Viking Line raises €50,000 for a cleaner Baltic Sea
Sales of redesigned duty-free shopping bags funded donations to two environmental organizations in January 2015.
Viking Line raised €50,000 for environmental charities through sales of redesigned plastic bags in its duty-free shops. The money, collected from spring 2014, was donated to the Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation and Finland’s Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association, both of which work for a cleaner marine environment.
Since May 2014, passengers shopping in Viking Line’s duty-free stores had been able to support a cleaner Baltic Sea. The onboard shopping bags received a new design with an environmental message on one side. A small price increase funded donations to the two organizations, which each received €25,000.
Keep Sweden Tidy had worked for more than 50 years to raise awareness of litter and environmental issues on land and at sea. Jessica Ångström, responsible for its marine activities, received Viking Line’s donation on January 28, 2015. She regarded the initiative as important support for the organization’s work toward litter-free seas.
“We are very honored that Viking Line has recognized our long-term preventive environmental work. The donation allows us to continue developing campaigns and tools that will also benefit Viking Line’s many millions of passengers,” said Leena Similä, responsible for corporate partnerships. “We hope even more people will join the Keep Sweden Tidy campaign, which had 756,000 participants last year, and work with us for clean coasts and beaches.”
Finland’s Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association had spent more than four decades working to keep the country’s seas, inland waters, beaches and archipelagos free of litter. Secretary General Aija Kaski received the donation in Helsinki on January 27. She explained that support from partners was essential to the association’s work.
“We carry out several practical conservation projects. Among other things, we have four service boats that operate during the ice-free season, collecting waste in the archipelago. We are also involved in research and information work. Last year, for example, we launched the ‘Snygg Beach’ campaign to encourage people to collect litter from beaches. Through our partnership with Viking Line, we hope to reach more people with our message about the importance of keeping archipelago areas clean,” said Kaski.
A healthy Baltic Sea supports tourism
The health of the Baltic Sea matters to Viking Line, which operates in the region. The company described its environmental work as a long-term commitment extending beyond regulatory requirements. Measures to reduce its environmental impact included manually cleaning ships’ hulls, optimizing electricity and fuel consumption, and focusing on effective waste management.
“We are very pleased about this cooperation on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia. We operate in a sensitive environment and are glad to help protect it. The plastic-bag project will continue throughout 2015,” said Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, the company’s head of communications.
