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    Delphis Eco Blog

    How to reduce your impact on the environment this Christmas?

    How to reduce your impact on the environment this Christmas?

     Christmas… A time for families to come together, exchange gifts and eat to their heart's content. But what impact does our overindulgence and shopping habits have on the environment? During the holiday season our carbon footprint is 6% more than the rest of the year, so how can we make our Christmas a little bit greener? Every pound you spend this Christmas is a vote for the world you want to create, so here are Delphis Eco's top tips for a Christmas that doesn't cost the Earth.  

     

    Should you go for the real tree or get the plastic one out of the loft? 

    Every year there is a debate about whether people should ditch their real tree and go for a fake one. Or ditch the Christmas tree altogether. Research has found seven million trees are thrown out every year in the UK, releasing copious amounts of methane into the atmosphere. Artificial trees can be reused on average 7-20 times, which is better for the environment as it saves fresh trees from being chopped down and can save you money! 

      

    But if you want to buy a real tree, know that the carbon footprint is lower than that of an artificial one. A popular alternative is opting for potted trees, which can be reused and replanted. Another option is replanting your Christmas tree in your garden or converting your old tree into beneficial woodchip mulch by putting it through a shredder which can reduce its carbon footprint by up to 80%. It's a win-win! 

     

    Spread the Christmas magic 

    At Christmas, we know the pressure is on to buy the perfect present for your nearest and dearest, but just under a half of us Brits admit that we have received gifts we don't or will never use. But the only good can come from buying gifts from small businesses, being mindful of sustainability and going for gifts with less packaging. 

      

    According to Gov.uk we use enough card packaging (and material) at Christmas to cover Big Ben nearly 260,000 times. That is mind-boggling! Were you aware that to make 1 tonne of paper, around 24 trees must be cut down? So why not get creative by making e-cards to send your Christmas wishes by text if you want to give a great gift to the planet? 

      

    The main event 

    Christmas is the ultimate time to overindulge by eating our body weight in pigs in blankets or stuffing. But all that overindulgence means that around 270,000 tonnes of food are thrown away at Christmas every year. That's five million Christmas puddings, seventy-four million mince pies and two million turkeys, according to the Big Issue. And if that statistic doesn't make you want to spit out your eggnog, the government reckons that the number of poultry we throw away yearly is enough to make eight hundred million Boxing Day curries. Unbelievably, a herd of 636,000 reindeer weighs the same carrots thrown away by UK households annually.  

      

    Fareshare is a charity network focused on reliving food poverty and food waste in the UK, was awarded 1.9 million pounds in 2019 from Defra. With the funding, Fareshare could redistribute even more food to those who need it. Their work also prevented 2,000 frozen turkeys from Gressingham Foods from going to waste in 2019, almost double the number redistributed the year before. So why not donate some of your leftovers to them? 

      

      

    What actions are we taking to do our bit? 

    Around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be thrown away and not recycled in the UK this Christmas – which is more than the weight of 3.3 million Emperor penguins. One way to lower your contribution to the plastic plight is to buy products made of post-consumer recycled content. Ultimately you can only purchase the products available to you, and here at Delphis Eco, we offer refills on a range of our products so that you will be all kitted out for the festive season. 

     Here are our top ten Green Christmas tips: 

    1. Use eco-friendly cleaning products that don't harm the planet but get the job done!
    2. Donate your untouched food item to your local food bank  
    3. Eat less meat - Christmas is the perfect opportunity to try something new 
    4. Try out your local refill shop to dodge the unnecessary packaging at your supermarket 
    5. Buy your food from suppliers that use minimal packaging 
    6. Get all your food in one trip or order online if it's more convenient  
    7. Buy loose fruit and veg to avoid unnecessary single-use plastic
    8. Try and reduce your food waste by buying only what you need 
    9. Invest in some reusable wax wraps and foil liners (foil is recyclable in most cases but check with your local authority)
    10. Store your leftovers in the freezer

    Written by Ellie Meredith

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    COP27- From What To How

    COP27- From What To How

    As COP27 ends, we reflect on the discussions surrounding the global climate change conference and what we can take away to tackle this global fight. The annual conference presents opportunities for all stakeholders, government leaders and activists to discuss strategies to reduce climate change. The international conference gives global leaders and shareholders the platform to discuss ways to minimise the effects of climate change and the potential impact it could have on the planet. 


    COP27 highlighted a solution-focused approach to minimise global surface temperature. Unlike the most recent Climate Week held in New York, which emphasised the ongoing global climate issues.

    Now climate change specialists are urging global leaders to develop strategies to mitigate the global warming effects on the planet. There is an emphasis on governments working with businesses to accomplish this. Connecting with countries globally to work together is paramount, and this needs to happen with everyone in the same room. 


    Previous COPs emphasised businesses were moving together at the same pace, working together to deliver environmental change. However, with global temperatures reaching record-breaking highs, the race is on, and there has been a shift to urge companies and countries to act as fast as they can.


    COP27 bought speculation concerning whether the COPs are the best way to direct positive action against climate change. One word that circled COP27 was ‘greenwashing’ (deceiving customers by falsely advertising natural, green and eco-friendly products). The growing demand for sustainable products in the market means that everyday brands are renaming, rebranding and repackaging products to keep up to date with customers’ needs, but without holding sustainable values at the core of the business. COP27 presented the opportunity to mitigate greenwashing and bring awareness to the issues at stake when deceiving consumers. The conference reminded us that we each have the responsibility to make conscious decisions, an integral part of our lives to make a significant change.

    We at Delphis Eco are proud to have sustainability at the forefront of our business values, and as a certified B-corp, we make all business decisions with the planet in mind. 




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    Yet another threat to the environment

    Yet another threat to the environment
    Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that face coverings will become mandatory once again. In a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus and its new Omicron variant, people will have to wear face masks on public transport and shops across England, and, after weeks of lessened restrictions, a surge in demand for hand sanitisers is just around the corner. Sadly, neither disposable face masks nor harsh chemicals frequently found in hand sanitisers are particularly good for the environment.  Continue reading

    Giving a Second Life to Single-Use Plastic

    Giving a Second Life to Single-Use Plastic

    There are 500 times more bits of plastic in the ocean than there are stars in the galaxy.

    The fact that 8 million tons of plastic waste is dumped in the ocean each year begs the question, why are our recycling rates so bad and how can I fix this? I am a huge buyer of plastic for all of our products which are packaged in plastic and in reality this isn’t going to change.  So being a totally focused eco business, I demanded from my supply chain that the plastic we use be only from post-consumer used recycled content (PCR). My belief is that if I can think it, it must therefore be possible.

    13 billion single-use plastic bottles are sold globally every year and it’s anticipated that only between 3% and 9% are recycled. This needs to change.

    In 2013, Coke and Unilever committed to using 15% recycled content in their packaging by 2025. Unsurprisingly when I said I wanted 100% PCR content I was told it was impossible.  Supplier after supplier, trade body after trade body and numerous Government officials all said no chance.  So not only demanding that it be 100% PCR, it also had to be Food Grade quality and 100% sourced and reprocessed in the UK – NOT going via China. They all laughed.

    Eventually my belligerence paid off and a supplier said they would give it a go.  Yes it failed and then failed again. Getting a 100% PCR plus Food Safe grade was hard but third time lucky and 18 months after our first 100% sample had been attempted, we cracked it.

    In December 2018 we switched all of our packaging from virgin plastic to 100% post-use recycled bottles. My little, London based SME had thrashed the global giants in creating a totally circular model, giving single-use plastic a second life. This proves that millions of tons can and must be redirected from going into landfill, incineration or the ocean and there’s a 70% carbon saving as well.

    - Mark Jankovich, CEO

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    Wandsworth SME create 100% recycled plastic packaging - while Coca Cola, M&S, Unilever and Pepsi claim they can't commit until 2025. Can't or won't?

    Wandsworth SME create 100% recycled plastic packaging - while Coca Cola, M&S, Unilever and Pepsi claim they can't commit until 2025. Can't or won't?

    Speaking at the fourth annual 'Our Oceans' conference in Malta, Prince Charles stressed the importance of plastic waste in our oceans. 

    The conference was also addressed by Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, Federica Mogherini, the EU Foreign Affairs High Commissioner, and Karmenu Vella, the EU's Fisheries Commissioner, to name a few.

    The conference is expected to bring an announcement of pledges to protect the sea, 40 ministers from over 100 countries are in attendance. 

    Prince Charles urged the consumer to match the commitment made by a few worldwide brands in an desperate effort to stop plastic pollution further destroying our oceans.

    Sign Delphis Eco's Plastic Pledge here

    The Prince said, “Plastic is indeed now on the menu!  Faced with such damaging effects on the ocean from plastic waste from the throw-away, convenience lifestyles of many around the world, it is, I believe, utterly crucial that we transition to a circular economy.” 

    By 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic than fish warned researches, a fact that Price Charles highlighted at the conference. 

    A prediction that only highlights the lack of urgency from brand heavyweights, such as Coca Cola and M&S, stating a vague timeframe of transitioning to recycled plastic packaging by 2025. 

     

    If we can do it, why can't they?

     

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