22.02.2019, 12:37
The Last Straw
IFMA UK has joined forces with Greenpeace and children-run charity Kids Against Plastic! in the environmental battle against single use plastic.
With an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic released into our oceans every year – half of it single use, damage to sea life is on the increase, with over a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals believed to have died as a result of ingesting plastic products in 2018 alone.
Public awareness of the environmental damage caused by single use plastic is on the rise following extensive coverage from the BBC’s Blue Planet and similar television series, with the topic also moving up the business agenda, as it rightly should.
Now, the United Kingdom Chapter of the International Facility Management Asociation (IFMA) is urging the facility management industry to follow suit.
“FM has a huge role to play in breaking this cycle of plastic use and must take the lead in ensuring that innovative solutions are created to enable businesses to eliminate their reliance and use of single-use plastic,” says Paul Bagust, RICS global property standards director and IFMA UK director. “We are calling on the industry to further demonstrate the strategic value it has for many years claimed it provides. This may be the opportunity for our profession to showcase its role to business and governments around the world.”
“This is a call to arms,” says Antony Law, fellow IFMA UK director and MD London at Churchill. “IFMA UK is championing a movement to end FM’s dependence on plastic. To encourage environmentally-conscious behaviour across the industry, we’ll be running an event with Greenpeace and Kids Against Plastic. This is the first in an event series – and in the future we will be shining a light on the organisations that are doing their bit to safeguard the planet.”
IFMA UK will be hosting a philanthropic event on the evening of Tuesday 16th April which will feature debates and guest presentations from leading environmental experts, including Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace and author of How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time, and Amy and Ella Meek – the 15 and 13 year-old founders of charity, Kids Against Plastic!
IFMA UK members and RICS professionals are guaranteed a place at this exclusive event. Non-members are welcome to apply for a place. To register your interest, please visit – www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-last-straw-ifma-uk-joins-forces-with-greenpeace-and-kids-against-plastic-tickets-56920935049.
Further details and a password to access the event site will be sent to those who secure a place. Entry will be on a donation basis and all funds will go to Kids Against Plastic!
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