A staggering 34 percent want their workplace to remove single-use plastic, second only to reducing energy usage (39%), new research by leading water dispenser brand BRITA VIVREAU has revealed.
Office workers have made positive environmental changes in their day-to-day lives, with more than a quarter (28%) of office workers never using a single-use plastic water bottle.
In turn, employees are demanding that the companies they work for also take action be more sustainable – with one-in-three young people rejecting a job over employers’ weak ESG credentials.
The most common measures office workers take at work to reduce single-use plastic are using a reusable bottle (63%), using reusable food containers (52%) and using a water dispenser to refill their bottle (47%).
Single-use plastic items for hot and cold drinks are a major source of irritation, with office workers being most frustrated by single-use plastic cups (39%), plastic lids on paper cups (37%) and plastic bottles (32%). Culminating in 30% wanting their workplace to get a cold or hot water dispenser to lower the environmental impact.
In addition to objecting to certain single-use plastic items in the workplace, over a quarter (27%) do not feel encouraged to reduce plastic in office environments. Time (34%) and cost (23%) are the most common challenges workers personally face in reducing single-use plastics in their workplace, followed by remembering to bring in a reusable bottle or container (21%), no recycling facilities (21%), not having a water dispenser to make hot beverages (14%) and lack of support from senior management (14%).
Chris Dagenais, General Manager, BRITA VIVREAU UK, says:
“Office workers are demanding that their employers demonstrate efforts to reduce single-use plastic and adopt more sustainable practices. Organisations that enable and empower employees to reduce their environmental impact could attract and retain workers who are seeking out more environmentally conscious workplaces.
“By demonstrating a move towards reducing waste, organisations can show they are aligned with their employees’ values and appeal to the new generation of workers.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.