Spotlight: eXXpedition

Tell us the vision of your organisation.

Our vision is for a healthy ocean free from plastic and toxic pollution. eXXpedition is a community interest company that organises all-female research expeditions to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution and:

• SUPPORT SOLUTIONS SCIENCE by contributing to world-class scientific studies that are urgently needed to inform up-stream solutions and close the loop on plastic waste on land.
• SHIFT PERCEPTIONS by using our platform to inform and educate so that people can better understand the real problem of micro-plastics and use that to shape actions and solutions.
• CREATE A COMMUNITY by empowering our network of inspiring leaders to create shifts in their community and beyond in order to tackle plastic pollution back on dry land.

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What has been your organisation’s key achievement over the past 12 months?

In autumn 2019, we launched our biggest mission yet, eXXpedition Round the World. This is a series of 30 voyages, which will take 300 multidisciplinary, multinational women sailing to explore the impact of ocean plastic on our seas and coastlines around the world. The mission set sail from the UK and will sail to four of the world’s five accumulation zones that we call gyres and also the Arctic to really understand what’s going on with the health of our oceans.

During a voyage we look at how much plastic is out there and where it’s coming from so we can inform solutions upstream and also what impact it's having on both marine life and on human health.

How could your organisation’s work support the Commonwealth Blue Charter’s Action Groups?

In line with the Commonwealth Blue Charter we are keen to collaborate and support the work of the action groups to solve ocean-related problems and meet commitments for sustainable ocean development.

Connecting with the Action Groups in different countries around the world provides the perfect opportunity for us to consider the issues of plastic pollution at many different scales. During the mission we explore the impacts on land, as well as execute our onboard programme; scientific data collection, discussion around plastic issues and sharing ideas about the solutions. Plus there’s the great opportunity for our multidisciplinary and multinational crew members who represent Action Group nations to take their learning and experience back to their own communities where they can support solutions.

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Which Commonwealth countries do you currently work in or would like to be involved in?

The eXXpedition Round the World route visits a number of Commonwealth countries along the way, including:

United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Henderson Island (British Overseas Territory), Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Canada.

On each of our voyages, we organise outreach events in collaboration with local organisations and community groups and are planning or have conducted outreach events in each location we visit.

How have your journeys been affected by COVID-19?

Like everyone around the world we're working hard to adapt to these changing times! We’ve paused the sailing part of eXXpedition Round the World for 12 months in Tahiti while safety and travel restrictions make it impossible to continue the route as planned and we’re putting our energy into a Year of Virtual Impact.

Working with our partners we’ve got some exciting digital tools and initiative launches on the horizon!

There is still a huge amount that can be done remotely and without physical meetups and we're seeing a lot of energy and enthusiasm from our community who are collaborating on projects from all corners of the world. While many convenience driven actions that have contributed to ocean plastics (like disposable coffee cups and water bottles) are likely to be reduced during these times of social isolation, there's a huge amount of single use plastic used in the medical sector so only time will tell what impact covid will ultimately have on the state of our oceans.

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Parts of your adventure itineraries describe “Science, sailing and solutions”. How do each of these components contribute to the success of your mission/objectives?

All eXXpedition trips have three main goals.

The first is to take our all-women crew sailing to carry out and contribute to important scientific research projects. The samples and data we collect feed into global studies on the nature and impact of microplastics, microfibres and toxic chemicals in the ocean.

The second is to shift perceptions on the real problem of plastic pollution using our platform to inform and educate so that people can better understand the challenge of micro-plastics and that clean up alone is not a solution, that the actions and solutions we need start on land.

The third is to provide an experience, platform and learning opportunity for our amazing multidisciplinary crew. While on board, each member of our multidisciplinary crew crew shares their own experiences, supports novel and innovative scientific research, participates in workshops to find where they fit in creating solutions and explores collaboration opportunities with other members of the team.

Having seen the real challenge of microplastics at sea, first hand, it makes it easier for them to talk about the urgency of the problem. Having been there, on the boat – it gives the participants on our missions the authority, confidence and deep sense of motivation to take action back on land within their own communities. They can't unsee what they've seen, instead they head home and create positive change on the issue.