Canary Wharf Group launched a new reward partnership for their Deposit Return Scheme during Recycle Week last week (24-30 September) with an aim of incentivising consumers to recycle plastic bottles and cans across Canary Wharf.
The Deposit Return Vending Machine, installed in April, is the first of its type in the UK.
CPress, an organic juice bar and coffee shop in Crossrail Walk, Canada Place, will be offering 10p off any purchase in-store when users recycle CPress bottles via the Deposit Return Vending Machine. CPress have also pledged to honour the scheme by rewarding the recycling of CPress bottles on an ongoing basis after Recycle Week.
The initiative is the first step in Canary Wharf Group’s Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign, which launched on World Environment Day in June 2018. The 12-month programme has been designed to tackle single-use plastic waste across the Estate, pilot new technologies, spark innovation and collaboration, and encourage behavioural change as a model for commercial centres, businesses and communities nationwide.
“It is our hope that the Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign will become Canary Wharf’s legacy, as we form a blueprint for individuals, businesses and society that proves the power of community can affect change for our environment in a positive way”.
The scheme also uses learnings gathered from Canary Wharf Group’s World Environment Day Panel Debate, which highlighted that collaboration is essential to break down obstacles faced by businesses in tackling single-use plastics. Canary Wharf Group is proving that collaboration does result in action. Partnering with fellow panel members, Klöckner Pentaplast, global leader in packaging manufacturing, and fresh food producer Cranswick plc., they have proved that a true circular economy is possible.
Plastic bottles collected by the machine during Recycle Week will be sent to Klöckner Pentaplast who will use it in manufacturing recycled PET (RPET) plastic packaging. This is then used by Cranswick in packaging their food products, and as a supplier for several retailers on the Estate, the plastic ends up back at Canary Wharf in a true demonstration of circular economy in action.
Alongside the Deposit Return Scheme, Canary Wharf Group have also been tackling the issue of plastic bottles by installing public water refill stations across the Estate.
Steve Greig, Co-Managing Director, Canary Wharf Management, says: “Canary Wharf Group have taken on board consumers’ concerns around single-use plastic. By installing the Deposit Return Vending Machine and water refill stations, these are the initial movements taken towards our Plastic Free Community accreditation, with more actions planned over the next few months.
“It is our hope that the Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign will become Canary Wharf’s legacy, as we form a blueprint for individuals, businesses and society that proves the power of community can affect change for our environment in a positive way”.
Timothy Stevenson, Founder, CPress “The CPress Team looks forward to its partnership with the Canary Wharf Group as a rewards partner during Recycle Week and future eco-sustainability initiatives. We are confident that our latest initiative will raise awareness and proactive participation by all stakeholders in Canary Wharf and beyond to reduce single-use plastic.”
The current focus on plastic bottles is in direct response to the Estate-wide plastic audit Canary Wharf Group undertook earlier this year, which identified the items that stakeholders felt were the biggest plastic issues. Canary Wharf Group’s battle against plastic waste has recently been further supported by their pledge to become the world’s first Plastic Free Commercial Centre, working in partnership with Surfers Against Sewage.
The commitment to achieve this status requires Canary Wharf Group to focus on reducing and removing unnecessary single-use plastic items across the Estate, wherever possible, as well as aiming to positively influence consumer behaviour and plastic habits.
