BSEE-MAY21-P30 Lights Lighting Controls_Layout 1 16/04/2021 10:57 Page 30


BSEE


With plastic pollution possibly proving to be the biggest environmental issue of our time, it is imperative that companies not only minimise their use of single use plastics – but also seek to maximise their recycling opportunities as much as possible. Catherine Connolly, CEO of Knightsbridge, reports.


plastic provides us with doors, windows, cladding, rainwater goods, roofing components, drainage, plumbing systems, fixings and fastenings and waterproofing membranes. However, this incredible


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dependency on plastic appears to have come at a high cost as shown by the rafts of the stuff floating in our seas, and the piles of debris on our beaches. It’s estimated that, every year, another 8 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the sea. Obviously, the vast majority is ‘single-use’ products like water bottles, carrier bags, polystyrene and packaging. That’s the equivalent of a refuse lorry tipping a full load into the ocean every minute of every day, every day of the year.


lastic is so integrated into ordinary lives it is almost impossible to imagine a world without it. In the building industry,


LIGHTING, LIGHTING CONTROLS & LIFI Sending plastic packing


If this continues at the same rate for the next six years, there’ll be one tonne of plastic in the sea for every three tonnes of fish. If we can’t reverse the trend by 2050, there’ll be more plastic than fish. And by then, the microplastic granules already found in much of the seafood we eat will be spread throughout the entire food chain.


In recent years, a flurry of new initiatives to reduce single use plastic have been introduced at home in the UK, as well as across the world. The plastic bag charge has seen the number of bags taken home from UK


supermarkets drop by 80%; a 25-cent deposit on PET bottles in Germany has meant 98% of all bottles are returned and recycled; and a ban on toiletries and cosmetics containing plastic microbeads in the USA, UK and several EU states will drastically reduce the number of damaging particles washed into the sea. In Knightsbridge’s sector – wiring devices, accessories and lighting – a key consumer of plastics is less the products themselves, the lifespans of which can be counted in decades anyway, but in disposable, single use plastic packaging.


With sustainability featuring more and more in people’s purchase decisions, how do packaging materials line up when it comes to their environmental credentials? Just as importantly, how do they compare in their impact on the environment when it comes to recycling packaging or disposing of it at the end of its useful life? The benefits to the environment from a reduction in the use of disposable plastics are obvious. Less plastic waste in our countryside, rivers and oceans; less reliance on oil and other fossils fuels for raw materials; and lower emissions as a result.


The potential economic benefits for business and society are huge too. Now, most plastic packaging is used only once. In fact, it’s estimated that 95% of the value of plastic packaging material – or £56bn to £85bn worth of plastic – is lost to the economy every year.


With the growing demands to act against plastic pollution, it seems the world is finally waking up to that need and there appears to be a real will to change the way we all think about plastic waste and recycling.


For instance, at Knightsbridge, we operate an initiative called Committed to a Brighter Future. Committed to a Brighter Future sees the company’s determination to look after both customers and the environment turned into tangible, practical measures – rather than another round of corporate ‘greenwash’. An example of this is our recent shift towards sustainable packaging that is both 100% recyclable and made from 100% recycled materials.


In the case of cardboard boxes, the company has teamed up with the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure its packaging comes from wholly recycled sources and is certified as such – look out for the FSC logo on these new materials. Where products were previous sold in plastic ‘clamshells’, these will now be sold in recyclable and biodegradable poly bags. The company also tasked its in- house recycling team to see what use could be made of materials received that would ordinarily go to waste. Its latest bright idea is converting incoming cardboard into ‘stuffers’ – the crinkle-cut packing that secures products within their outer cartons.


Knightsbridge has made significant investment into technology and equipment, in order to achieve its target of a 95% reduction in single use plastics and 98% biodegradable packaging. These are important factors that all businesses should consider, as careful planning and investment are required to achieve these goals.


Predicting the future is always a risky business. But on plastics at least, we can be cautiously optimistic that whatever lies ahead, it’s beginning to look a lot brighter.


Find Knightsbridge’s commitment to a brighter on social media via #committedtoabrighterfuture


30 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MAY 2021 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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