Canary Wharf is the first district in London, and the world’s first commercial centre, to be awarded Plastic Free Communities status by Surfers Against Sewage.
Beyond Zero Waste
We know that the use of single use plastics (SUPs) is one of the most pressing environmental and social issues facing us today. The UK consumes five million tonnes of plastic a year. Plastic is part of our everyday lives but SUPs are causing serious problems for the planet, and we all have a part to play in reducing plastic pollution.
Through our Breaking The Plastic Habit programme, we’ve been able to tackle single use plastics at Canary Wharf, creating a culture of reuse and encouraging more mindful plastic use.
As a micro city with a daily population of more than 120,000, Canary Wharf is in a unique position to tackle plastic pollution on our Estate. In 2018, we decided to take on the problem by launching Breaking The Plastic Habit, a programme designed to tackle single use plastics at Canary Wharf.
In 2019, we were the first district in London, and the first commercial centre in the world, to be awarded Plastic Free Communities status by marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage.
The aim of our programme was not to remove all plastic on the Estate. Instead, we targeted specific, avoidable single use plastic items and influenced a positive behavioural change amongst Canary Wharf stakeholders, particularly our occupants and visitors. We encouraged them to rethink their usage and break the habit by incrementally and collectively moving away from throwaway plastics.
We achieved Plastic Free Communities status, an accreditation run by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), a leading environmental charity in 2019. To reduce our plastic footprint and secure this accreditation, Canary Wharf Group committed to achieve targets across five key areas set out by the Surfers Against Sewage.
In a Post-Covid world Canary Wharf is relaunching the Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign, moving from defense to offence to further our ambitions to go beyond zero waste.
water bottles refilled
water bottles recycled
coffee cups recycled
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is a grassroots movement that has grown into one of the UK’s leading marine conservation charities.
Founded in 1990 by a group of Cornish surfers, SAS work with communities to protect oceans, waves, beaches, and marine life.
The UN Climate Change Conference COP26
The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) at the Scottish Event Campus on 31 October – 12 November 2021.
Making The Cut
Our commitment to ambitious Science Based Targets demonstrates our renewed determination to effect real, measurable change. The science is increasingly clear and compelling.