#OneLess is changing the way Londoners drink water, from single-use plastic water bottles to refilling and reusing.

Changing the way we drink water

Established in 2016 by the Marine CoLABoration, #OneLess was set up as an experiment to turn the tide against single-use plastic within a complex urban setting.

Led in collaboration by four organisations: the Zoological Society of London, Forum for the Future, the International Programme on the State of the Ocean, and the Thames Estuary Partnership, #OneLess worked with businesses, policymakers, innovators and communities to spearhead a change in the way Londoners drink water – from single-use plastic water bottles, to refilling and reusing.

#OneLess is now a wider network achieving positive action every day. It will continue to grow in different ways as pioneering organisations spread their learnings and new approaches evolve for different parts of the globe.

Meet the team

The #OneLess approach

COLLABORATIVE

#OneLess is inclusive and collaborative. We place great emphasis on working with others, building powerful partnerships, and sharing what we learn.

SYSTEMIC

We use a holistic systems change approach to understand the problem and choose impactful activities and interventions.

VALUES-BASED

We believe that in order to properly protect the ocean, people need to develop an understanding and appreciation of the value it provides.

ACTION LEARNING

We place great emphasis on fostering a culture where monitoring, evaluation and learning is paramount and where best practice is shared.

The ocean plastic problem

The ocean supports all life on Earth and its health is inseparable from our own. It provides us with half the oxygen we breathe, supports the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide, and is home to nearly 200,000 identified species. Yet, it is currently under threat – from plastic pollution.

Check out the many ways we've made an impact

29 flagship drinking fountains

We installed London’s first modern network of drinking fountains, which refill 30,000 bottles a month. Their success has led to a spike in fountain installations with hundreds more fountains being installed across London.

£5 million mayoral investment

We built strong relationships with City Hall, informing the current London Environment Strategy and influencing the Mayor’s decision to invest £5 million into the expansion of drinking fountains alongside Thames Water.

90+ organisations taking action

We built a network of 90 organisations, which are reducing single-use plastic water bottle use and choosing more sustainable ways to drink water. Together they’ve eliminated over 5 million single-use plastic water bottles.

13 innovative design solutions

We ran a design challenge, working with 17 designers to develop creative solutions to ignite a culture shift away from single-use plastic water bottles.

135,000 plastic bottles collected

Together with Thames21, we carried out 900+ bottle clean-ups on the River Thames with 200 citizen scientists, helping us understand the plastic pollution problem.

5 million people influenced

Our 2019 ‘Hello London, Goodbye Ocean Plastic’ campaign reached 5 million people. 1 in 3 Londoners who saw it said they were more likely to stop buying plastic water bottles.

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Get in touch with us at [email protected] to discuss tackling ocean plastic at source in your area.