As a key player in the region’s industry and economy, at Petro Rabigh we know the positive effects that we can have on people’s lives. As a producer of plastics, we know we also have a particularly important role to play in the preservation of the environment.

Plastics are of great benefit to the environment if used responsibly. They save water, energy, time and resources by reducing the weight of objects, reducing consumption and CO emissions, increasing efficiency, preserving food longer, and protecting materials from damage.

If used irresponsibly, however, they can cause damage to the environment through plastic objects being washed into the sea after being carelessly discarded. This threatens the lives of sea creatures and also human health, when plastic consumed by marine animals enters our food chain.

That is why Petro Rabigh is holding on February 27, 2013, a “Cleanup Day” at Rabigh public beach, in what we hope will be the first of many such events and campaigns to address environmental issues.

Cleanup Day is being organized as part of the GCC and Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA) “Clean Up the GCC” initiative to promote awareness of the importance of recycling and the reuse of plastic products.

On the day, professionals and volunteers will carry out a supervised, systematic clean-up of Rabigh public beach both above and below the surface of the sea, to help maintain a pleasant public space and protect marine and land life.

The activities on February 27, however, are only the centerpiece of the Petro Rabigh Cleanup Day campaign, as we aim to have a far longer-term effect on our community and environment by improving awareness and changing attitudes for generations to come.

In the weeks leading up to February 27, Petro Rabigh representatives are visiting schools and government agencies to give presentations and hand out information on how we can reduce litter, reuse plastic materials and recycle to produce a cleaner and healthier environment for us all.

We are also encouraging audiences to join fellow volunteers from Petro Rabigh employees and unite in a common cause for the community and environment we all live and work in.

On Cleanup Day itself, we will not merely be removing litter and waste. Instead, the materials we collect will be contained, classified and analyzed by specialists to provide data on the types of litter we are discarding. The resulting information will be published to help both raise awareness and enable us to identify the specific threats we can target in future campaigns.

Extensive arrangements have been made to ensure that Cleanup Day is carried out in the safest, most professional and effective manner, with all necessary transport, amenities, equipment, supervision and refreshments provided.

We are also determined to make Cleanup Day a fun and enjoyable day out, particularly for the younger generations who will be the future bearers of the message. Volunteers will receive a variety of gifts and also have the chance to win valuable prizes. In all, it promises to be a memorable and rewarding occasion for everyone involved!

Our hope is that the sense of shared responsibility and community relations forged through Cleanup Day will help us make it just the first of many such Petro Rabigh campaigns to improve the environment and community.

Follow us for updates on Facebook, or for Petro Rabigh employees to register, please visit http://www.petrorabigh.com/cleanup-day

You can follow GPCA's Clean Up The Gulf on www.facebook.com/CleanUpGulf or www.twitter.com/CleanUptheGCC