ECO-FRIENDLY
Sustainable entrepreneurship M
BRITA tells us how the business is implementing sustainable practices at every stage of product development.
ore than 50 years ago, BRITA’s founder set out on a mission
to find smart and convenient ways to make the most of tap water. The pioneering water filter cartridges meant people could enjoy great tasting water straight from their taps, and finally there was an alternative to bottled water. With the introduction
of cartridge recycling later, the spirit of sustainable entrepreneurship was cemented. As a family-run company, it’s important to us to take responsibility. We want to make our contribution to a more sustainable world and a future worth living for the next generation. We believe businesses have a responsibility to contribute to a liveable and prosperous future for all people and the planet. For this reason, we are supporting the Sustainable Development Goals Framework to ensure we are contributing so a more sustainable future for all. To achieve this, we have initiated a number of measures in recent years. We have made sustainability the central theme of our new strategy and included a new sustainability indicator to measure our success.
Reduce, reuse and recycle BRITA is very proud of our recycling scheme which we introduced in 1992. We encourage our users to return their cartridges to us via dedicated in-store recycling units. We then return these used filter cartridges to our dedicated BRITA centre in Germany where they are processed for recycling. We also regenerate the filter material ourselves and use it again in new water filter cartridges – truly closing the material loop. Our products help replace bottled water and therefore avoid plastic waste in the environment. In 2022, we managed to replace 5 billion 1-litre bottles by convincing people to drink BRITA filtered tap water instead of bottled water. By 2025, BRITA products will have helped replace more than 30 billion plastic bottles, preventing over 4.5 million tonnes of CO2.
A commitment to reducing carbon emissions We regularly calculate and assess the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of key products in our portfolio. We use the insights gained through this analysis to improve the sustainability of our products. We currently have PCs for 27 products. By making our products more sustainable and reducing our dependency on fossil-based plastic, we are also reducing the CO, footprints of our products. For example, the carbon footprint of our new MAXTRA PRO filter cartridge is 25% smaller than the footprint of the previous model.
26 | January/February 2024
Perfecting the packaging We want to greatly reduce the use of plastic in our products by 30% by 2025. To achieve this, we are researching various alternatives and paying attention to a wide variety of factors. In addition to sustainable production, the packaging and shipping of our products are equally important to us. After all, packaging waste is a global problem. We want to do our bit to reduce the amount of waste and the associated CO2 footprint of our planet. This is a real challenge because packaging serves very specific purposes; it must protect our products from contamination and transport damage. We are therefore developing concepts on how to use less packaging, and at the same time, deploy more sustainable packaging materials. For example, we are working towards packaging our products completely without plastic. Where this is not yet possible, we are reducing the use of plastics as extensively as we can while ensuring that they can be easily recycled. In eCommerce, we are already using so-called “ship-in-own-container” concepts. These are product packages that can be used directly as shipping boxes. In this way, we are already conserving important resources. Through product innovation, we’re reducing virgin plastics by 30% and removing them from all new packaging.
A benefit to consumers Wider cultural pressures and awareness have made consumers think more about their purchasing, and they are increasingly looking for swaps they can make in their own homes. Filtering water is a popular option for consumers who are not only looking to optimise their tap water, but are also looking for a sustainable option to single-use plastic bottled water. Filtering water improves the taste by removing chlorine and other taste impairing substances such as pesticides, herbicides and hormones, as well as ensuring tap water tastes consistently good no matter where you are. We also launched two new cartridges into the market last year providing a personalised approach to filtering last year to give consumers the best option for their needs. For those who live in soft water areas, we offer the MAXTRA PRO All-in-1, and for consumers who live in hard water areas, a product which really tackles limescale to ensure scale free appliances, is the MAXTRA PRO LIMESCALE EXPERT. Switching from single-use plastic bottles to BRITA filtered water is not only a great decision to make for the environment, but it also has huge cost savings for households, saving a family of four almost £1,700 a year.
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