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This year, as part of the Group’s 20th anniversary, IP Group is running its ‘Giving 20 at 20’ charity scheme. The scheme allows staff from across the Group to nominate a charity to receive a one-time £1,000 donation for a combined total of £20,000. Here, Ashleigh Lezard, Communications and ESG Manager IP Group plc, tells us why she chose the Marine Stewardship Council.

My interest in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) started when I was lucky enough to work with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Fiji, establishing one of the world’s first marine protected area for whales and cetaceans. A large part of the controversy around setting this up was the impact it would have on intensive fishing rights, an obvious revenue earner for Fiji. Thankfully, arguing for the value of conservation over commercial fishing won over on this occasion. The consequences of large-scale fishing trawlers operating in the South Pacific was the first exposure I had of the real world effects of not encouraging sustainable practices.

WWF was an early backer of the MSC and one of its first activities was to introduce the ‘blue tick’ MSC-certified seafood, signalling to consumers that seafood and fish come from sustainable sources. This very simple label has been important in giving consumers a sustainable choice (ignore what Seaspiracy says) and has helped me educate my children about our role in ocean conservation—very important, given that a staple of their diet is fishfingers! Protecting the Ocean’s health seems to be innate in children after the success of BBC’s Blue Planet.

In addition to the labelling, MSC organises beach cleans to clear beaches of plastic and other waste.  They are very easy to join, although you don’t need to wait for a pre-organised event: simply make sure to pick up some rubbish when visiting the beach and you will be making a difference! The charity also organised learning materials to engage kids during lockdown and children can become citizen scientists by helping to collect data for its database.

These are amongst some of the many reasons why I chose the MSC but mainly as a beach/ocean lover I wanted to help a charity which has had a real impact and continues to do so.

To learn more about the Marine Stewardship Council, visit www.msc.org