Within the context of introducing sustainability as one of their policies this year, we had the chance to talk to the Creative Industry Summit’s sustainable sponsor, Banlastic Egypt. Banlastic Egypt handles the issue of plastic pollution and aims to ban single-use plastics all over Egypt. Representing it in the festival was Mohamed Zakaria, who happens to be the one who gave us interesting insights on how sustainable CIS23 was.
When asked about the initiatives Banlastic took to ensure a sustainable two-day occasion, Zakaria started by first telling us how their team was divided across different sections in the event, each assigned a different responsibility. Some members were found at the registration desk instructing the admitted attendees to leave their plastic ID holders on their way out so they could be reused later.
Other members were responsible for giving the visitors an informative brief on topics such as carbon footprint, sustainable development, and the danger of the continuous use of plastic. Others were assigned the food court area, where Banlastic members monitored how the restaurants dealt with plastic in their catering and packaging of food.
The third group, also known as “the floaters”, as Zakaria describes them, were responsible for watching the overall behavior of attendees on using plastic. In addition to companies like PepsiCo and Nestle who were offering plastic cups to serve their beverages; Banlastic had to follow their plastic count.
Zakaria declares that as a team, Banlastic is satisfied with the results they have achieved through their work at the Creative Industry Summit. He even admits that their satisfaction ranges between 60-70%, “It’s a promising start for an event that has aimed to be 100% sustainable,” says Mohamed Zakaria, representative of Banlastic Egypt.
With sustainability becoming more a pressing matter than an object of education, we asked Zakaria if he thinks people’s behavior toward sustainability is improving, to which he answered with a definitive yes! He was glad to share that everyone was using the recycling bins effectively. However, when it came to the ID holders, many turned a blind eye. The wheel of change is slow, but it is realizerolling for the better.
Lastly, we asked Zakaria how we as individuals can help raise awareness around the use of single-use plastics. “You could very simply share the horrifying statistics found on the internet, but I don’t think that’s what the people need,” explains Zakaria. Being the biggest plastic polluter in the Middle East by 5.4 million Metric Tons as well as the main Mediterranean polluter is not what everyone should be hearing about. This might help people realise the gravity of the situation, but is it enough?
Awareness alone is not the problem. Various people may know of the dangers of continuing to use plastic but continue to use it. Why? As long as there is no other alternative that is affordable for enough people, no significant change will lower the above statistics.
Banlastic’s arduous efforts to fight the prevalent use of harmful plastics are endless. Their role, as Zakaria clarifies, does not stop at monitoring people’s behavior towards sustainability only. Banlastic tries to offer eco-friendly alternatives to put an end to the use of plastic. In addition to conducting workshops and training, clean-ups, green events, and supporting green projects.
