for the planet!

Check out our Resource Library below to get started.

For cafés

There are many ways cafés, restaurants, coffee vans and other hospitality venues can get on board with reducing single-use plastic waste. By offering your customers the option to bring, borrow or stay, you can significantly reduce your environmental impact, increase customer goodwill and potentially reduce costs.

Choosing your offering

Your customers will appreciate having a choice when it comes to their coffee order. It can be as simple as accepting BYO reusable mugs, offering a mug library, or finding a cup swap scheme that suits your café size and set-up.

The steps below show you how to help your customers to Bring, Borrow or Stay. The Resources Library at the bottom of the page contains posters and social media tiles to help you spread the word.

Borrow - setting up a 'mug library'

A mug library is a great, low-cost way to provide an alternative to single-use cups. Just follow these six simple steps to succes!

Collect a range of ceramic mugs or keep-cup style reusable cups. Ask customers to donate, scour your local Buy Nothing sites, or buy some cheaply at your local op shop.
Display the mugs in a box, basket or on a shelf. Make sure the set-up is easy to access and attractive to use.
Add some signage to encourage customers to use the mug library if they forget their cup. Use our “Bring” poster or create your own. Make sure they know that they can use and return later, even on another day.
Set up a return location for used cups. By the cafe door or somewhere that’s easy for customers and staff to access.
Encourage staff to regularly collect used cups from the box, and wash as they would for dine-in cups. Replenishing the mug library often means there are always options available for your customer.
Share the news on social media. Use our “Borrow” tile, or create your own.

Get some inspiration here: How bRU coffee is Upping its Cup Game

Borrow - setting up a 'cup exchange scheme'

A cup exchange system helps customers who have forgotten their reusable cup, or don’t want to have to deal with carrying their used cup around all day. Numerous cup and container exchange systems exist already, or you can create your own with neighbouring cafes or office buildings.

Some things to think about:

Cost to café and customer. Do you or your customers need to buy the cups or are they free as part of the exchange system?
Type of cup and size: one advantage of an exchange system is that the mugs are a standard size and shape, easy to stack and mix and match. Some systems offer multiple sizes, others are one standard size.
Cup material: plastic, ceramic or other? Different systems offer different cups.

Check Upstream‘s list for cup and container exchange schemes in your area.

Printing posters and sharing Up Cup café status

Print and display the relevant poster(s) and point-of-sale sign.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for poster options.

Getting staff and baristas involved

Empower your staff to encourage customers to Up Cup as they place their orders.

Baristas ask: “How do you want to Up Cup today?”, “Do you want to Up Cup?”

“Will you be dining in today?”

“Did you bring a reusable mug today? Would you like to borrow one of ours?”

“Thank you for helping us to avoid single-use plastic”

Sharing on socials

Use our social media tiles in the Resource Library below, or create your own posts, to let your customers and community know that you are on board and how you are helping them to choose to Up Cup.

Hashtags: #upcup #plasticfreejuly

Why Up Cup?

Every year billions of takeaway coffee cups are consumed worldwide – making them one of the most used single-use plastic items in the world. The vast majority are landfilled; many are littered and become plastic pollution. Once in the environment, they break up into microplastics, which cause lasting harm to wildlife and marine ecosystems. Learn more about the issue, how we can all up our cup game and read about policies needed to increase reuse and decrease consumption of single-use cups.

Why Up Cup? Some frequently asked cup questions

I thought coffee cups were recyclable?

Paper-based disposable coffee cups are commonly thought to be recyclable, but they’re usually lined with a membrane of polyethylene (plastic). They are not readily recyclable with paper or cardboard, and they are not biodegradable. They are generally made with virgin paper and have a sizeable energy footprint.

Is it safe to use a reusable cup?

According to the World Health Organisation there is currently no evidence that people can catch COVID-19 from food or food packaging. is no evidence to show that reusables are less safe than a single-use cup, if the reusable has been washed properly and handled correctly.

Epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, stated at the height of the pandemic that ‘As long as baristas are practising good hand hygiene … are regularly washing their hands and not touching the rim of the cups then they should still be used. … We can do two things at once – take care of our health and reduce our impact on the environment. There is simply no excuse’ (Plastic Free, 2020).

Cups borrowed from cup exchange schemes and mug libraries are usually returned clean or put through a café’s dishwasher.

Some enterprising baristas have developed a contactless pour whereby they pour the shot/milk directly into a customer’s cup.

What’s the best reusable cup?

The one you already have!

Some people buy a special travel cup with a sealable lid whereas others bring a regular cup from home or the office. Popular choices include glass, ceramic and insulated stainless steel.

I always forget my reusable cup. What can I do then?

Our research shows most café coffee drinkers own a reusable cup but often hadn’t planned on getting a coffee on the run.

There are many options for when this scenario arises:

Make the time to sit down and enjoy your coffee from a ceramic cup in the café.
Find a café with a cup exchange system. You can borrow one of their cups, and drop it off later at the same café or another participating location. Upstream Solutions handy reuse directory map shows swap-and-go services worldwide.
A growing number of cafés offer mug libraries. So if you are not going far, grab your coffee in one of their reusable mugs, drink it nearby and return when done.

And for next time, putting a reusable cup into your car or bag, will mean its always there when you need it!

Media release: Time to wake up and smell the coffee (cup waste)

Time to wake up and smell the coffee (cup waste)

– AUS media release

– Global media release

'Disposable Coffee Cups: Our Unhealthy Addiction'

“Disposable Coffee Cups: Our Unhealthy Addiction” policy paper prepared with WWF-Australia.

This paper makes the case for concerted effort to drive our reusable coffee cup economy and drastically reducing coffee cup waste. Working together, we can keep our obsession with quality coffee, ditch our wasteful and destructive habits, and support Australian innovation.

Campaign Videos

Choose to Up Cup: Bring, Borrow, Stay

Choosing a reusable cup and saving 500 single-use cups a year!

Resources Library

Choose to Up Cup: Main poster

Choose to Up Cup: Bring poster

Choose to Up Cup: Borrow poster

Choose to Up Cup: Stay poster

Choose to Up Cup: editable poster

Choose to Up Cup: social media tile

Supported by the Minderoo Foundation

The post Choose to Up Cup. Bring, Borrow, Stay. appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Global Plastics Treaty

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 00:01:16 +0000

Support for an ambitious treaty grows

In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly agreed to create a historic global treaty to end plastic pollution. Plastic Free Foundation has partnered with Ipsos and WWF on the first body of research to ask citizens from around the world about their support for a global treaty to address plastic consumption and pollution, what it should look like, and what particular rules people think are important. We are sharing this overwhelming public support for an ambitious treaty with governments around the world to ensure it is effective in ending plastic pollution.

Read report

Global plastics treaty

Negotiations for this treaty are underway and expected to be concluded by 2024. During the two-year negotiation period alone, the total amount of plastic pollution in the ocean is tipped to increase by 15%. The time to act is now.

In March 2022, the governments of 175 countries agreed to start work on a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution, covering the full plastic lifecycle, from extraction of oil and gas and plastic production, through to design, use, and management of plastic waste.

Leading up to this decision at the UN Environment Assembly, Ipsos surveyed people in 28 countries in September 2021 to understand whether they thought global action on plastic pollution was needed. Across all countries, 88% of people said a legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution is important, including one-third (34%) of people who said a treaty is essential.

One year on from this research, we wanted to explore people’s views on possible approaches to a treaty and whether it should include global rules to curb plastic consumption and pollution. To do this, we asked people from 34 countries questions about how a treaty could be set up and specific global rules that could be included in a treaty.

Public opinion

Taken together, our research in 2021 and 2022 provide a clear and compelling public mandate for global rules within an ambitious and comprehensive plastics treaty:

Nearly 9 in 10 people globally think a plastic pollution treaty is important or essential.
7 out of 10 people worldwide think the treaty should create global rules, and half of all people surveyed say there should be consequences for breaking those rules.
Support for specific rules is even higher, with nearly 8 in 10 people supporting rules for extended producer responsibility, bans on difficult-to-recycle plastics, and labelling requirements.

Without collective intervention, a ‘business as usual’ scenario is expected to double our plastic generation by 2040. This will triple our plastic leakage into the ocean, in turn quadrupling levels of plastic pollution.

Plastic Free Foundation and WWF call on governments to act in unison in establishing a plastics treaty with global rules as this is the only real solution to help achieve a circular economy, keeping plastic in the economy but out of nature.

More information

- Rising Tides ll: Public Opinion overwhelmingly supports global rules to end plastic pollution (November 2022)
- Global Survey media release (November 2022)
- Ipsos Global Attitudes towards a Plastic Pollution Treaty report (November 2022)
- Rising Tides: Global Opinions on Actions to Stop Plastic Pollution in 28 Countries report (February 2022)
- Ipsos Attitudes to single-use plastics report (February 2022)

What you can do

Be part of the solution and join millions of people worldwide taking part in Plastic Free July challenge and share your journeys on social media.
Businesses can join over 80 members of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, including major multinationals, plastic producers and brand owners.
Governments can join the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution by 2040 – a comprehensive and circular approach that ensures urgent action and effective interventions along the full lifecycle of plastics.

The post Global Plastics Treaty appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Plastic Free Schools challenge

admin — Wed, 19 May 2021 02:57:57 +0000

Plastic Free Schools Challenge

Get started by filling out the form below to receive full access immediately. Inspire your school to make a difference with solutions to single-use plastic. School staff, students, and parents can all be involved in the global Plastic Free Schools challenge and get involved in a fun and engaging way. This free initiative is aimed at supporting schools with useful resources, activities, stories and ideas.

The post Plastic Free Schools challenge appeared first on Plastic Free July.

Campaigns - Plastic Free July

Plastic Free Philippines

Plastic Free Philippines

Poster – Join the Challenge – Tagalog

2025 Philippines Plastic Solutions Showcase

Social Tile – Plastic Free July 2025 – Tagalog

Social Tile – Reusable water bottle – Tagalog

Social Tile – Bring your own bag – Tagalog

Social tile – Plastic straws – Tagalog

Poster – Our Community – Tagalog

Poster – Our Community – Bisaya

Social Tile - Plastic Free July 2025 - English

Social Tile – Reusable water bottle – English

Social Tile – Bring your own bag – English

Social tile – Plastic straws – English

Email signature – English

Plastic Free Philippines - logo

Pledge Card – Tagalog

More resources

Image Gallery

Supported by the CSIRO ‘Establishing a marine plastic litter baseline in the Philippines’ project

Plastic Free Pledge

Take the Plastic Free Pledge

How to Get Involved

Resources for Download

Social Media Posts

We’re pledging to refuse single-use plastic

Plastic Free July 2025

Plastic Free July 2025

Getting started

Plastic Free Pledge

Sharing with others

Resources toolkit

Plastic Free Morning Tea

Plastic Free Morning Tea

Getting organised

Making it fun and motivating

What’s next?

Resources Library

Participants

Choose to Up Cup. Bring, Borrow, Stay.

Choose to Up Cup

Get involved

For cafés

Why Up Cup?

Campaign Videos

Choose to Up Cup: Bring, Borrow, Stay

Choosing a reusable cup and saving 500 single-use cups a year!

Resources Library

Supported by the Minderoo Foundation

Global Plastics Treaty

Support for an ambitious treaty grows

Global plastics treaty

Public opinion

More information

What you can do

Plastic Free Schools challenge

Plastic Free Schools Challenge

Join the official Plastic Free Schools challenge!