We are pleased to demonstrate our continued commitment to tackling environmental issues and improving the health and wellbeing of our people by issuing over 1,000 Copart team-mates across our 17 UK Operations Centres and Head Office with eco-friendly refillable water bottles.
The idea originally came from our Operations Centre in Chester, who suggested introducing reusable Copart water bottles for team-mates to help limit the amount of plastic waste generated at their location.
Reducing the use of plastic is a hugely important environmental concern and with 18 locations across the UK, employing over 1,000 people, we took the opportunity to take this idea company-wide to benefit both the environment and our team-mates, encouraging them to drink more water at work for the obvious health and wellbeing benefits of staying hydrated.
There are, of course, other numerous benefits to using reusable water bottles in favour of plastic bottles. Not only will our team-mates save money on purchasing bottles of water, but as a company we can positively influence the reduction of plastic waste and the levels of pollution caused by the emissions produced during plastic manufacturing.
Providing these reusable water bottles underpins our Environmental Policy, which commits to reduce waste where practicable, keep packaging under control and safeguard the environment.
However, we didn’t just want to provide regular plastic reusable bottles, which although still a positive change, could potentially be seen as adding to the plastic problem. So, we took the initiative one step further by taking the time to source eco-friendly bottles made from biodegradable plastic, as opposed to synthetic plastics which can take hundreds of years to decompose.
Jo Ferguson, Head of UK Human Resources, said: “We continuously seek to identify ways we can minimise waste, encourage recycling and improve the health and wellbeing of both our customers and employees. We actively encourage team-mates across our business to put forward innovative ideas, so I am delighted that we have been able to implement this suggestion across all 18 Copart UK locations.”
Read the full Press Release
To further strengthen our commitment to reduce plastic packaging across Copart, we have also signed up to the Barrel for Life scheme through Autosmart International, which supports environmentally responsible cleaning.
Barrel for Life is a unique dilution system enabling barrels to be refilled with the exact amount of chemicals we need for cleaning vehicles at our Operations Centres.
With each refill estimated to be the equivalent of around 900 plastic bottles, using this system will help us to dramatically reduce the amount of plastic packaging waste we are producing and in turn reduce the negative impact on the environment.
We were delighted to discover that our participation in the scheme has saved the equivalent of over 73,787 plastic bottles per year.
As a planet, we have a long way to go in combatting the serious environmental issues which impact us globally, but as a business we feel these are small steps in the right direction and we’re pleased to be playing our part in the war on waste.
Read more Copart and the Community news stories, or find out more about Copart UK.