The environment is in very bad shape. We’ve gotten to a point where the earth desperately needs our help. Now more than ever. Our oceans keep getting filled with tons of plastic every year. Plastic that destroys the animal kingdom, pollutes the environment, and even falls from the sky; harming us when we inhale it.

More concerning is the fact that 55% of the world’s plastic waste is produced by only 20 companies. Changing that will require governments to act with some kind of legislative plan, single-use plastic bans, taxes and economic incentives, along with Extended Producer Responsibility programs. What can the rest of us do? Bigger companies as well as smaller ones, can all help to combat the significant excess waste of plastic. In this article, we are sharing 5 ways for you to join this effort and be a part of the change.

• An Eco-friendly Workplace

Change starts from within. Make it happen by limiting the use of single-use plastic in the office. In the UK, around 7 million coffee cups are thrown away daily. By simply asking your employees to use reusable cups you’ll be making a huge contribution to waste reduction. Office kitchen plastic use such as of cutlery, crockery, and straws could be replaced with non-plastic alternatives as well as investing in a water filter would eliminate the need for bottled water.

• Effective Recycling

Although recycling has become more mainstream in recent years, many people don’t use separate receptacles for different materials. Educating your workforce on how to effectively recycle plastic, paper, glass, and other resources will result in better waste management, not only in the workplace but in people’s homes, magnifying the impact of your effort. This could be done by organising seminars and workshops with companies such as Less Plastic.

• Tweak Your Product

Sometimes making a product eco-friendly is not an easy option. However, there are some actions we can take to make it more sustainable. From switching to recycled or biodegradable materials to eliminating packaging altogether, we can minimise our product’s contribution to polluting the environment. Another option that has recently gained interest is the use of containers/packages that are reusable and can be refilled when returned to the company.

• Ask Suppliers to Follow

You don’t need to walk this path alone. Ask your regular suppliers to join you by reducing plastic packaging. This can be either for things you might order regularly for the office or as part of your product’s supply chain, reducing plastic in each and every of its stages. Paving the way of transformation is critical, imagine how many other companies could benefit when using the same supplier from your new arrangement with them.

• Join a Pact

Join a network of like-minded people, governments, and companies working towards the greater good. The European Plastics Pact, shares a vision of creating a circular economy for plastic, ending waste and plastic pollution. Their targets for 2025 include many ambitious goals such as reducing the need for plastic products and packaging by at least 20 and boosting the use of recycled plastics as much as possible.

By Annita Xenou