Earth Day takes place annually on the 22nd of April to highlight the importance of protecting the environment. Beginning in America in 1970, Earth Day is now marked by individuals, organisations, businesses, and governments from around the world. This year’s theme, Planet vs. Plastics, throws a spotlight on the damage being caused by an over-reliance on plastics globally and fighting for a 60% reduction in virgin plastic use by 2040 via the Global Plastics Treaty.
At Rendall & Rittner, as we continue to grow as a business, we understand the importance of ensuring our management is environmentally sensitive, reducing the impact of our activities on the planet, and creating sustainable places to live. To mark Earth Day, we wanted to share three ways that we support the environment.
Sustainable Cleaning Products
As part of our commitment to sustainability, we use Delphis Eco cleaning products to clean many of our developments, which last year saved 19.11 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Not only do these products avoid the use of harsh, polluting chemicals, but Delpis Eco’s products also use sustainable packaging. Produced from the first ever British-made 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, this product packaging is also created using HPDE plastics which are amongst the 9% of plastic that is commonly recycled globally.
With sustainability at the heart of Delphis Eco’s business model, the company has also recently announced that it will soon be moving to 67% recycled triggers for its bottles, taking one step further towards removing virgin plastic from its packaging. Currently, extending the benefits of this partnership for our residents, we are delighted that Delphis Eco is offering a 20% discount via its website until the end of April, using code WORLDEARTHDAY20.
Joining the Great Global Clean-Up
As well as reducing our plastic consumption, we are also looking to limit the impact of waste materials in and around the communities we work in by taking part in a series of Litter Picks and beach cleans. This week, for example, volunteers from the Rendall & Rittner team will be busy cleaning up the local environment around Snow Hill Wharf in Birmingham and Ironworks in London, together with three sites in Manchester. We are also planning to complete a full series of events in the months ahead in the communities surrounding developments across our portfolio and will be sharing regular updates via LinkedIn.
Rejecting Fast Fashion
Every year, 100 billion clothing garments are created, of which 87% end up in landfills or incinerators, contributing substantially to pollution[1]. To help counteract this problem and encourage our residents to donate their unwanted clothes, we have partnered with White Rose to provide collection banks at a growing number of developments we manage. During the first quarter of 2024, an impressive 8,973kg of clothing has so far been collected from properties that we manage, saving 32,301 kgs of CO2 emissions. These pieces will be sold, with the profits used to support the Aegis Trust in its incredible work preventing genocide and mass atrocities around the world.
[1] https://www.earthday.org/campaign/sustainable-fashion/
