Ahead of Earth Day on the 22nd April, Azure Beach has announced an exciting, sustainability-driven initiative which sees them partnering with Ocean Sole to form an all-new ‘Save the Ocean, Flamingos at Azure’ movement. Azure Beach is also proud to announce the results of its sustainability drive.
Ocean Sole is a community-driven social enterprise that champions positive change in Kenya. The company provides employment for low-income Kenyans who collect discarded flip flops found littered along the country’s beaches and waterways and turn them into unique colourful sculptures and essential household items, which are then sold at markets across the country.
While the premise is simple, the positive financial, social and environmental impact of these actions is wide-ranging and far-reaching: the initiative provides valuable jobs and income for those in need and raises awareness about the state of the world’s oceans and the worrying impact that litter has on marine life. Not only that, by recycling such large numbers of flip flops (some 75,0000 in the last year alone) and using them in place of wood to make functional items, the environmentally-focused company estimates that they save over 500 trees annually. They also further give back to the Kenyan community by directing 10-15% of their revenue towards beach cleanups, vocational and educational programmes and ongoing conservation efforts.
Reflecting the Earth Day 2022 theme which implores us all to ‘Invest in Our Planet’, Azure Beach has seized on this opportunity to work with Ocean Sole, providing invaluable assistance in not only highlighting the work that they do but also by helping to generate much-needed fund. Ocean Sole aims to recycle a million flip flops a year, recycle over one ton of Styrofoam a month, and save over five hundred trees a year – by using flip flops instead of wood.
Azure Beach-Dubai has purchased its very own entirely unique Flip Flop Flamingo Sculptures, made from recycled flip flops and handcrafted by Kenyan artisans, which are proudly on display at the beach club.
Azure Beach is fully committed to helping the environment and has enforced sustainability efforts across the entire property. This year, the team has successfully upcycled circa five and half tons of fruits, taking off-cuts and deformed items and using them in beverages rather than throwing them away. They have replaced around 1,000 water bottles with glass bottles and have replaced approximately 235kg (23,500 pieces) of single use plastic containers with aluminium. The team at Azure Beach has also partnered with Neutral Fuels, and as a result they have recycled an estimated 15,600 litres of cooking oil. Lastly to help and support the fight against climate change, the team has planted approximately 200 trees across the property.
