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. Eight million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year, with rivers playing a key role in transporting plastic into the ocean.
#OneLess was established in 2016 to reduce London’s single-use plastic footprint and tackle ocean plastic pollution at source. Our aim is to change the way people in London access and drink water, ending the reign of single-use plastic water bottles and facilitating a transition to more sustainable approaches, focused on reusing and refilling. When we started in 2016, Londoners bought over a billion single-use plastic water bottles every year, with many of these making their way into the River Thames and potentially flowing out to the ocean.
We take a uniquely collaborative and systemic approach, working with a rapidly growing movement of pioneering individuals, communities, businesses, NGOs, and policymakers to find and implement solutions to transform the system of hydration in London.