Moving away from plastic with CoirProducts.co.uk
In November, world leaders, environmentalists, and activists will meet at the 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP27), delivering action on critical environmental concerns of our time. A significant focus will be on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, specifically, the Net Zero commitments of countries, which was a key outcome of COP26 held in Glasgow last year.
At CoirProducts.co.uk, our commitment to nature and the environment has always been at the core of what we do. Not only do we bring an innovative range of eco-friendly coir products, but more importantly, we continue to work towards minimising the impact on the environment in all stages of our operations, including reducing our carbon emissions, as part of our journey to Net Zero.
Plastic pollution – a crucial problem of our time
Discarded plastic continues to threaten the environment at an alarming rate, with experts calling plastic pollution an “epidemic”. Often ending up in landfills and oceans, plastic pollution is seriously harming the wellbeing of humans, animals, and the planet. According to the UN Environment Programme, globally, plastic pollution has increased rapidly from two million tonnes in 1950 to 348 million tonnes in 2017, with this number set to double by 2040. Given the scale of the problem, in a historic move earlier this year, representatives from 175 countries agreed to end plastic pollution and forge an internationally legally binding agreement by 2024. In the UK, statistics show that 5 million tonnes of plastic is used every year, with around half of them being packaging.
The use of plastic in horticulture
The use of plastic material in horticulture is also concerning. Plastic material, such as plastic plant pots and trays, compost bins, plant labels, and even sheets that are used to suppress the growth of weed, have long been widely used in gardens. It is estimated that around 500 million plastic plant pots and trays are circulated in the UK each year, with most of this plastic ending up in landfills, taking years to decompose. As such, many within the horticultural industry have looked towards plastic-free material.
Coir products as an alternative to plastic
At CoirProducts.co.uk, we manufacture and supply a wide and innovative range of coir based products for all types of growers and gardeners. Coir is a completely natural, biodegradable, and eco-friendly product, made with the organic material extracted from the husk of the coconut. With minimal environmental harm in producing coir products and using them, coir products such as coir pots and coir trays are rapidly gaining popularity among eco-conscious growers as alternatives to plastic products.
https://www.earthhour.org/Moving away from plastic, reducing waste, and reducing our carbon emissions
In 2019, the UK Government committed to Net Zero emissions by 2050, which means, the UK will target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 100% relative to the 1990 levels, by mid-century. In contributing towards this UK-wide effort, the government also called on businesses to take small and practical steps, including reducing waste, opting for environmentally-friendly packaging, and other energy-saving measures, to cut their carbon emissions.
At CoirProducts our commitment to protecting the environment is at the core of our work, and we continue to make positive changes to engage with the Net Zero agenda as much as we can, including through recycling, reducing waste, and minimising our carbon emissions.
As an environmentally-conscious company, we do not use any unnecessary plastics in our packaging. Instead, for some of our products, such as for packaging CoirProducts.co.uk CoirCoins, we use cotton bags that are 100% biodegradable and completely eco-friendly. These bags are also fairtrade-certified. We have also minimised the use of plastic-based wrapping material, with this type of material used primarily to hold the coir in place with larger items, given the natural nature of the products.
Furthermore, changes have also been made in our day-to-day operations to reduce the use of plastic, such as in printing. In addition, our parent company, which is involved in manufacturing and supplying our products, is also now carbon neutral, where we set off our carbon footprint in transporting goods to the UK.
A purpose-oriented company, building on strong roots and our core commitments
Having been in the industry for decades, climate change and minimising environmental harm in the work that we do, has been a priority for us since our early days. Through our parent company, we have continued to support various environmental initiatives. In some of our early efforts, the stakeholders of our company played an active role in organising Earth Hour initiatives at its inception in 2007. In 2010, through our parent company, we contributed towards efforts of the Green World campaign of the Earthways Foundation.
Building on such work, we continue to support various charities, organisations, and environmental campaigns, including contributing towards the planting of trees and orchards in local communities.
As a purpose-oriented company, our work at CoirProducts.co.uk is not merely driven by profit. Instead, we continue to uphold and build upon our core values of honesty, trust, and integrity, and strong roots in supporting environmental causes, making conscious decisions in ensuring we reduce the impact on the environment in the work that we do.
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