What is World Environment Day?
If there were ever a day to inspire and drive positive environmental change, today is the day.
Celebrated annually on the 5th June, World Environment Day brings together businesses, governments, and people from across the globe and unites them in one common cause: the protection of our environments for future generations.
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since its inception in 1973, World Environment Day provides the perfect opportunity to reflect, engage and drive forward the sustainability agenda with real, tangible change.
So, what are we doing at LWC?
Here at LWC, we do not take our impact on the environment lightly. As a business committed to looking after both people and planet, sustainability has been right at the top of our agenda for a while. But World Environment Day offers up the perfect opportunity to share details of just a few of the schemes and initiatives that have been going on behind the scenes to really drive forward our dedication and commitment to protecting the world we live it.
1.The Committee
Earlier this year, LWC created a ‘Sustainability Committee’ to help steer our long-term sustainability goals. This committee is formed of senior figures from key areas of the business that have a real-time impact on the environment. And the committee has already been busy working on a number of ‘quick win’ initiatives to drive those easy-to-reach changes from within…
2.Goodbye Plastic
We are rolling out LWC-branded reusable water bottles to all staff across all our sites. But there is a condition… we are also removing all plastic bottles (for staff and visitor use) from our sites. This means that staff looking for a little hydration will simply need to fill up at one of the many on-site filtered water taps. Bottled water in meeting rooms will also be replaced with recyclable Marlish cans.
3.We’re Going Digital
This year we are also looking to phase out printed business cards and move to much more eco-friendly digital ones. We have been trialling these already at a couple of sites and have had excellent feedback.
4. Renewable Energy
We have installed 160 solar panels at our Cornwall depot, which are set to generate 90,000 kwh of renewable energy annually. Cornwall now proudly joins Hereford, Hills Prospect and Aylesbury in the list of sites utilising renewable energy to power operations.
You might’ve also noticed more and more electric vehicles and charging points popping up amongst our fleet both on the road and within depots. This is because we are slowly but surely phasing out our less efficient vehicles, including forklift trucks, and moving to much more efficient, environmentally friendlier ones.
5. Product Portfolio Development
And lastly - but certainly not least - we are building environmental concerns into the long-term development of our Signature Brands and Wine portfolios. With both Marlish and the new Black Gold XO Café having strong sustainability credentials, and the likes of Sea Change spearheading the same cause for our wines, we have made a start. But we know that we still have a long way to go, and this is something we will absolutely see through.
So hopefully, as you can see, when it comes to environmental issues, LWC is not one to rest on its laurels. We have made a commitment to the environmental cause and have big plans to make this happen.
Why not use today, World Environment Day, to consider your own environmental practices. Is there anything you could start doing – perhaps just one small change – to help protect our environment for future generations? Maybe it’s cutting down on office printing, or maybe it’s cycling or getting the bus to work. Afterall, one small change for many, amounts to a great deal for the world.
And if you would like more information on World Environment Day and this year’s theme, please visit the website: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/