World Environment Day
Leticia Peña Escribano Client Solutions
5th June is World Environment Day. A day on which the United Nations reminds us of the need to protect the environment. This year the slogan is “Beat plastic pollution” along with “Remember, if you can’t reuse it, refuse it”. At BBVA Switzerland, we have put this slogan into practice and introduced new office habits.
Since 1974 the UN has held this day to raise awareness of the need to protect and take care of nature. Each year a country is selected to host the year’s official events. This year India has been chosen as the host country.
It is no coincidence that 2018’s slogan focuses on the consumption of plastics. Official figures given by the UN on the voracious consumption of this product and its immediate consequences on the environment are overwhelming:
- 1 million plastic bottles are purchased in a single minute.
- 8 million tons of plastic are dumped each year into the oceans.
- 17 million barrels of oil are used every year to produce plastic bottles.
- 500 million plastic bags are used every year.
- 480,000 million plastic bottles were sold in 2016.
- In the last decade, more plastic has been produced than in the entire 20th century.
- 50% of the plastic is for single use.
The objective of this year is to raise awareness of the need to reduce the amount of plastic that is poured into the oceans. Also, to promote a change in our daily habits and reduce the consumption of single-use plastic products.
Beat plastic pollution. Remember, if you can’t reuse it, refuse it.
What do we do at BBVA in Switzerland?
In BBVA’s offices in Switzerland, we have adopted new changes in consumption and a greater awareness of the consumption of plastics and disposable products, simply by eliminating them or replacing them with reusable ones. Our internal campaign, EcoMind, is helping us to reduce the consumption of bottles, glasses and spoons made of this material. In addition, by reducing the number of bins and centralizing their collection in 4 recycling centers distributed around the office, the consumption of plastic bags has dropped dramatically.
Furthermore, in 2017 the BBVA offices in Switzerland were accredited with the “Ökostrom-Zertificat”, an eco-energy certificate for electric energy produced in an ecological way. This certification is granted by EWZ (Elektrizitätswerk der Stadt Zürich), the city of Zurich’s power station.
We encourage you to include in your day to day, at home or in the office, new habits that help to reduce the consumption of plastic and protect the environment.
