Imagine the weight of a billion elephants or 47 million blue whales. Staggering, isn’t it? Now, picture that mass made entirely of plastic. Uncomfortable, right? That’s the colossal amount of plastic pollution – a whopping 8.3 billion tonnes – our world has produced since the 1950s. And here’s the kicker – a mere 9% of it has been recycled.
The toll on our ecosystem is dire, particularly for marine life. The tiny culprits known as microplastics are emerging as a significant worry. They’ve infiltrated every nook and cranny of our world, even showing up uninvited in our lungs. Although their impact on human health remains a mystery, their harm to our environment is undeniable. So, what are we at Kefron doing to fight this mounting problem, and how can you step up to the plate?
Cue: World Environment Day
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was formed in 1972 to address environmental challenges. The following year the very first World Environment Day was held. This is a global platform that helps UNEP raise awareness and celebrate environmental action. World Environment Day 2023 marks its 50th anniversary and will be hosted in Côte d’Ivoire. It is held on June 5th every year with a different theme to tackle different challenges. This year’s focus is on solutions to plastic pollution, with the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution. Getting involved is easy as many communities and organisations are hosting events for the day. To discover activities near you, follow this link to the official website, which lists over 30 UK-based events, with Ireland’s largest annual gardening and horticulture festival taking place in Phoenix Park over the June Bank holiday.
Kefron’s 2023 Initiatives
Here at Kefron, we are doing what we can to minimise our effect on the environment. We’ve stepped into the future with the introduction of an electric vehicle, with plans to expand our electric fleet. We’ve gone paperless with our receipting, invoicing, and reporting procedures. Single-use plastic has been shown the door, replaced by reusable cups and water bottles in our offices.
Our environmental policy isn’t just a document; it’s a roadmap to a greener business future, accessible to all employees. Through continuous education, we strive to raise awareness among our team about environmental issues and the ways to mitigate them.
Our paperless mission extends to our clients as well, with services that encompass scanning, digitising documents, and automating the invoicing process. Check out how outdoor retailer Regatta took substantial steps in the pursuit of its sustainability goals by going paperless.
As we gear up for World Environment Day, we’ve lined up an array of activities for our team including:
- Our senior management team will travel to the office without their car on the day. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to see how they get on
- Environmental Table Quiz to raise awareness of plastic pollution
- Ireland’s leading environmental not-for-profit Repak will be joining us to share their expertise of recycling in Ireland
- Kefron waste Partner Thorntons Recycling are opening their doors and providing a guided tour of their recycling facility in Parkwest
- Bright Ideas Campaign will be looking for ideas on what we can do at Kefron, at home and in the local community to improve our environmental efforts.
Follow our efforts on social media for updates from June 6th. We invite you to get involved too, either in-person or online, in this global environmental festival. Discover the official campaign website and events here.
Together, let’s #BeatPlasticPollution!
Authored by Fiona Smart
Fiona is a records management and secure document storage specialist with over 20 years of experience delivering complex information management projects. She shares insights on secure records management, compliance, and document storage best practices across multiple sectors.
