Plastic pollution is ubiquitous on beaches across the continent. In 2022, a median of 481 plastic items were found per 100 m on European beaches, an increase from 267 items in 2021. The top materials littering European beaches in 2022 include cigarette butts and filters, plastic pieces, polystyrene pieces and plastic caps and drink lids.

The Beach Care Project aims to mitigate this pollution by engaging the public to clean up beaches around Europe and promoting sustainable development practices. Led by CNH’s CASE Construction Equipment brand and CNH’s Sustainable Development Initiatives division, the programme combines technology, community engagement, education and scientific collaboration by working with the National Research Council in Italy, the National Committee for Scientific Research in France and the Spanish National Research Council. As leading scientific institutions, the partners research beach ecosystems, analyse collected waste and promote educational and environmental awareness initiatives.

The initiative began in 2020 with the Italian TV documentary ‘La Natura che parla’ (Nature Speaks), which focused on cleaning a beach in Rovigliano in Campania, Italy at the mouth of the Sarno River, notorious for being the most polluted in Europe. Since then, the Beach Care Project has spread to France, Spain and the UK, along with its mission of protecting the environment and the biodiversity of beach ecosystems.

Today, approximately 6,500 participants – including primary school students and residents of local communities – have taken part in educational programmes and beach cleanups using specialised equipment, with collected waste recycled into educational toys. To foster environmental awareness, the initiative also includes a teaching kit to get students and families interested in beaches. In 2023, the project extended outside of Europe to the Ivory Coast.

According to Daniela Ropolo, Head of Sustainable Development Initiatives, CNH:

‘Through this important international project, we are cleaning beaches for local communities, reducing risk to their coastlands and promoting environmental protection with the next generation. Its impact is becoming bigger and bigger in every country we visit.’