A Bristol charity that has spent the last decade campaigning to cut plastic pollution is closing down.
City to Sea said the "scarcity" and "competitive nature" of grant funding and "difficult economic times" for corporate partners had driven the decision to wind up.
The charity will cease operating at the end of the month.
"We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past decade," chief executive Jane Martin wrote in a statement.
"When we started, refill and reuse were nowhere to be seen in strategic roadmaps and business plans. Since then, we’ve witnessed real shifts with city-wide reuse initiatives across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ."
Ms Martin said despite growing public demand for reuse, "the reality is" underfunding and "a system still optimised for single-use" had made the organisation's mission "increasingly unsustainable".
"The new reuse economy desperately needs bolder commitments from governments, brands and retailers," she added. "They need to be on the right side of history: It’s time to turn talk into action, with deeper investment, legally-binding regulation and cross-sector collaboration."
City to Sea has spent the last 10 years working with industry to implement sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic.
Its flagship Refill app, which was launched in 2016 and has been downloaded more than 750,000 times, lists 370,000 refill stations worldwide.
The charity’s campaigns also delivered milestone policy wins in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, including the ban on plastic cotton buds through the #SwitchTheStick campaign which was backed by more than 150,000 people. Its #CutTheCutlery campaign also led to the ban of single-use plastic cutlery and plates, as well as polystyrene takeaway packaging in England.
Recent polling from City to Sea shows that 72% of º£½ÇÊÓƵ consumers want to see more reusable, refillable and returnable options where they shop, with 76% willing to use refillable packaging for everyday items.
But the charity says voluntary commitments from business have "failed" to meet growing demand and deliver significant impact.
"When we started out back in 2015, I couldn’t have imagined the scale of the impact we’d have in the fight against single-use plastic, from our high streets to our supermarkets, from our rivers to our seas," said Natalie Fée, founder of City to Sea.
"And none of it would have been possible without the support of our team, our board, our donors, our partners and our communities. Thank you for supporting ten years of purposeful action and environmental impact."
It is understood City to Sea is working with partners to secure the long-term legacy of its programmes and campaigns, with further announcements expected in the coming weeks.
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