ASL Team in Action for Blue Flag: The Best Gift to the Ocean!

At ASL Global, we believe that Sustainability should be at the heart of everything we do - as a business and as individuals. We are committed to supporting our staff in 50+ countries worldwide to participate in local community initiatives to help the environment. This September, in partnership with Europe's Blue Flag Association our Portugal team participated in the "Praia Mais Limpa Com" (Cleanest Beach) at the beautiful Carcavelos Beach, close to ASL's Lisbon offices.

Alexandra Aleixo, ASL's CSR Champion for Portugal, spoke about the project "As a team, we regularly run various volunteer activities, but this was the first time we got involved with the Blue Flag Association beach clean-up projects. It was a great experience for the whole team. Aside from picking trash, it also gave us an opportunity to learn about the life cycle of various materials and their impact upon ocean health. It's great that ASL gives all of us their unconditional support and encouraging us to take action for a healthy planet." 

The Blue Flag programme is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education. This prestigious organisation aims to raise awareness about marine biodiversity,  ecosystem and environmental phenomena. The Blue Flag is an iconic symbol - only beaches who met the strict standards have the right to raise and fly the Blue Flag. The Criteria of the Blue Flag Programme for beaches are divided into 4 groups: Information and Environmental Education; Water Quality; Environmental Management and Equipment; Security and Services. Once awarded the Blue Flag, the Association checks regularly to ensure standards are maintained.

Marine litter is a problem because it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and then enters the food chain, negatively affecting animals and potentially also harming humans.

So what can we do about it? The first step is awareness: know what types of plastics are most harmful and try to avoid them as much as possible. Here's some more quick tips on HOW CAN YOU REDUCE THE PLASTIC IN YOUR LIFE. 

Alexandra Aleixo concluded "We believe that now more than ever is the time for urgent action to achieve a healthy planet! We truly do have the power to build a future in which nature and people can thrive together. This activity was also a great opportunity for us to get together and spend time out of the office with colleagues, as well as a great chance to see each other outside of work." 

We’re proud of our collaborative efforts across ASL Global and we look forward to continuing our work together. We're making great progress towards our 2030 goal to reduce our own emissions by 46%, in line with the Science Based Targets initiative. And we remain committed to supporting important community initiatives like the Blue Flag project. 

     #PraiaMaisLimpaCom #BlueFlagAssociation #OneWorld #OneTeam