CNH Takes Sustainable Initiative: The Ivory Coast’s ‘Beach Care Project’

CASE Construction, a brand of CNH Industrial, recently completed the Beach Care Project in Ivory Coast using the King of Construction, the 570T, along with raising awareness on plastic waste among the local community.

After the previous stages in the Mediterranean coastal areas of Italy, France and Spain, and at Thorney Bay Beach on Canvey Island, England, the initiative has reached the Ivory Coast, more precisely Assouinde Beach and Assinie Beach.

In Ivory Coast, beaches are not only an extremely important environmental resource, but also function as a social resource capable of creating a positive impact on the region’s tourist industry and economy overall. This highlights the necessity of the Beach Care Project – both economically and environmentally.

The Beach Care Project aims to raise awareness of the need for eco-friendly management of the beach ecosystem while also cleaning beaches. Cleaning operations were carried out at Assouinde Beach and Assinie Beach with local volunteers who were mainly families and primary school children. The project was managed by local authorities along with other scientific research bodies and NGO’s.

This three-year project combines research and education with collective actions. Initially, it was developed in collaboration with the Italian Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, National Council of Research), the French Comité National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, National Committee of Scientific Research), and the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, High Council for Scientific Investigations). The project was later implemented in schools across Europe with educational kits and lessons on the safeguarding of the environment, reaching over 10,000 children.

In Ivory Coast, the Beach Care Project ran for one week with activities addressing the protection of the environment to raise awareness among local populations regarding the fight against waste, in particular plastic waste. All of this was in collaboration with the NGO JAH LIVE.

As many as 280 tons of plastic waste are produced in the Ivory Coast every day. Only 10 percent of this is recycled, while the remaining 90% is buried in local landfills or released into the natural environment, which constitutes a true hazard to the health of local populations and a threat to the environment. With these concerning statistics, CNH’s call to action with the Beach Project becomes more essential than ever and demonstrates the company’s initiative in addressing the climate crisis.