PwC says it has identified a stream of benefits flowing from a one month trial of introducing metal reusable bottles into the office for drinking water, and suggests ditching plastic bottles could mean an annual fall of around 23 tonnes of plastic purchased by the firm’s staff, as well as improvements in well-being
PwC’s one month ‘Give me tap’ trial during May saw around 600 people engage in a daily water consumption monitoring scheme in return for receiving a metal water bottle, produced by social enterprise GiveMeTap.
Of the trial participants, 94% enjoyed this lifestyle challenge, with 63% drinking more water than before, contributing to improved wellbeing. The team overseeing the trial also noted a 58% fall in plastic bottle purchases and a 42% reduction in compostable cup usage, a cost saving of around £4 per person per year.
Crucially, reducing the level of plastic bottles being purchased by staff could help to reduce the volume of plastic in the world’s oceans, which is the firm points out is the focus of World Ocean Day on Friday June 8.
Cutting plastic usage has hit the headlines as marine pollution is reaching a tipping point - of the 13bn plastic bottles used in the UK each year 40% end up in landfill, incineration or being littered and globally, over 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year.
Based on a typical working year, the 58% drop in plastic weight purchased in PwC’s trial would equate to as much as 23 tonnes if this shift in behaviour was replicated across the UK firm.
Bridget Jackson, PwC’s corporate sustainability leader, said the firm had wanted to trial the initiative first, to assess what the impact of discouraging people from buying bottled water, and had been ‘blown away by the response’, saying staff were ‘quick to sign-up to the trial, happy to complete the surveys and have been full of praise for the initiative’.
Jackson said: ‘GiveMeTap is also a great example of how sustainably can deliver multiple benefits. Reducing plastic consumption alleviates the pressure on raw materials, eliminates indirect carbon emissions and water usage associated with manufacturing of the bottles and reduces the risk of pollution once they are thrown away. In fact, it’s a great example of how reuse can help deliver a more circular economy.
‘Meanwhile, it delivers social benefits too - helping people to drink more water, improving hydration and wellbeing, as well as supporting African communities get access to clean water through the partnership with GiveMeTap.’
PwC says it is now looking to extend reusable bottle use by many more of its staff across the UK firm as part of the firm’s sustainability blueprint programme and its responsible business strategy to 2022.
Report by Pat Sweet
