Plastic Reduction Belongs on Every Company Agenda

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.
  
  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.