Svalbard is one of the world’s great wild places to see birds. We spotted Brünnich’s guillemots whilst kayaking past a rocky cliff edge. These birds are quite amazing as they can plunge into the water to depths of up to 500 feet, staying underwater for upward of four minutes. In all, there are only about 30 species of birds that regularly breed in Svalbard, yet they are present in large numbers - there are upwards of 3 million birds. However, on a more sinister note, sea birds feeding on the surface often mistake floating plastic for food. This plastic fills their stomachs with indigestible materials and as a result, they can and do starve to death. It has also been found that birds are taking in microplastics from their food chain which results in the accumulation of toxicity in their blood, which can be fatal.

It is a well-known fact that glaciers are receding at an alarming rate. In this photo, the lighter coloured rock section on the right indicates the level it was at the end of the Ice age 10,000 years ago. This stretch of water would have been solid ice at that time but over the years the ice has receded significantly as the impacts of global warming have increased. Each day huge chunks of ice calve from the glaciers to become floating icebergs around the region. Where ice sits on top of land this is called an ice cap whereas in much of the Polar region the ice is simply called sea ice as it's frozen ocean. As the ice melts, the Northern Polar region is now being considered as a shipping route which could be used by merchant ships. This will inevitably cause further damage through the burning of heavy fuel unless regulations changes.

Large male Walrus bulls can weigh up to 2 tons and measure around 12 feet long from its nose to the hind flipper. They survive solely from eating molluscs, mainly clams from the seabed. Their tusks are actually large teeth up to 3 feet in length, which they use to scrape the seabed for food and to maintain territory during the mating season. We found this colony of circa 400 Walrus on an island where they had been for 6 weeks. Each Walrus can eat up to 3%-6% of their total weight per day which equates to anything between 3000 – 6000 clams in a single feeding session for an adult. You can imagine how rich this particular seabed is. Sadly, these wonderful mammals are not immune from the downstream effects of plastic pollution as there is evidence of microplastics in their stomachs which they have picked up via the food chain.

The Bearded Seal is larger than the ringed seal and poses a harder target to hungry Polar bears. Their snout is a bronze colour as it has been stained by the sea bed which is rich in iron. Whilst they scrape up the sea bed looking for shellfish their snouts become stained. They have large whiskers which look like a moustache but do not have a beard as the name suggests!

Aztec is looking at the way we do business at every level, to reduce the use of plastic and to provide the most sustainable solutions for every client. Over the last few pages, we have shown the very real impact that plastic pollution is having on the natural world. We want to convey the importance of taking a sustainable approach to everything we do in our daily lives. We all have a role to play and by making these changes ourselves we hope to inspire others to take action too. Through education, consideration for the environment and daily choices we can and will make a difference.