Pernod Ricard Ghana has partnered with 'Let's Do It Ghana,' an international movement dedicated to addressing environmental and social issues, in a cleanup exercise at Laboma Beach Resort in Accra.

This is to mark the company's commitment to World Cleanup Day.

The partnership between Pernod Ricard Ghana and 'Let's Do It Ghana' is driven by Pernod Ricard’s commitment to advocate for better resource management and to inspire informed choices in design, production, and consumption.

The cleanup exercise that took place on Saturday, September 16, 2023, was simultaneously observed in about 164 countries. The exercise brought about 700 volunteers to Laboma Beach from various organisations to collect tons of waste from the environment.

Commenting on the exercise, the Sustainability and Responsibility Manager for Pernod Ricard Ghana, Eunice Osei-Tutu, said her company was very excited to once again join the World Cleanup Day exercise, which is consistent with the Circular Making Pillar of Pernod Ricard’s Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap.

"At Pernod Ricard, we always look for opportunities to advance sustainable actions that preserve the environment.

"Our operations have been laced with processes that optimise and help preserve natural resources, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – and 14 – Life Below Water" she said.

Madam Osei-Tutu further elaborated that the collaboration with 'Let's Do It Ghana', is in line with the company's ongoing efforts to remove single-bottle cartons from many brands across its portfolio.

"At Pernod Ricard, we recognize the finite nature of our world's resources, which are under increasing pressure," stated Madam Osei-Tutu.

She added, "We minimise waste throughout our processes, from concept to distribution. In alignment with this vision, we are embarking on an 'UNBOXING' initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of some of our products by minimising waste."

She further explained that the initiative perfectly aligns with Pernod Ricard's circular strategy, guided by five core principles: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Respect.

For his part, the Communications Director for Let’s Do It Ghana, Lambert Donkor, emphasized the global significance of World Cleanup Day in addressing the worldwide waste crisis and promoting a sustainable future.

"World Cleanup Day is the largest one-day civic action against waste, aiming to raise awareness of the global mismanaged waste crisis and its impact on the environment. Since 2018, World Cleanup Days have been organised, engaging 70 million volunteers from 197 countries during the last five years.

"In 2022, the event brought together 15 million volunteers from 190 countries, using 30 million volunteer hours to collect 60,000 tons of waste from both land and ocean to protect the environment and marine life," he said.

He added, "In Ghana, about 5,000 volunteers participated in the World Cleanup Day across the country and collected 77,300 kg of waste, while about 700 volunteers participated in our main cleanup event at Laboma Beach.

Mr Donkor further called on the Ministry of Sanitation to emulate the volunteer mobilisation example led by Let's Do It Ghana and its partners to make effective commitments to find sustainable solutions to Ghana's sanitation crisis.