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To mark Recycle Week 2021, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) have announced this year’s Love Recycling Heroes, celebrating the heroes of commercial recycling and sustainability across Europe, part of the ongoing, award-winning, Love Recycling program.
In July, public nominations opened for the 2021 Love Recycling Heroes. Submissions came in across a wide number of industries, from carpeting to cafés, hotels and manufacturers, operations and charities, reflecting the continuing rise of sustainability across every type of commercial operation.
Two leading heroes are awarded the highest status of Glass heroes and £500 each to donate to the sustainability charity of their choice.
Elissa Underhill, National Account Manager at international distributor Lyreco, was nominated for her tireless efforts to help her customers improve the system efficiency of their resource and waste management process. At one customer’s sites, the implementation of her suggestions has already netted an additional six tonnes of material that will be recycled, rather than added to a landfill. Underhill’s work shows that small changes to processes can result in large sustainability wins.
Commenting on her award, she said: “Committing to sustainability is all about creating a better, safer planet and environment for everyone. Whether it’s our customers, our suppliers or our employees, together we can all make a difference to protect the planet and make it a better, safer place for future generations.
“Being recognised for this commitment is to us vitally important as collaboration and sharing these innovations with our customers is integral to supporting those businesses and the market sectors in which they operate.”
In a quite different setting, the owners of Brixton’s vegan Café Van Gogh, Annabelle and Ehima, were nominated for the inclusion of multiple sustainable and social practices into their operations. Eliminating single use plastic, employing compostable packaging made from recycled material and directing food waste to composting programs, exemplifies the idea that recycling and sustainable business practices are important for all businesses.
Other heroes highlighted by Love Recycling’s panel of independent sustainability experts included:
· Till the Coast is Clear – A charity clearing ocean plastic from the South Devon coast and areas of outstanding natural beauty
· Wessex – A cleaning company implementing circular economy principles with customers to sustainably dispose of equipment such as vacuum cleaners
· Innovate Recycle – An innovative sustainable operation that supports commercial and municipal entities responsibly disposing of old carpet
Nominations came from across Europe and touched on multiple verticals.
In Hospitality, the Hotel De la Porte Doree in Paris was highlighted for its use of energy saving technology in rooms and the promotion of cycling as a way to see the city. In Bordeux, at Performance Hygiene, National Co-ordinator Philippe Autour, was selected for his dedication to improving human and environmental protection through better recycling products.
In Nantes, Maureen Huber, Sector Manager at BUNZL PLG was recognised for her continuing commitment to innovative products and processes that drive increases in recycling.
At Tennant Company in Zaragoza, they recognised their own Cesar Casas for his oversight and development of a reconditioning centre that has considerably reduced emissions and the company’s carbon footprint.
The judges also selected a number of staff at educational facilities for their implementation of recycling process across campus and engagement with future generations. They were East Sheen Primary School, Wellington School in Somerset and Keele University.
Commenting on the winners Paul Jakeway, Head of Marketing – EMEA at RCP said: “The broad range of nominations we received from the public, and the diversity of those chosen by our judges, demonstrates the vital role recycling and sustainability now play in commercial operations.
“As a community, we are fast approaching the point where businesses will start becoming less commercially relevant because they are not sustainably orientated. Whether that’s because customers don’t want to buy from a brand that doesn’t protect the planet, or they don’t want to pay the inevitable cost increases that come with products created from diminishing resources, sustainability needs to occupy the same prominence in the boardroom as finance and development do.”
A full guide to the judge’s selections can be downloaded via loverecycling.com
