4 mins read
Published Jul 1, 2025
Reducing Plastic Waste at Work
Workplace Guide to Cutting Plastic Waste: Practical Actions for Businesses and Employees
Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our time. Around 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans every year, and if current trends continue, by 2050 the seas could contain more plastic (by weight) than fish. Offices and workplaces contribute significantly to this problem through single-use items, packaging, and poorly tracked procurement.
The good news: workplaces are uniquely positioned to lead change. One survey found found that over a third of employees want their workplace to cut single-use plastics, second only to energy savings. And when businesses take coordinated action, the impact multiplies.
We spend much of our lives at work, and small daily habits – plastic coffee cups, bottled water, snack wrappers, or even plastic-heavy office supplies – add up fast when multiplied across hundreds or thousands of employees. Beyond environmental impact, reducing plastic also supports employee morale, strengthens ESG performance, and signals to clients and partners that sustainability commitments are genuine.
The Role of Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is a global challenge that motivates people everywhere to refuse single-use plastics. Each year millions of individuals and businesses take part. In 2023, for examples, an estimated 89 million people worldwide joined Plastic Free July and together avoided about 240 million kilograms of plastic waste.
For workplaces, Plastic Free July provides a ready-made framework and motivation to trial plastic-free initiatives. But the real value comes when those short-term changes are carried forward year-round. Many companies that began with Plastic Free July now run ongoing plastic reduction programmes, making reuse the default rather than the exception.
Practical Steps Employees Can Take
Individual actions still matter. Here are simple, proven changes staff can start today:
Bring reusable water bottles, coffee cups, and cutlery.
Pack lunches in durable containers rather than single-use plastics.
Say no to extras like straws, lids, or individually wrapped condiments.
Use communal kitchen tools (cafetières instead of pods, shared crockery).
Recycle and compost correctly – labelled bins reduce contamination.
Encourage colleagues by sharing tips or organising a team challenge.
These steps seem small, but they build momentum. When multiplied across teams, they create visible culture shifts.
Steps Businesses and Managers can Lead
Organisations have immense power to scale up plastic reduction. Here are some steps companies can take in operations and culture:
Provide reusable tools and infrastructure. Give employees branded reusable bottles, mugs, and utensils, and make refill stations available. When the organisation invests in these alternatives, reuse quickly becomes the norm.
Ban single-use items in communal areas. Remove plastic straws, cutlery, plates and cups from kitchens and meeting rooms. Replace them with durable dishware or compostable alternatives. Businesses can similarly mandate no-straw policies or switch to biodegradable coffee supplies.
Adopt a sustainable procurement policy. Review office procurement and set criteria: prefer items with minimal plastic content, buy bulk or refill packs, and use suppliers with green practices. For example, insist that snack deliveries come in bulk bins instead of dozens of snack packs, or switch to refillable soap dispensers. Publicising a policy (“we aim for 100% recyclable/returnable shipping materials by next year”) lets everyone, staff and vendors, know sustainability is a priority.
→ Even better: back that policy with traceable data. Carbon Central help businesses structure packaging inputs, material type, supplier, volume, so it’s easier to track what’s changing and verify claims over time.Communicate, educate and involve employees. To build a low-waste workplace culture, start by educating and involving your team. Host hands-on workshops on topics like beeswax food wraps or DIY eco-cleaners. Run a “green lunch” with plant-based meals and no disposables. Try a friendly plastic-free challenge to see who can go the longest without buying plastic. Over time, these efforts build an anti-plastic office culture where doing the right thing feels natural.
Lead by example and reward progress. When executives and managers model the change, employees follow. Consider having senior leaders pledge their own plastic-free commitments and share why it matters. You might also recognise employees or teams who reduce waste (for example, “Green Hero of the Month”), or offer small rewards for green ideas. Some companies tie plastic reduction into broader sustainability or health goals. By celebrating the wins (and even learning from setbacks), the initiative stays positive and ongoing.
Stay ahead of regulations. Align workplace policies with new plastic laws. Many jurisdictions now ban or restrict common disposables. For example, the EU forbids many single-use items (like straws, plates and cutlery) and even requires take-out restaurants to let customers use their own containers. Canada has banned items such as plastic grocery bags, cups, cutlery and foam takeout containers. Phasing out these products early helps you meet legal requirements smoothly when bans take effect.
Plan for producer responsibility. Governments are increasingly making manufacturers and retailers pay to recycle packaging. The EU will require 25% recycled plastic in new PET bottles by 2025, and California’s new law mandates 65% of covered plastic packaging be recycled by 2032. By prioritising recycled or reusable materials now, companies can ensure compliance with these rules in advance and support a circular economy.
When leaders model these behaviours, reuse becomes a cultural norm rather than an exception.
Success Stories and Inspiration
Real-world examples show how effective these actions can be:
Healthcare Clinic (Perth, Australia): After learning about Plastic Free July, one hospital employee got support to replace plastic cups and utensils with ceramic mugs and wooden alternatives. They also switched plastic medication-round cups to paper ones. These simple swaps cut about 70,000 plastic cups per year from going to landfill. The key was talking with colleagues, finding doable solutions, and revisiting the pledge each year.
Lendlease Construction (Australia): Two sustainability managers at Lendlease shared PFJ’s message across the company and even with their tenant businesses. They discovered many easy fixes: stopping the purchase of plastic-wrapped pens and teabags, providing branded KeepCups in offices, and banning disposable cups in staff kitchens. They also ran employee workshops on plastic-free living. Because Lendlease has thousands of staff, these “quick and simple” changes had a huge impact. Today, their offices boast a strong reuse culture started by those small steps.
Sky (Global Media Company): Sky’s internal “Ocean Rescue” campaign aimed to eliminate single-use plastics. The company dedicated resources to engage staff: they streamed educational content throughout offices, made new refill stations, and crucially provided every employee with refillable water bottles and coffee cups. As a result, single-use coffee cups were quickly phased out, and surveys showed 92% of employees were inspired to cut plastic at work and home. Sky’s example illustrates that visible leadership and practical support can turn a campaign into a company-wide habit.
These stories prove that anyone, at any organisation, can spark change. Whether you’re an intern or a CEO, your idea can influence everyone around you.
Visibility Is the Key to Cutting Workplace Plastics
Employees: Pick one plastic item to avoid this week (coffee cups, plastic cutlery, etc.) and invite colleagues to join you.
Managers: Review procurement policies now. Identify one common plastic item (water bottles, takeaway containers, etc.) to replace with a reusable or bulk alternative.
Companies: Adopt a system to track your packaging and plastic use. Incorporate the data into procurement decisions and supplier agreements, so you can measure progress toward your reduction goals.
Every big shift begins with a small step. The sooner workplaces embed reuse and accountability into daily routines, the sooner plastic waste becomes a thing of the past – and meeting new regulations will be just a natural byproduct of good practice.
Ready to take the next step? Book a call to explore how Carbon Central can help you monitor materials, suppliers, and waste streams with traceable data, and make plastic reduction more than a pledge.
