Industry Green sets sail with triple-round-the-world sailor, Conrad Humphreys
The Julie's Bicycle Industry Green (IG) mark will adorn Conrad Humphreys' boat as he prepares for the Solitaire du Figaro later this year, as part of the Pack It In! campaign let by Humphreys' title sponsor DMS, one of the UK’s leading CD, DVD, Vinyl and Plastic Free Packaging suppliers. Pack It In! aims to raise awareness of and reduce the damage caused to the world's oceans by waste plastic, in line with DMS cutting down drastically on plastic-based products in their range aiming for 0% plastic packaging by 2012 and becoming certified through the Julie's Bicycle IG programme.
Humphreys is a triple round the world sailor, competed in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now Volvo Ocean Race), was the youngest skipper to win the BT Global Challenge and only the fifth Briton in history to complete the Vendée Globe.
DMS's relatonship with Humphreys began in 2005 when DMS manufactured his DVD Against the Odds, the story of Humphrey’s 2004-5 Vendée Globe. Humphreys' is now working towards the next Vendée Globe in 2012/2013.
DMS previously sponsored another West Country sailor Pete Goss, who competed in last year’s Route du Rhum, seeing the first success of the Pack It In! campaign.
In recent years, sailing has become a strong channel for communicating environmental concerns and DMS will be continuing its work with Julies Bicycle and IG, calling on the creative industry to join efforts to reduce plastic packaging and become practically engaged with issues of environmental sustainability.
Conrad Humphreys said: “I’m really pleased to be racing under the colours of DMS and their Pack It In! Plastic Free Packaging branding. To have secured their backing at this early stage in our campaign will give me a great chance to fight hard on the water. I’m also very happy to use our campaign to highlight the need for greater regulation of the use of plastics, much of which ends up in our oceans, something I care passionately about.”
Dave Summers, Managing Director, DMS added: “We are pleased to continue supporting Conrad and his team after the huge success we shared with Pete Goss and the Route du Rhum. Conrad’s approach to sailing and the environment fits very well with our own approach and we are pleased to support his goal towards the next Vendée Globe.
“Over the past decade we have built up a global business that now produces more than 3000 individual releases per year from rock bands through to multinational blue-chip companies. This results in millions of individual discs and packaging units, which up until 2008 we manufactured in 90% plastic. Currently, only 10% of our total packaging output contains plastic and we’re aiming to eliminate all plastic packaging by 2012.”
Alison Tickell Director, Julie's Bicycle and Industry Green said: “Our seas are precious ecosystems that we are filling with plastic and the support of Conrad and Dave Summers from DMS is helping galvanise the music industry to rid itself of plastic packaging. Conrad's boat which carries the IG logo is an inspiring metaphor for environmental concern.”
