Sun&Blue Congress joins Mares Circulares for an intervention on the beach of Las Salinas (Cabo de Gata)

Sun&Blue Congress, the first international congress of Tourism and Blue Economy joins Mares Circulares, a project of cleaning coasts and seabed, awareness and promotion of the circular economy of Coca-Cola, to make an intervention on the beach of Las Salinas (Cabo de Gata).

The event will take place next Friday, October 18 from 10 am to 1 pm, and has the collaboration of the City of Almeria, the association Chelonia, the Legion and the Institute of Secondary Education El Alquián.

All those interested in participating in this clean-up day must register by emailing hello@sunandbluecongress.com. On the day of the event they will have to go to the Church of La Almadraba, meeting point of the activity. Later they will move to the beach where the waste collection will begin, as well as its subsequent separation, weighing and refreshment.

The information obtained during the intervention will go to the database that collects all the references obtained in all the cleanups carried out within the Circular Seas program since 2018, together with the previous monitoring carried out at 80 points each year, so that it can serve as support for scientific research on the care of the seas and oceans. In 2023, Circular Seas collected more than 418 tons of waste, 25% more than the previous year, thanks to a collaborative network of more than 10,600 volunteers and fishermen's guilds in 17 fishing ports in Spain and Portugal.

For Sun&Blue Congress, this beach clean-up day is an “essential” initiative for environmental conservation, public health and social cohesion. They are collaborative events that bring together people with a common goal: to protect the environment. They foster cooperation, a sense of belonging and teamwork, strengthening community ties.

This beach clean-up day is the second that Sun&Blue Congress has held in Almeria. Last year, coinciding with the first edition of the congress, the beach of El Toyo was cleaned in collaboration with the Ecomar Foundation and the participation of fifty volunteers.

About Mares Circulares

Circular Seas is an initiative promoted by Coca-Cola in Spain and Portugal, born in 2018, which has the collaboration of the associations Chelonia and Vertidos Cero, the Ecomar Foundation, Fundación Aula del Mar Mediterráneo; Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN), as well as the General Secretariat of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.  

In the six editions held so far, Mares Circulares has had the collaboration of more than 1,200 entities -NGOs, city councils, schools, sports associations, maritime clubs, among others-. In addition, more than 44,000 volunteers have participated, including more than 120 fishing boats. Likewise, during the last six editions, Mares Circulares has carried out more than 631 actions on beaches and aquatic environments, and 21 interventions in marine reserves each year. Overall, a total of 2,298 tons of waste have been collected, of which 24.82 tons were PET.

This program has also supported the development of scientific projects and entrepreneurial initiatives that propose solutions to the problem of marine litter with a focus on the circular economy. In total, 16 scientific studies and eight start-ups have been recognized.  

In addition, as part of its commitment to raising public awareness of the importance of recycling and reuse, training and awareness courses have been given to more than 83,000 people in more than 220 municipalities. 

Circular Seas is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially with:  

SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption  

SDG 13: Climate Action

SDG 14: Underwater Life  

SDG 17: Building Partnerships for Sustainable Development