In partnership with Clean my Calanques and the Ecole des XV in Marseille, EPCR today (Wednesday 30 March) organised a ‘clean-up’ of a section of the Calanques, a renowned 80-kilometre stretch of rugged Mediterranean coastline close to Marseille.

A group from the Ecole des XV, an organisation based in Marseille which encourages pupils to remain in education and which uses rugby as a vital component of its sports programme, assisted by Clean my Calanques which was set up in Marseille in 2017 on a non-profit basis to protect the local coast, collected bags of rubbish during the event as part of the on-going environmental drive in the region.

Currently, some *600,000 tonnes of plastic are dumped into the Mediterranean each year, the equivalent of more than 100 times the weight of the Stade Vélodrome which will host the finals in May.

“This ‘clean-up’ is an important initiative as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy,” said EPCR Chief Executive, Anthony Lepage. “We are keen to make a contribution to the Marseille region and I would like to thank Clean my Calanques and the Ecole des XV for their assistance in organising today’s event.”

EPCR’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy has local communities at its heart with players, people and planet as the cornerstone. Previous projects have involved UNICEF Basque Country, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and the NHS.

The 2022 Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals will take place at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome on 27 and 28 May and tickets for the showpiece matches can be purchased HERE

*Source: WWF report

Ahead of this season’s Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals in Marseille, EPCR has joined forces with a number of stakeholders to support a key environmental initiative aimed at protecting an area of outstanding natural beauty in the region.