The Plastic Reduction Pledge

Plastic has been making the news a lot recently. With the world finally waking up to the mess that we’re making of our planet, people everywhere have started doing their bit to help stop the plastic plague. One of the biggest stories on the subject to emerge in recent weeks is the Plastic Pledge. More than 40 big name brands have signed up to a pact to cut plastic waste over the course of the next seven years. And we’re talking really big names, such as Coca Cola, Asda and Proctor & Gamble.

This is an enormous boon for the #OneLess project and environmental campaigners everywhere. The companies involved are responsible for more than 80% of plastic packaging on products sold through UK supermarkets. Can’t get your head around that? Pop to your local Tesco and look around – when you think about it, the amount of plastic potentially involved is phenomenal. And the aim is to make 100% of it either recyclable or compostable. That means no more of those annoying crinkly packets that fill up your normal waste bin – and a lifeline to our landscapes and our waterways.

But, just because you’re not among those 40 giants of industry, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do your bit too. So, how can you contribute and manage your own plastic pledge?

You might not produce megatons of plastic, but if you source your materials and consumables wisely, you can have an impact too. You can drop the plastic from your packaging. Give your business to companies that produce recyclable and compostable materials. And cut your consumables.

MIW Watercooler Expert recently ran a project with Newcastle University and discovered that students get through an average of three plastic bottles of water a week. That figure is likely to be broadly similar amongst workers too. Imagine if you replaced your watercooler with a sports bottle refill station, and all of those annoying little plastic cups with reusable drinking vessels. Your team could drink on the go, they could take water with them rather buying bottles for their daily commute. You could cut back on consumables costs – not just the cups, but the big bottles of water, and the disposal fees. If you placed the bottle filler where your customers could access it too, the impact of your investment would grow. Open it up to members of the general public, and you’ll have started your own little green revolution.

The way we work and what we use there has as much impact on the environment as the products we make – and the things that we buy in our private lives. If we all do a little bit, just trying to use #OneLess bottle, what a difference we could all make, and wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Are you ready to make your plastic pledge?

Call MIW to discuss how a sports bottle filler could work for your business: 01207 572 000