Palmolive Australian Reefs Dishwashing Liquid

The Great Barrier Reef is under threat

The Great Barrier Reef is a global icon and one of Australia’s treasures. Situated off Australia's northeastern coast, it is the world's largest coral reef system, spanning 2,300 kilometres or 14 degrees of latitude. It boasts remarkable biodiversity and vibrant coral formations. However, it faces significant threats from climate change and urgent solutions are needed to safeguard this natural wonder.

Dishwashing that helps makes a difference with the Reef Restoration Foundation

You can help make a positive difference to the Great Barrier Reef when you purchase Palmolive Australian Reefs Ocean Chill or Coral Splash dishwashing liquid. Palmolive is partnering with the Reef Restoration Foundation (RRF) and 10c from every purchase^✝ will support the RRF’s innovative coral nursery method and mission to build reef resilience.

How does the Reef Restoration Foundation restore the Great Barrier Reef?

RRF uses ‘coral trees’ to accelerate the natural process of coral recovery after disturbance, such as cyclones and coral bleaching. The trees clip onto a rope that is anchored in the sand with a buoy at the top. Each tree has 40 ‘branches’ upon which fragments of coral are affixed and will remain to grow to reproductive maturity.

The coral fragments are collected from colonies that have become loose on the reef through wave action and would otherwise die. In the water column, the fragments are safe from parasites, predators, and coral competition. In these favourable conditions, coral can grow five times faster than it would on the reef* and produce more egg-and-sperm bundles during spawning.**

RRF can lower the coral trees to deeper water during times of warm water and wild weather. The trees act as egg batteries whose sole purpose is coral reproduction to build resilient coral populations during good conditions, and to rapidly accelerate recovery after bad conditions.

What is coral spawning?

Coral spawning is a spectacular natural phenomenon that occurs on the Great Barrier Reef during late spring or early summer. It involves the simultaneous release of eggs and sperm by most coral species, which form baby coral or ‘larvae’ in the water. These larvae eventually settle and grow into new coral colonies, enhancing genetic diversity and contributing to the reef's health and resilience.

What does the future hold for the Reef Restoration Foundation?

RRF is currently working on an egg battery adaptation of the coral tree frame method to facilitate accelerated coral recovery. The modular design enables RRF to move the egg battery corals out of harm’s way to create reproductive insurance in times of heat related stress and mortality.

At full permit capacity, the egg battery tree frames will hold 24,000 spawning corals living a life in the water column free from the ecological stressors on the reef. Scientists say that, of the millions of egg-and-sperm bundles produced by each coral during spawning, at least 60,000 survive through to settlement on the reef larvae***. That’s an incredible addition of more than 1.4 billion corals per year, which is derived from corals that would otherwise have died.

RRF says that, even with future expansion of its team, this would translate to a minimum of 2,400 larvae per dollar spent in any given year! Importantly, this program is easily expanded, and the method is replicable anywhere in the world. It also provides a vehicle for scaled deployment of heat-adapted corals currently under development in Australian scientific institutions.

Help support the Reef Restoration Foundation

Purchase any Australian Reefs Ocean Chill or Coral Splash dishwashing liquid and 10c from every purchase^✝ will help support the Reef Restoration Foundation.

Visit https://rrf.org.au/ to find out more about RRF and how you can make a bigger impact.

^✝PALMOLIVE REEF RESTORATION PARTNERSHIP MARCH 2024-MARCH 2025 ABBREVIATED T&C’s

This promotion commences at 12.01am AEST on 1st March 2024 and closes at 11.59pm AEST on 1st March 2025 (“Fundraising Period”)
For every Palmolive Ultra Australian Reefs Ocean Chill or Palmolive Ultra Australian Reefs Coral Splash Dishwashing Liquid product purchased in any Australian retailer (in store and online) which stocks the Participating Product (“Eligible Purchase”) during the Fundraising Period, Colgate-Palmolive Pty Limited will donate 10c to the Reef Restoration Foundation Ltd up to a maximum donation amount of $75,000.
In order to conduct this promotion, the retailer will collect data on the number of Eligible Purchases made during the Fundraising Period. The retailer will not collect customer names or any other personal information in relation to the promotion.
The donation will be made by Colgate-Palmolive Pty Limited to Reef Restoration Foundation Ltd on a quarterly basis ie four times per Fundraising Period.
The Promoter is Colgate-Palmolive Pty Limited of 29/420 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

For full terms see https://www.colgatepalmolive.com.au/special-offers

References

*Carter AB, Kish H, & Chartrand K. 2020, ‘Reef Restoration Foundation Hastings Reef Coral Nursery Monitoring: December 2019 - July 2020,’ James Cook University Publication, Report No. 20/41. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), Cairns. 30 pp.

**Amar, K.O., Rinkevich, B. 2007. A floating mid-water coral nursery as larval dispersion hub: testing an idea. Mar Biol 151, 713–718.

*** Australian Government, Reef Spawning in the SeaSim