Our aim is to reduce the vast amounts of waste produced by printers and print finishers by working with local companies to find innovative ways to re-use their waste.  To kick of the campaign, we will be producing 3,000 bespoke boxes for a London-based charity out of waste board, donated to us by a local printer.  The charity will benefit from having their boxes produced for free and we will have diverted a large amount of unwanted paperboard from landfill!

Throughout the week we will be talking to printers, print finishers and frankly, anyone who needs innovative ideas for how to re-use rather than recycle!  Any waste materials given to wewow by the printing sector we will aim to transform into unique, new products for our customers and at the end of the week, we will begin to calculate exactly how much waste we have successfully diverted from landfill!

This is just the beginning for wewow’s WOW campaign as we will continue to promote the message of reuse, reduce, recycle throughout the year, working closely with our local print partners to minimize the waste produced by our joint operations.

wewow Ltd is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

We’re proud to announce the third annual National Zero Waste Week.

The week commences 6th September and the theme is ‘Cooking for Victory!’ We chose this in response to WRAP’s household food waste report which shows the average householder throws away 1/3 of the food they buy. National Zero Waste Week is an opportunity for you to focus on your food waste, make a pledge to reduce it and win some prizes.

We have celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE supporting us and are sponsored by Tetra Pak. There is the opportunity for 2 people to win vouchers – 1 x £50 voucher for LUSH and 1 x £50 voucher for Natural Collection.

Click here to pledge your support then come back during National Zero Waste Week to tell us how you’re getting on. Remember, two lucky people will win some great prizes!

My Zero Waste is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Leading International Sustainability Recruitment Specialists – Allen & York announce the opening of their new offices in Australia, March 2010.

Allen & York, a UK based company, are specialist recruiters in the Natural and Built Environment, Energy, Engineering, Waste and Health & Safety sectors – having successfully recruited for 17 years for global corporations and consultancies from the UK and further a-field, they have now extend operations to include offices on-site in Melbourne, Australia.

Much success was seen in global business during 2008/09 which has lead to the opening of the first Allen & York office in Australia, their aim to be located nearer to their clients and thereby offer a more responsive and comprehensive service.  The main areas of focus are; Waste Management, Environmental Consultancies, Engineering, Energy, Mining and Construction. As well as supporting the wider Sustainability industry as it grows and develops.

“Our international focus has seen our operations move into Australia, Middle East, Europe, Asia and South Africa which is why we feel that it is the right time to spread our expertise to help our clients on the ground with all their recruitment needs and career aspirations.  Given the industry that we are in, it is important for us to be forward-focussed, with strong ambitions, amongst which is to maintain our growth and expand our recruitment offices to closely support our clients around the world.”  Mark Allen, Managing Director at Allen & York

This is an exciting development for Allen & York, and will make a huge difference to supporting clients throughout Australia and Asia Pacific, who include: CH2M Hill, SKM, ERM, AECOM, RPS, Coffey International, Parsons Brinckerhoff and SMEC.  The new base also gives them the opportunity to expand relationships with current global corporate clients such as; BP, HSBC, DHL, ERM and Amazon.  Allen & York are delighted to be able to offer a full service, to respond quickly to client’s requirements and met face-to-face, without the aid of video conferencing.

Anticipated areas of growth within the global sustainability sector include; Renewable Energy, Low Carbon & CleanTech, Geotechnical Engineering, Sustainable Infrastructure Planning, EIAs and EMS – and Allen & York are there to support Recruitment requirements & HR strategies at all levels from CEO to Junior Graduate.

All the indications from world leaders, within both politics and commerce, are that the world is moving towards a more sustainable future.  The UK government predicts that meeting targets within Energy and Climate change could provide up to half a million jobs in the renewable energy sector alone by 2020.

The Middle East Sustainable Job Market has made substantial new investment within sustainable infrastructure developments in terms of roads, power and water and recently, Allen & York have been instrumental in helping the Abu Dhabi authorities to develop their sustainable capabilities.

They anticipate that within the near future Allen & York will be expanding sustainable recruitment operations within the area and look forward to working more closely with clients in the Middle East to grow and enhance their current skill-sets and improve the standards of environmental management across the UAE. Business Manager, Joe Heppenstall confirms their stance: “our aim is not simply to lead in the provision of technical recruitment solutions within the sustainability market – but also to deliver the same quality wherever that market exists.”

As Allen & York grow internationally there are more and more opportunities for connecting individuals and businesses within the sustainable sector at a global level.  Their network is extensive and ever growing, which means that there are not only attractive opportunities for employees to travel and work in different countries around the globe, but there are also opportunities for employers to source the best international talent for their businesses.

Allen & York’s offices in Australia are buzzing and they are already looking to expand their environmental recruitment teams with local talent. The ambition is to match their UK reputation for services and delivery, to be the World’s Leading Recruitment Company for the Sustainability Sector – visit www.allen-york.com to find out more.

To discuss your requirements further please contact us:

Australia

T: +61 (0) 39823 6294

E: australia@allen-york.com

W: www.allen-york.com

UK & International

T: 0844 371 8986

T: +44 (0) 1202 888 986

E: info@allen-york.com

W: www.allen-york.com

Allen & York is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A shocking statistic – 500,000 tonnes of carpet are buried in landfill in the UK every year! There has to be another solution. So, can you recycle an old carpet?

One new company is leading the way, building their own plant to take some of the carpets, break them down and sell their component materials on as raw materials to other industries from polypropolene and nylon to wool, hessian and jute. Greenback Recycling are even working with local authorities and have managed to get dedicated carpet recycling containers placed at local recycling collection points. They intend to spread this plan nationally.

• Until then, it is worth checking with your local authority to see if they take carpet for recycling. If not, what else can be done?
• If it, or a large part of it, is in good condition try offering it on Freecycle. You never know, someone could be waiting for that particular posting!
• Offer it to local schools or preschool groups
• Reuse it yourself as a good insulator in an attic room or outdoor shed or even to cover the compost heap
• Offer it to local gardening groups or allotment societies who can use it on their compost heaps

Gecco Interiors Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Unique set
of eco-friendly water bottles launched by Onya Bag
creators

Sleek, curvaceous and immensely practical, the newest addition to the eco-friendly Onya range is the H2Onya, a stainless steel, reusable bottle which is designed to be a constant companion – saving money and the planet at the same time.  

Available in five different sizes, from a compact 350ml through to a robust 1.2 Litre model, this reusable bottle is durable enough to last a lifetime.

Fashioned from a single piece of stainless steel, the bottle is easy to clean and free from nasty chemicals such as Bispehnol A (BPA) which, over time can leach from plastics and aluminium and contaminate the contents of the bottle.

Ergonomically designed, which means it’s easy to hold (for both big and
small hands), the H2Onya comes with a choice to two different lids; a
sipper cap or a traditional twist cap which includes a handy carabineer
clip.   

With more than 500,000 Onya reusable bags sold to date
in the UK, founder of the eco-aware brand, Dan Brousson decided to
launch the H2Onya in a bid to help tackle the growing issue of waste
from discarded plastic bottles.  

“Bottled water has become
ingrained in our culture despite its enormous cost to the environment. 
Throwaway plastic bottles account for around 10 billion tonnes of
landfill every year.  The idea behind the H2Onya is simple; carry your
own water bottle to reduce your own plastic-footprint.  It’s a simple
action which will make a genuine difference to the environment if
enough people do it.”   

Substituting a refillable bottle with a
bottled water purchase will save more than just the environment too as
Brousson rightly points out.  

“Often buying a small bottle of
water is more expensive than petrol when you consider the cost per
litre.  Carrying your own bottle of water makes financial sense if
nothing else.  A good quality reusable bottle – such as one made from
stainless steel like the H2Onya- will pay for itself over and over
again.”

With a lifespan of around 100 years, the H2Onya is
a bottle-for-life.  But even then, as stainless steel is the most
recycled commodity in the world, it still shouldn’t contribute to
landfill.  

Available from selected stockists, the Onya Bags website (www.onyabags.co.uk) and the UK’s largest independent online bottle shop ReusuableBottle.co.uk (www.reusablebottle.co.uk).

REUSABLE PACKAGING
The H2Onya is not just an eco-minded individual’s best friend….it’s also a WOMBLE’S delight!

Wasteful
packaging is a no-go area for the Onya team, therefore, the H2Onya is
packaged in a clever and practical tube which can either be recycled
or, if you have Womble-like tendencies, used in a variety of ways -
from storage container to art         project, moneybox, vase, musical
instrument, dog toy…the only limit is your creativity.  

The H2Onya Range
350ml in brushed stainless steel (RRP: ￡ 8.49)
500ml in a choice of brushed stainless steel, Lemon Green and Lilac (RRP ￡ 8.99)
750ml in a choice of brushed stainless steel, Cream and Raspberry (RRP ￡9.49)
1000ml in a choice of brushed s/steel or Midnight Blue (RRP: ￡9.99)
1200ml in a choice of brushed s/steel or Iron Grey (RRP: ￡10.99)
(Choose from two different lid options – sipper lid or twist top)

The
UK
produces more than 400 million tonnes of waste every year, generated
mainly from households; commerce and industry combined. A high
proportion of this waste ends up in landfill, where it emits high
volumes of powerful greenhouse gases (GHGs), polluting our
environment and the air we breathe, and accelerating the impacts of
climate change. Green waste technology explores means of waste
disposal in a highly sustainable and socially responsible way, with
the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, decelerate
the affects of climate change, and lower economic costs.

As
part of Article
13’s
commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) we ‘encourage
the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly
technologies’ (Principle 9). This includes green waste technology.
See our UNGC
events pages
(URL:http://www.article13.com/csr/ungc_our_csr_events.asp).

Integrating
green waste technologies into an organisation is not only an
ecologically sound investment, but there is also a solid business
case attached. Moving towards green waste technology:

• Helps
  reduce organisational operating costs and cleanup cost.

• Reduces
  transportation costs and high waste taxes.

• Waste
  can be recycled in an industrial ecosystem, e.g. used again as an
  energy source.

• Can
  generate a competitive force and be used as a tool for competitive
  advantage.

Here
at Article 13, we
have leading edge experience in Incineration and Energy-from-Waste
plant – MSW, clinical and industrial waste as well as flue gas
treatment technologies and processes. Our best-in-class associates
provide amongst other services: technical appraisal of a new biomass
gasification process and technical audits of biomass fired power
plants.

New
innovations in environmental technology have the potential to pave a
sustainable way for the future through making important contributions
to our lives, and the environment we live in. Some particularly
useful Article
13 resources are:

• ScotAsh
  - waste or a whole new business opportunity

http://www.article13.com/A13_ContentList.asp?strAction=GetPublication&PNID=1413

• Sainsbury’s
  plc
  - the first food retailer to use compostable packaging

http://www.article13.com/A13_ContentList.asp?strAction=GetPublication&PNID=1281

• Biffa
  - surveying the wasteland

http://www.article13.com/A13_ContentList.asp?strAction=GetPublication&PNID=1280

For
information on how Article 13 can assist you in auditing your
company’s waste and energy practices, developing waste action
plans, and reducing your business’s waste and related impacts on
the environment, contact Fiona Banyard on 020 8840 4450 or email
fionab@article13.com