Popular DJ Calvin Harris has partnered with Hakkasan Group in order to start a movement to get rid of single-use plastic straws. Hakkasan Group is a hospitality organization with restaurants and nightclubs all over the world. They have a popular location in Las Vegas where Harris has an exclusive residency.
The DJ just announced today that he decided to partner with Hakkasan to completely eliminate all single-use plastic straws in the group’s clubs. The group will start phasing out plastic straws immediately in an effort to reduce the 500 million straws that are tossed in the trash every single day in the United States. Additionally, more than 175 million straws make it into the waterways and oceans all the time, grossly polluting our water supplies and aquatic life.
As of today, the world makes and consumes more than 600 pounds of plastic every year, and the plastic market is still growing by an estimated 5% every year. Sadly, much of this plastic, including single-use straws, are not recycled and end up in the garbage and water. Because of this, many Fortune 500 companies are also pledging to eliminate plastic straws because “small actions can make a small difference.”
DJ Calvin Harris signed on with Hakkasan Group back in 2013, and his contract has been extended to 2020. The artist is very passionate about this project.
“My friend and tour photographer Conor McDonnell has been working closely with the World Wildlife Fund and has been sharing his first-hand experience of the damage plastic waste is doing to the environment. We want to reduce the impact of harmful plastics, so we decided to take action. I am grateful to Hakkasan Group for supporting us and helping us make a difference, I hope other venues in the city and around the world will do the same.”
Hakkasan Group CEO Nick McCabe also added, “In the fast-paced environment in which we operate, it’s easy to lose sight of wider social issues on which we have an impact. We’re incredibly proud to partner with Calvin on this initiative to reduce our consumption of single-use plastics.”