World Environment Day 2025: A Call to #BeatPlasticPollution

Every year on June 5, World Environment Day, brings into focus the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. This year, under the banner #BeatPlasticPollution, the United Nations urges governments, businesses, and individuals to unite in tackling the problem of plastic pollution, which now permeates every corner of the globe, even entering our bodies as microplastics. With countries set to negotiate a global treaty to end plastic pollution just two months after the event, the time to act is now.

Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen

Understanding the Plastic Pollution Crisis

Plastic waste is not merely an ugly sight on our beaches or choking our rivers. It represents a systemic threat to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Each year, over 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans, breaking down into microplastics that get into food chains and carry toxic pollutants over vast distances. Combatting this crisis demands complete solutions: from policy frameworks and industry innovations to changing consumer behaviour and habits.

Codex’s Commitment: Turning the Tide on Plastic

As Ireland’s leading B2B office solutions provider, Codex recognises its responsibility to lead by example. Through the Green Earthlings sustainability team and a robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, Codex has embedded care for the environment at every level of its operations.

1. Removing Single-Use Plastics

In line with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, Codex committed to removing all banned single-use plastic products from its catalogue in recent years, including cutlery, cotton bud sticks, straws, plates, beverage stirrers, balloon sticks, polystyrene cups, and food containers, as well as oxo-degradable plastics. This decisive action not only ensures regulatory compliance but also reduces plastic waste at the source, helping customers avoid products destined for landfill or incineration.

2. Transforming Waste Management

Photo by Boris Misevic

Beyond product removal, Codex overhauled its internal waste streams in partnership with waste specialists Thorntons Recycling. The introduction of dedicated bins for compost, glass, and recyclables has elevated Codex’s recycling rate to 98%, with the remaining 2% of waste being industrial fuel. Notably, Codex’s initiatives extended beyond standard office waste:

• • Battery Recycling Station: Launched during the First Annual Environment Week, this facility safely processed over 20 kg of batteries in 2023.
  • WEEE Drives: Employees disposed of small electrical items in a dedicated Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection.
  • Charity Retail Partnership: Valuable office products were kept out of landfill, donated, and sold to support local charities.

3. Optimising Packaging and Logistics

To tackle plastic at its source, Codex introduced a Minimum Order Value option for online customers in 2023. By encouraging combined orders, this initiative reduces traffic at customer premises, cuts down on packaging waste, and lowers Scope 3 emissions associated with delivery and invoicing. It demonstrates how small adjustments in ordering processes can produce significant environmental benefits.

4. Championing Biodiversity with Cloudforests

Acknowledging the link between biodiversity and climate health, Codex partnered with Cloudforests, an Irish organisation dedicated to creating forests and nature reserves along the Wild Atlantic Way. As a CoolPartner, Codex has contributed 1007 trees to Cloudforests’ planting initiatives, enriching local ecosystems while storing carbon as well.

5. Empowering Through Engagement

Codex’s Annual Environment Week, timed to coincide with World Environment Day, has been running with Codex staff since 2023. The initiative intends to educate and empower employees around sustainability:

• • June 6–9, 2023: Focused on recycling, over 50% of employees participated in at least three events; 94% reported increased awareness of sustainability, and 89% gained proper bin-usage knowledge. The week spurred long-lasting changes like garden creation, desk-bin removal, and clearer recycling signs.
  • June 4–7, 2024: Emphasised biodiversity with activities ranging from Barretstown volunteering to Planet Mark brainstorming sessions and biodiversity bingo.

These events showcase how employee-led initiatives can amplify corporate sustainability goals, fostering a culture where every team member becomes an environmental champion.

Certified Progress with Planet Mark

Central to Codex’s environmental strategy is the partnership with Planet Mark, an internationally recognised sustainability certification that measures carbon footprints and drives continuous improvement. Since achieving certification in 2020:

• Emissions per employee fell by 12%, from 3.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to 3 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Codex has kept its Planet Mark certification for four years in a row.
• Annual energy audits and “Energiser” sessions engage teams to identify fresh carbon-reduction ideas.

By linking plastic reduction to broader carbon targets, particularly through packaging and logistics, Codex maximises the impact of its sustainability roadmap.

How You Can Join the Movement

Photo by Tim Mossholder

This World Environment Day, Codex invites customers, partners, and communities to embrace #BeatPlasticPollution:

1. Audit Your Plastic Use: Identify single-use plastics in your operations and switch to reusable or compostable alternatives.
2. Recycle Responsibly: Ensure segregation of waste streams — compost, glass, plastics, and e-waste, to maximise recycling rates.
3. Consolidate Orders: Adopt minimum order values or bulk ordering to cut down on packaging and transport emissions.
4. Support Reforestation: Partner with initiatives like Cloudforests to restore habitats and store carbon.
5. Educate and Engage: Host your own “Environment Week” events to empower teams with practical sustainability skills.

By taking these steps, each organisation can contribute to systemic change, aligning business resilience with the necessary actions required to preserve our climate and environment habitats.

Looking Ahead

Plastic pollution is a complex challenge, but also an opportunity for innovation and collaboration. As Codex continues its journey, removing single-use plastics, advancing circular waste solutions, and scaling renewable initiatives, it exemplifies how a family-owned business can create real environmental benefits. On June 5, 2025, and beyond, let us listen to the UN’s call: together, we can beat plastic pollution and secure a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.

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