Suntera Global's Fill a Fish recycling initiative won the 'Environmental Initiative of the Year' category at this year's Isle of Man Awards for Excellence Ceremony.
Organised by Media Isle of Man, the Awards are a firm fixture in the local calendar and provide a unique opportunity to recognise success for organisations and individuals across the private, public and charitable sectors. This year's event took place on Thursday 16th November at the Villa Marina.
Fill a Fish is Suntera's flagship sustainability initiative that was devised to tackle the issue of plastic waste found around the Island's coastline. It was officially launched in October 2022, when five giant sea-life inspired sculptures were installed near the Isle of Man's most popular beaches. A truly collaborative project, Fill-a-Fish is undertaken in partnership with local charities Beach Buddies and Isle Listen, with the sculptures designed by local primary school children and then brought to life by local artists at Farmyard Studio.
Over the course of the year, more than 32,000 plastic items were collected by the bin sculptures, and effectively removed from the island’s coastal areas.
David Hudson, CEO at Suntera Global, also presented the ‘Leader of the Year’ Award at the ceremony to Sue Cook, Chief Executive of Junior Achievement IoM. Commenting on the award win, he said:
“Right at the outset, Fill a Fish was about empowering people – our staff, families, friends, local residents and visitors – to make a difference by giving them a way to reduce plastic waste and protect our beautiful coastline. The impact it has had in the year since it was launched has been fantastic – and the fact that it has been a genuine community effort involving local schools, commissioners, artists and charities has been pivotal to its success too.
“As an organisation, we are fully committed to a sustainable future and Fill a Fish is very much part of that in action. With that in mind, it’s really pleasing that it has been recognised at this year’s Awards for Excellence. We are now exploring how we can evolve the concept further in other jurisdictions where we have a presence.”
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