River Clean up

Water is life

Every year 11 billion kgs of plastic ends up in oceans due to a continuous inflow of waste via rivers and canals. This has a devastating effect on marine life and ultimately on all of us.

We aim to support local communities and neighborhoods in the best way to make a positive impact. It is not enough just to go with the flow. So, we partnered with River Cleanup in 2022.

27 June 2022 was a sunny day in Bossuit, Belgium. Our Bekaert colleagues gathered at the banks of the river Scheldt near Bekaert’s Headquarters in Belgium.

They were eager to swing into action and remove trash from the river and its banks with the support from River Cleanup, the local fire fighters and local nature ambassadors.

Fishing from the boat and walking the riverbanks, the team collected 71 kgs of trash.

Our colleagues in Van Buren, Arkansas, held a similar clean-up event together with River Cleanup at the city’s lake Lou Emma in September 2022.

Lakes, though not connected to the sea, are also water areas where plastic and other trash pollution affect the water quality and biodiversity of fauna and flora – both in and alongside the basins and the connected creeks.

The team worked throughout the morning clearing brush and removing around 55 kgs of waste.

These two events have been a great start. We are already planning our next event which will take place in Indonesia, in early 2023 at the river Citarum, one of the most polluted rivers in the world. We expect to reach many more communities and lessen the impact of water pollution around the world.

Katelijn Bohez

VP Sustainable Finance & Community Relations