What is Plastic Free July?
Plastic Free July is a global, not-for profit movement that aims to encourage individuals all over the globe to be part of the solution to plastic pollution, by providing resources and ideas to reduce single-use plastic waste every day.
Through advocacy, initiatives and millions pledging to reduce their plastic usage, Plastic Free July have successfully reduced around 300 million kgs of plastic polluting the world each year.
Within the commercial cleaning industry, it is calculated that we are a significant contributor to single-use plastic waste. This is due to the industries reliance on disposable products, particularly packaging. Our World in Data found that around 40% of the world’s plastic waste in 2022 was subject to plastic packaging waste.
With more than 50 years of experience within the commercial cleaning industry, we recognise our responsibility to lead by example. We would like to encourage those who can, to be conscious of their plastic waste and reduce their single-use plastic consumption as much as possible.
We are advocating to lessen our reliance on single-use plastics and increase the use of eco-friendly and reusable packing across all operations, where possible. We have set an ambitious target to reduce single-use plastic by 50% by the end of 2025.
Our In-house Practices
Staff Education & Training
We believe that our people are our greatest strength in being able to make real meaningful change. To educate our staff we use multiple methods, from in person proactive training, to online e-learning through UhUb. UhUb is an online training platform that allows us to be able to provide video-based training on sustainability and recycling best practices.
Additionally, we have adopted a closed loop system for our chemical range used in our chemical range. For our chemical, the closed loop system operates by allowing us to return plastic bottles back to the manufacturer after use, dramatically reducing the need for single-use containers.
Waste Management
We have partnered with systems such as NANDO and Weightron to better track and manage waste within our offices, as well as client sites. These systems allow us to provide real-time data-led insights that help us identify avoidable plastic use. Insights such as these help us to make calculated decisions when it comes to waste reduction.
More information on our sustainable practices and their importance can be found on our blog – Why Partner with a Cleaning Company that Prioritises Sustainable Practices.
Our Client-Facing Practices
As a provider of cleaning and waste advice, we have set in place various best practices to help our clients and supply chain partners achieve their sustainability goals.
Reducing Waste In The Supply Chain
Chemical-free cleaning is a key component of our service delivery.
- Environmentally Conscious Cleaning Solutions
Using cleaning solutions which are chemical free and environmentally conscious allows us to take care of our environments in which we clean, as well as the individuals that use them. We ensure all our products used on client sites are ethical and contain eco-conscious packaging.
- Multi-use Cleaning Equipment
When sourcing equipment such as microfibre cloths and mop heads, we ensure that they are sustainable and able for multiple use. Products such as these reduce the reliance of disposable products containing plastic.
- Bulk purchasing
Bulk purchasing products such as washroom supplies and cleaning solutions allows us to minimise the amount of packaging waste from deliveries.
More information can be found about the importance of building a sustainable supply chain on our blog – How To Build a Sustainable Professional Cleaning Supply Chain.
Waste Management
In line with our in-house practices, we ensure all waste solutions provided to clients are thoroughly tested and proven effective.
For clients looking to improve their existing waste strategies, we offer full support in developing and implementing more sustainable approaches. This includes introducing smart waste systems that enable clients to track and reduce plastic waste with real-time, granular-level data. We also provide tailored waste audits and reduction plans to help our clients meet their sustainability goals with confidence.
This Plastic Free July, we encourage everyone within our industry to think consciously about plastic and explore sustainable alternatives. Together, we can keep our environments clean and our planet even cleaner. Through innovation, collaboration, and education, we are eager to make sustainable cleaning the standard, not the exception.
To find out more about our environmental, social and governance strategy (ESG) and how we can help improve your efforts, head over to our ‘Our ESG’ page – or for a deep dive, check out our latest Sustainability Impact Report.
Begin Your Plastic Waste Reduction Journey Today
If you are looking to adopt a long-term, sustainable waste strategy get in touch with our experts on 01279 944332 or email helpdesk@doccleaning.com.