Placing Sustainability at the Fore to Drive the Elimination of single-use plastic

Although Plastic Free July has drawn to a close, it is important that we all continue to support this global movement and be part of the solution by reducing our single-use plastic (SUP) waste every day, whether that be in the workplace or our personal lives.

Single-use plastics have a major impact on our planet, polluting our environments and oceans. The Economist reported that just 9% of the world’s plastic waste has been recycled. Part of the issue being that many plastic products are purposely designed to be used only once, notably, cleaning substances in plastic containers.

As a business, we recognise the key role we play in contributing towards creating a sustainable future for all, which is why our CEO, David Carr, made a public pledge to reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastics across Bouygues E&S’ operations. In turn, this was adopted as a corporate objective and priority actions were agreed. To support this, we identified the business services and activities that generate the greatest number of SUP and have since taken steps to tackle this issue head on.

With catering being one of our main culprits of single-use plastic, we have stipulated the avoidance of SUP as a condition for any required re-tendering of our catering contract, which services staff eateries or canteens. Regarding cleaning products, large containers are purchased in bulk and in super-concentrate form for dilution before use. These are then used to fill and re-fill reusable dispensers.

Changing how we procure and use cleaning chemicals provides us with an opportunity to rethink the chemicals we employ; especially as traditional chemicals can be harmful to the environment and present health risks. That is why we engaged with Hygiene Systems Limited, a company that offers benign chemicals, which have been shown to produce better cleaning results (more germs killed), with no health risks. However, it is not just about the chemicals themselves, but also the type of cloth used to clean with them. Micro fibre cloths are more effective at picking up dirt and dust and are proven to be more sustainable. This is because they can be washed and reused many times.

The use of eco-friendly chemicals in conjunction with micro fibre cloths, which we have been using for a long time, has offered us a safe, effective and sustainable approach to cleaning, and we are already realising the benefits, as Lewis Chenery, Head of Environment & Sustainability explains:

“Through this change in process, we have demonstrated our commitment to reducing single-use plastics in the business and in turn, proactively mitigating our impact on the environment. To date, we have avoided 486kg of SUP compared to the previous year which also saves over 1,500 kg of carbon when considering the manufacturing and disposal of the products.”

Amelle Mestari, Director of Procurement and Sustainable Development, concluded: “Although our main objective is to eliminate SUP, cost and carbon savings have been realised and we are very pleased with the progress thus far. Moreover, as a business, we recognise the importance of changing behaviour and embedding sustainability within our culture. This aligns with our ‘Together Further for Climate’ strategy, which focuses on promoting a collective effort to helping create a greener future for everyone.”