EV Cargo Global Forwarding recognises the need to drive sustainable practices into our ways of working, to help shape a better world for tomorrow. There are four pillars to our ACSelerate 2021 strategy, and as part of the pillar “Doing well by doing good”, we have launched our Single-use Plastic Policy and have committed to reducing single-use plastic across our business (where realistic) by 2021, with a view to ultimate elimination where possible. This Policy provides guidelines to the business in driving the initiative.
Defining single-use plastic:
- Single-use plastic includes all products made wholly or partially of plastic, which is typically intended to be used once and/or for a short period of time (e.g. one week) before being disposed of. It includes items that can be recycled unless there is a legal and/or health and safety issue where single-use plastics are required (e.g. food gloves, food preservation)
- Bioplastics are not currently considered a suitable alternative to single-use petroleum-based plastics. Bioplastics look and feel like plastic and can confuse the end-user, resulting in the potential contamination of plastic recycling streams. They often biodegrade over time but only in specific circumstances (e.g. heat treatment) and are not widely available to end consumers.
We will work to remove single-use plastics that are avoidable and replace those which have a viable and sustainable alternative. A key initial phase is for EV Cargo Global Forwarding to identify and qualify single-use plastics to be tackled, the following is not an exhaustive list, but details some of the obvious areas to be targeted.
Plastics used for catering:
- Single-use sachets (e.g. coffee pods, sauces, milk)
- Take-away cutlery, boxes and plates
- Cups made wholly or partially from plastic
- Water bottles
- Straws and stirrers
Plastics used for cleaning:
- Single-use containers (e.g. hand soap, cleaning products)
- Wipes containing plastic
Plastics used around the office:
- Envelopes
- Plastic wrapping for brochures
Plastics used in packaging:
- Single-use packaging from deliveries, where avoidable
- Single-use carrier bags
Plastics used around warehouses and transport:
- Shrink wrap
- Single use seals
- Overbags
- Wrapping Suppliers & Employees
EV Cargo Global Forwarding will work with the relevant suppliers to implement alternative products across our business. Equally, we will engage with our colleagues to embrace this policy at a personal level. Although this policy does not include plastic brought in by colleagues, we will encourage our colleagues to reduce the amount of plastic being used by raising awareness and encouraging behaviour change.
EV Cargo Global Forwarding is committed to increasing its business sustainability. As such, we will continue to assess other single-use plastics not listed above and review this policy as and when needed.
** Updated September 2020 **
GB/ESG/POL/0001
