Online casino operator Videoslots has inked a new sponsorship deal with Malta-based environmental NGO Coast is Clear.
Coast is Clear exists to help clear plastic pollution from the seas and coastlines of Malta and Gozo, in addition to planting and maintaining more trees throughout the islands.
The NGO was founded in 2021 by fitness instructor Mark Galea Pace, who was born and raised in Gozo.The organisation uses Pace’s personal boat and a specially bought cleaning truck to conduct clean-up operations across Malta, helping remove plastic pollution and litter from the country’s environment.
According to Malta Today, the initiative has already planted 200 indigenous Maltese trees and collected over 60 tonnes of waste from both the island and the seas surrounding Malta and Gozo.
Videoslots deputy CEO Ulle Skottling: “We love living and working in Malta and are lucky to do so, so we need to look after it for generations to come.”
Videoslots and its more than 250 staff are now dedicated to supporting the organisation in its mission, by hosting various clean-ups and tree planting activities for employees to participate in.
“We are grateful for the support offered by Videoslots and its employees, who share our commitment to keeping our islands and the seas around them clean,” said Coast is Clear founder Pace.
“There is much more we can all do as individuals to maintain that pledge, but the generosity of successful companies provides an additional and much welcome boost.”Ulle Skottling, deputy CEO at Videoslots, added: “The work that Coast is Clear does is of great benefit for the environment in Malta. It is important for companies like Videoslots to support them.
“We love living and working in Malta and are lucky to do so, so we need to look after it for generations to come. Here at Videoslots, we are happy that we can do something concrete to help make Malta a cleaner and greener place for everyone.”
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 14 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year, making up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
Marine species can be injured and killed by ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris, while plastic pollution also threatens food and safety quality, human health and coastal tourism, as well as contributing to climate change.According to the World Wildlife Federation, the amount of plastic in the ocean is expected to double in the next 15 years, and projections show that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight.
A staggering 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs and half of all marine turtles have eaten plastic, according to the organisation.
In addition to its work in Malta, Coast is Clear recently expanded internationally as the organisation took on the world’s highest clean-up expedition at Mount Everest base camp,