"Every piece of plastic ever made still exists somewhere on this planet. Every piece of plastic we refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle is one less piece in our oceans, in our soil, in our air, and in our bodies."
These were the words of Haaziq Kazi, a 17-year-old environmentalist from India, who spoke to employees of Intesa Sanpaolo’s International Subsidiary Banks Division (ISBD) to mark World Environment Day on 5 June 2023.
At 10, Haaziq saw the devastating impact of plastic pollution when watching a documentary on the National Geographic channel.
Five years later he invented the Ervis ship, a large sea vessel that works as a giant water filter to remove plastic and other contaminants from our waters.
Now, as well as being a student at a prestigious Ivy League university, he spends his time talking to people about plastic – and through his Ervis Foundation he develops ideas to tackle the issue with schoolchildren.
In his speech to ISBD employees, Haaziq highlighted the urgency of our plastic problem.