A new environmental campaign has been launched from Tenerife, using surfing as a platform to raise awareness about one of the world's most common forms of litter: discarded cigarette butts.

The initiative, organised by the Moving The Planet Foundation through its Surfing With Me project and supported by Turismo de Tenerife, began following two beach clean-up events held last weekend in Playa de Las Americas and Buenavista del Norte.

Surfboards made from cigarette butts

The European expedition sets off just days after the unveiling of the first surfboards made using cigarette butts collected from Tenerife's beaches.

The boards have become the symbol of a 12-day journey that combines surfing, sustainability and environmental education, highlighting the damage cigarette butts cause to beaches and marine ecosystems.

The Surfing With Me team has already begun the tour in Galicia and will continue through Cantabria, the Basque Country, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom, meeting surfers, surf schools, local organisations and leading figures from the surfing community along the way.

Promoting sustainable tourism

Turismo de Tenerife says the project supports the island's strategy of promoting itself as a destination committed to sustainability, innovation and the circular economy.

The Vice-President and Tourism Councillor of the Tenerife Island Council, Lope Afonso, said the expedition demonstrates how tourism can be used as a tool to encourage environmental awareness while helping to protect natural spaces.

Meanwhile, Dimple Melwani, CEO of Turismo de Tenerife, said the initiative transforms a waste product "as harmful as cigarette butts" into a powerful educational tool capable of inspiring real behavioural change.

Although the project has its roots in Tenerife, organisers hope its message will reach audiences across Europe.

Beach clean-ups kick-started the campaign

The international tour follows two volunteer beach clean-up events held on the island last week.

On 20th June, to mark International Surfing Day, volunteers gathered at Playa de Las Americas to remove litter from the beach before taking part in the symbolic launch of the recycled surfboards, supported by the Colillatón 2026 campaign.

The following day, the initiative moved to Las Arenas Beach in Buenavista del Norte, where volunteers collected cigarette butts and other marine litter before attending an educational talk on ocean pollution.

The organisers hope the campaign will encourage more people to think twice before discarding cigarette ends, reminding the public that a single cigarette butt can contaminate hundreds of litres of water and remain in the environment for many years.