Sustainability is our number one focus at Morphum Environmental – both for our clients, and ourselves. Small decisions about what we buy, and how we behave in the office, can have a big ripple effect.
As ‘Plastic Free July’ comes to an end, we want to share the top five things we do at Morphum to reduce our plastic waste. We hope this inspires your business to create positive change and embrace sustainable practices in your workplace.
1. Zero-Waste Events
When hosting seminars, workshops or functions, planning the clean-up is just as important as the event itself. Ideally all cutlery, plates and cups should be glassware, reusable or compostable. Invest in reusable bin liners to avoid using plastic bin bags, then transfer any waste directly into your largest waste bin. An event space has a better atmosphere if there are jugs of water/cordial or a pretty glass drink dispenser, rather than plastic bottles or soft drinks. Ensure alcoholic drinks come in recyclable bottles or cans with cardboard packaging. In terms of catering, avoid plastic wrap coverings and opt for food platters to minimise plastic use.
2. BYO Cup & Container
At Morphum we provide branded keep cups and large containers for our staff to take with them to local eateries to be filled with salad, sushi, wraps, noodles, coffees and smoothies etc. This promotes sustainable living and our brand and ethos at the same time! We also encourage people to take office cutlery with them at lunchtime – even if takeaway cutlery is compostable, it is still a resource that we don’t need to use.
3. Return Bottles To Suppliers
Office supplies such as dishwashing powder, dish liquid and handwash usually come in plastic containers. Buy the largest container available (e.g. 5L) and preferably from brands where you can return the empty container to be reused by the manufacturer. Ecostore and Will and Able are two suppliers who currently offer this bottle return service.
4. Refill Coffee
If your office is anything like ours, the coffee machine or plunger is kept very busy. That’s a lot of plastic packaging or Nespresso shot capsules every year. Instead, find a roastery close to your office and buy fresh coffee beans or grind. Ask if they can fill glass jars for you to avoid any packaging – someone who passes by on their way to work could perhaps drop off empties and collect the fresh coffee each week to save time!
5. Plastic-Free Tea Breaks
Tea drinkers are not exempt from plastic waste either. Some teabags contain a plastic seal (polypropylene). So to avoid a mug of microplastics, opt for brands such as Red Seal, Ti Ora, T2 or fill your own jars with tea leaves at a bulk store and enjoy the workplace community vibe that an office teapot creates.
The journey to environmental restoration and regeneration is paved with choices and every decision matters no matter how small.
Together we can transition to a sustainable world by carefully considering our business’s impact; educating our employees on sustainability; improving environmental management systems; advocating for environmental protection; and lobbying industry and government to drive positive environmental change.
If you would like assistance with your business’s environmental management plan, sustainability reporting, or carbon auditing, please get in touch with us at info@morphum.com.