COSMOTE BLUE: 34 tonnes of plastic have been removed from Greek seas and 190 fishermen have been trained in 2023

- Three-year strategic partnership with 'Enaleia' aiming to:
- Clean the coast and seas from litter,
- Training professional fishermen
- Recycle plastic
- 19.5 tonnes have been turned into new recycled products.

The COSMOTE BLUE initiative for the protection of Greek seas and the creation of a sustainable marine ecosystem has recorded its first significant results. The specific initiative was launched by COSMOTE in 2023 in partnership with the social enterprise "Enaleia", which collects with the support of the fishing community marine plastic pollution from the Mediterranean Sea. Since the launch of the COSMOTE BLUE initiative, the fishing communities of Thermaikos, Halkidiki and the Argosaronikos Gulf carried out clean-up actions and collected 34 tonnes of plastic from the marine areas and coasts with 40 fishing boats. At the same time 190 professional fishermen have been trained in sustainable fishing methods and good marine and coastal cleaning practices.

The quantity of thirty-four tonnes of plastic, in the form of plastic bottles, would cover 15 football pitches. In the context of circular economy, 19.5 tonnes, more than half of the 34 tonnes collected, was recycled, and turned into new products, such as socks, shoes and furniture. COSMOTE Technical Services employees also participated in beach cleaning in Salamina, joining forces for the goals of the COSMOTE BLUE initiative.

Ms. Deppie Tzimea, OTE Group's Executive Director for Corporate Communications and Sustainability, stated the following: "We are pleased to see the first results of the COSMOTE BLUE initiative, which is our commitment to the protection of Greece's marine environment. Our seas are a source of life and prosperity for the country, and we must protect them. Through our cooperation with "Enaleia", we contribute to the protection of the seas both by cleaning and collecting plastic and by training professional fishermen, making a difference to the lives of thousands of people. To create a better world for all, we are improving our positive footprint through sustainable development and environmental protection."

In 2024, the training of the fishing community and cleaning coasts and marines will continue in the same areas and expand to Crete (Chania, Heraklion, Ag. Nikolaos).
It's worth mentioning that by 2025, the COSMOTE BLUE initiative is expected to have:

• collected 90 tonnes of plastic from the marine areas of the Thermaikos, Halkidiki, and Argosaronikos Gulf, and Crete,
• trained over 200 fishermen in sustainable fishing methods, good practices for cleaning seas, and responsible management of fishing equipment, to avoid future plastic pollution from nets and other equipment along with the reduction of fish stocks,
• recycled over 52 tonnes of plastic for conversion into new recycled products.

This is an integrated approach to marine environment protection, which includes training, clean-up, recycling and reuse of plastic. The aim of this initiative, which will be enriched by new actions, is to create a long-term environmental and social impact in the areas affected.

The COSMOTE BLUE initiative strengthens COSMOTE's systematic environmental action in the context of sustainable development, as another step towards sustainability and safeguarding life on the planet. Because a world with clean seas is a better world for all.