Team SoPro have gone Plastic Free for July

Jul 26, 2021

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As you may have seen from our socials, Team SoPro have been making small changes to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we use and to help spread awareness of its effect on our planet as part of Plastic Free July®.

Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.  Sustainability is something we believe strongly in at Social Progress, and we don’t underestimate how our individual actions can make a big difference.

We’re sharing what we’ve been doing to reduce our single use waste and hope it will open your eyes to just how much plastic there is in our day-to-day lives and what small changes you can make to reduce this.

Reusable Bottles

Did you know that a third of all plastic litter found in the sea is made up of plastic bottles?  When you’re out and about, it’s easy to forget the impact your quick refreshment has on the planet, and default to the convenient option of buying a bottled drink.  Next time you’re heading out, why not make the decision of taking a reusable bottle with you to fill up before you go, and use time and time again.

At Social Progress, we’ve all had reusable drinks bottles on our desks for a while, but now the whole team has pledged to make sure that they take their reusable bottles with them when we’re out-and-about to take away the need for single-use plastic bottles!

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Plastic-free Tea

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We drink A LOT of tea here in the SoPro office, but did you know that many teabags actually contain plastic?  Shockingly, even tea bags labelled as ‘plastic-free’ on the box may contain small amounts of bio-plastics used to seal the tea bags.  So, be sure to do your research before you make your next brew, as your good intentions may not quite be the eco-friendly decisions you thought they were.

We’re making some changes around the office, to make sure that the tea we buy is not only Fairtrade, but plastic free too!

Fabric Face Masks

We’ve decided to ditch disposables and opt for reusable fabric face masks instead! Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic has sparked a huge increase in the amount of single-use plastic we use in attempt to avoid contamination, but this has had a huge impact on the safety of wildlife and our environment.

In the height of the pandemic, the UK public were throwing away 53m masks each day. Switching to a fabric mask will not only save you money in the long run, but will stop your contribution to this immense amount of plastic waste.

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Plastic-free living is not just for July, and we know there are plenty more changes we can make to limit our plastic usage.  We are sticking to the changes we’ve made and are still on the look out for further positive changes we can make in the office and at home so that we can keep making a positive impact all year round.  So far, we’re looking at compostable bin bags and getting our milk delivered to the office in glass bottles.  Please let us know what you’re doing to be a more sustainable workplace and if you have any suggestions for us!

Want some more ideas for reducing your plastic waste?  Get started here.