Grantee: Scottish Islands Federation

Duration:  36 months (January 2026 – December 2028) 

 

Background

The threats to wildlife from marine plastic pollution are extensive, affecting species at all levels of the food chain. Ingestion of litter can result in long-term health effects, and malnutrition and entanglement can lead to injury, starvation or drowning. In addition to direct harm to individual animals, marine litter can also disrupt ecosystem functions, threatening biodiversity and the health of marine habitats. Societal and economic impacts are also significant. Addressing this urgent crisis requires national policy changes, which must be guided by accurate and consistent data – something that has historically been lacking from the Scottish islands.

The Scottish Islands Federation

The Scottish Islands Federation (SIF) work to address common challenges and represent community interests across a network of 93 inhabited Scottish Islands. They have formed a Marine Litter Working Group (MLWG), identifying that more consistent data collection is a priority to demonstrate the scale of the problem to residents, councils, industry, and government as the first stage in campaigning for policy change to address the issue.

HIEF have awarded two project-restricted grants to SIF:

Marine litter data collection – November 2022 – £14,270

Marine litter drone surveys – September 2024 – £7,500

Through funding to the Marine Conservation Society, made possible by the Conservation Collective x Depeche Mode x Hublot partnership, HIEF have indirectly supported SIF’s marine litter data collection work in 2024 (here) and 2025 (here).

Unrestricted grant

For the first time in HIEF’s history, we are proud to award a three-year grant totalling £60,000 to support the Scottish Islands Federation. This funding will provide £20,000 annually, enabling the Federation to continue its vital work tackling marine litter across the Scottish Islands.
The grant is unrestricted, offering the Scottish Islands Federation flexibility to assign funds where they are needed most.