Communities in action are a powerful force for good. That’s why Philip Morris Germany (PMG) is supporting the KIPPEN-BUDDIES project, a campaign to remove cigarettes from the environment.
The campaign is a part of ALLES IM FLUSS, a project committed to the cleanliness of Berlin’s waterways, riverbanks, parks, and neighborhoods. ALLES IM FLUSS is a project of the non-profit initiative wirBERLIN, which encourages communities and government stakeholders to come together to improve the public spaces of the city.
We sat down with Markus Schuetz, Head of Sustainability at PMG, to learn more about the project’s work, how PMG lends its support, and what the future holds for this relationship.
Can you tell us about the initiative?
wirBERLIN is a non-profit initiative that evolved from the non-partisan, interdisciplinary civil platform Stadtgespräch Berlin (“City Talk Berlin”—known for creating the active involvement of society in the development of the city). wirBERLIN has been committed to creating a sustainable urban society since 2011. The purpose of the initiative is to promote nature conservation and landscape preservation, public education, and civic engagement. The goal is to reduce plastic and packaging waste, drive down littering, and improve the quality of public spaces and life.
To achieve this goal, the initiative aims to inform people about the negative impact of littering on the environment and motivate them to act. wirBERLIN’s approach to anti-littering education and action is rooted in building strong ties with the community and encouraging them to take responsibility for their environment.
For instance, wirBERLIN is the main initiator of the “Aktionstag” (Action Day) as part of WORLD CLEANUP DAY BERLIN. This annual day of action has been taking place for 13 years, and since then, 100,000 committed people have taken part in cleanup campaigns throughout the Berlin city area.
Markus Schuetz,
Head of Sustainability Germany
Philip Morris Germany
How does PMG support wirBERLIN in its efforts to combat littering and strengthen the community?
This year’s collaboration is focused on raising awareness through cleanups (e.g., WORLD CLEANUP DAY BERLIN 2023) and educational events. PMG is currently looking at expanding the scope of the project by organizing additional activities, increasing media outreach, and exporting the project to other cities in the country, such as Dresden and Rostock.
The cooperation allows PMG to make use of wirBERLIN’s established and well-known platform to publicly promote PMI’s global anti-littering drive, so it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
All images credited to WirBerlin, 2023.
