SWCA is pleased to announce that 100% of offices across the country are replacing disposable water bottles, plastic cups, plates, utensils, and other single-use plastic items for office use with environmentally friendly alternatives. This is an important step forward in SWCA’s sustainability goals and further reduces the company’s consumption of nonrenewable resources.
This commitment coincides with the annual Plastic Free July campaign where team members are challenged to make individual changes towards sustainability and end or reduce the use of plastics during the month. SWCA’s Green Team Network built on this momentum companywide by working with office leadership to target single-use plastic water bottles, utensils, kitchen supplies, and more used in SWCA’s 39 offices for replacement with sustainable and plastic-free alternatives.
Plastic pollution is a serious and growing problem around the world. According to a report using data from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 46 million tons of plastic waste is created annually in the U.S., only 5% to 6% of which is recycled. SWCA offices will continue to recycle wherever possible, and together with this reduction in consumption, we can help avoid compounding the issue of plastics in landfills and in the natural environment.
Reducing single-use plastic purchasing also aligns with SDG 12 of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns,” as well as SDG 14 and SDG 15 to protect marine and terrestrial life, respectively.
In addition to significantly reducing single-use plastic purchasing in offices, SWCA will continue to move forward on ways to make the planet, company, and individual lives, cleaner, greener, and more sustainable. Learn more about SWCA’s commitment to ESG and sustainability.