Earth Day 2024 - How can we reduce our plastic footprint?

Earth Day, observed annually on 22 April, serves as a global rallying point for individuals worldwide to unite in advancing sustainability and climate action. In 2024, the theme emphasised by earthday.org is "Planet vs. Plastics," reflecting an urgent commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health.

The organisation demands a bold 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.

8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950s, of which 79% is still present in landfills or the natural environment. The scale of the problem is immense.

The production of plastic packaging and polystyrene foam continues at alarming rates, with millions of tons ending up in oceans and terrestrial environments each year, posing serious threats to ecosystems and human health.

Watch the short video below to better understand the damage plastics are causing.

For Earth Day 2024, we’re setting all colleagues 3 Earth Day Challenges!

1. Explore your plastic footprint using Earth Day’s interactive plastic calculator to uncover how many plastic items you consume and discard annually
2. Take the plastic pollution quiz to see how much you know about the threats that our planet faces from plastic pollution
3. Share your 'Simple Act of Green' on Spark or Earth Day's website!

Check out this Earth Day toolkit to see other great ways you can take action and join the Planet vs. Plastics movement.

Let the Environment Team know how you’ve got involved in Earth Day 2024 by contacting emma.hubberstey@unipart.com.

• Unipart's initiative with Three UK sees up to 75% of customers receiving devices in eco-friendly boxes from Magna Park. The team replaced plastic bags with cardboard boxes after rigorous testing, achieving significant cost savings and environmental benefits.
• A Unipart Logistics team partnered with Sky to develop a circular economy ecommerce packaging solution. After eliminating single-use plastic, they trialed reusable packaging to drive cost savings and enhance user experience.
• The Unipart Logistics team at Coventry removed plastic wrap from their processes, supporting their sustainability goals.
• Simon Marsh implemented a solution to enable local communities and charities to benefit from excess NHSSC stock that was previously disposed of.
• In Unipart Rail, an exciting new product has been launched to help make the industry more sustainable -composite bearers, made from recycled plastic, replace concrete/wood and prevent prevent used plastic from being burnt or sent to landfill. They are also fully recyclable at the end of their life making them truly sustainable and a great example of what the circular economy can achieve.

Through these solutions Unipart is supporting Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (Life On Land).