At Robie, we are proud to be a member of 1% For The Planet.

1% For The Planet is an organisation that links businesses with environmental charities to allow us to give back to the world. By joining, we have pledged to donate 1% of our total sales every year to an environmental charity or organisation doing important work to protect the natural world. As we’re made up of a team of seaside lovers, surfers, swimmers and coast path walkers, there seemed no better choice than our friends at Beach Guardian.

Beach Guardian aims to engage, educate and empower against plastic pollution. Co-founded by father and daughter duo Rob and Emily Stevenson, the award-winning community interest company work tirelessly to keep our seas and beaches clean. They do this through school workshops, regularly organised beach cleans, extensive research and business consultancy, amongst other things.

As part of the 1% donation we wanted to include practical resources for the team at BG to use. We knew that Rob, Emily and the others spend a lot of time either in or near the water, be that litter-picking, paddle boarding, beach combing, wading or kayaking, so we created branded towelling Original-Series Robies in Beach Guardian blue and branded Dry-Series recycled long sleeve changing robes in our India ink and blue atoll colour-way, to get them dried off and cosy. Alongside the robes, we also funded a branded heavy-duty branded gazebo to be used for their community beach cleans as a place for volunteers to gather and shelter from the changeable Cornish weather. The gazebo will also be used at their headquarters as an additional space for sorting and recording beach plastics.

Alongside running the ever-growing CIC, Emily is undertaking a PhD in Microplastics As Vectors For Antimicrobial Resistance In Aquatic Systems. Emily’s research aims to investigate whether microplastics are important platforms for the growth, enrichment and dissemination of AMR (anti-biotic resistant) biofilms, and whether there are associated ecological implications of microplastics, antimicrobials and AMR on the gut microbiota of marine organisms. Her in-depth knowledge and passion for all things ocean is inspiring and we are incredibly excited to join Emily, Rob and the rest of the Beach Guardian team on their journey into educating, engaging and empowering local communities into taking action and joining the fight against plastic pollution.

Would you like to harness the knowledge of Beach Guardian at your education centre? Beach Guardian S.E.A.L. Workshops (School Education Activities Link) are available for both primary and secondary schools, colleges, sixth forms, universities and any educational institute. To book your free session or request online resources, please email: rob@beachguardian.co.uk

Does the CIC sound like something you’d like to get involved in? Beach Guardian has provided over 15,000 hours of volunteering opportunities, including beach cleaning, community group presentations, re-wilding and social prescribing initiatives. For more details or to book a session, please email: emily@beachguardian.co.uk OR rob@beachguardian.co.uk

If you’re a business that would like to benefit from the Beach Guardian consultation service, to help find alternatives to unsustainable materials and reduce reliance on single use plastics, then you can contact Emily on emily@beachguardian.co.uk for more details.

We’re incredibly proud to support Beach Guardian. They are undertaking really important work for our marine and coastal environments, and it’s rewarding for us and our customers to know that 1% of every Robie product sold goes towards such important planet-focused actions.

Follow these links to find out more about Beach Guardian, 1% For The Planet, and Robie’s sustainability initiatives.