South Western Railway (SWR) passengers can help raise money for safe drinking water, sanitation and plastics recycling across the world as onboard catering company Elior team up with Water Unite to launch a new campaign.
Elior will donate to Water Unite for every bottle of still and sparkling water purchased by passengers travelling onboard SWR’s services. The money will be used by Water Unite to invest in innovative plastics recycling programmes in India, Mozambique and Kenya, ensuring plastic ends up as part of the circular economy to positively impact some of the world’s poorest communities. For instance, repurposing plastic for road bricks, improving transport and employment opportunities.
The campaign is part of Elior’s wider committed to improve recycling, offering a realistic immediate solution to reduce the effect of plastic pollution. Only 10% of plastic is currently recycled, and each year, 1.3 billion tons of global landfill waste is generated.
Onboard, Elior only sells water bottles made from 50% recycled plastic, which are 100% recyclable.
Amelia Woodley, Head of Sustainability at South Western Railway, said:
“We are delighted that our passengers can be part of this great cause to give people across the world better sanitation and help deliver practical initiatives to reduce plastic waste.
“Waste is a global issue that needs addressing. We are committed to playing our part and have achieved zero waste to landfill, and by the end our franchise, we’ll ensure 90% of all our waste is recycled.”
Charlotte Wright, Elior’s Corporate Responsibility Manager, says:
“Plastic pollution is a global problem with 300 million tons of plastic produced each year and approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans every day.
“The commitment with Water Unite is a significant first step in our long-term plan to reduce the impact of plastic on our oceans and environment. 85% of plastic in the ocean comes from developing countries due to the lack of recycling infrastructure.”
Lord Malcolm Bruce, Chair of Water Unite, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Elior as the first partner in the foodservice sector, their leadership in sustainability is world renowned. We invite all foodservice companies to join in Elior’s actions to be part of a global movement to address the issues of plastic waste and help build a circular economy.
“Together with our partners, through a micro-contribution from bottled water sales, we can collaboratively raise up to $5bn a year to create sustainable planetary change.”
