Earth Day is a global, annual event that raises awareness for environmental protection and celebrates our planet.
Earth Day originated in the United States 1970 when a voice was given to the emerging environmental concerns. Since then, over 1 billion people have come together to action every Earth Day and over 190 countries have been engaged.
This year, the theme for Earth Day is Invest in Our Planet. Highlighting our responsibility to solve the climate crisis, the theme for 2022 emphasises the fact there is still time to restore previous mistakes.
Every April, businesses around the world take the time to celebrate Earth Day and give back to the environment in some way to try and solve the climate crisis. From partnering with an environmental charity and donating a percentage of sales, to actioning energy efficiency in the office, there are many things businesses can do to educate staff and take climate action.
As an innovative, sustainable brand of clear face masks, Helloface understand their social responsibility to give back to the planet and to try and reverse the damage caused by disposable face masks.
Globally, 120 billion single-use face masks are used monthly, with 55 million used in a day in the UK.
Below are some of the ways that Helloface have shaken up their strategies in order to reduce their own carbon emissions and reach their net zero goals.
Net Zero Medical Emissions
Under the UK Business Climate Hub’s agreement, Helloface are fully committed to becoming net zero by 2030. According to the Institute for Government, “Net zero refers to achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere”.
Helloface have a range strategies designed to achieve their target including sustainable production processes, sourcing recyclable materials, having resources readily available nearby production sites and encouraging green employee initiatives.
They have joined the Business Climate Hub and are enrolled onto the University of Hertfordshire’s Sustainability Accelerator to work closely with their local university on pioneering ways to reduce their emissions
Sustainable Packaging Solutions
To reduce their carbon emissions across the company, the Helloface team have been looking at innovative solutions. Small changes such as optimising their packaging has created a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Helloface now opt for water-activated tape to seal their boxes which is 100% recyclable and sustainable.
Furthermore, when determining packaging solutions, they highly favour boxes that are made from environmentally friendly materials.
Volunteering in Their Local Community
The Helloface team recently volunteered in their local community by supporting the University of Hertfordshire’s ‘Go Green Week’ campaign. To engage students in identifying suitable materials for recycling versus general waste, volunteers from Helloface created their own interactive, environmental awareness game.
The activity reached thousands of students across the University of Hertfordshire, with 95% saying it increased their knowledge and understanding of what materials and products are suitable for the recycling bins across their campus.
Speaking on behalf of Helloface, Marketing Assistant Lauren Taylor said:
“We made the decision that educating students was the best route to impacting their future recycling habits.
We care about our local community and we hope to be able to visit schools and educate pupils about the importance of recycling”.
The Helloface team hope to soon make this game digital for students at the University of Hertfordshire and beyond to access online.
Recyclable Materials
As medical device manufacturers, the Helloface team manage their impact on the environment by committing to become net zero by 2030. A key change they have made on our route to net zero is sourcing 100% recyclable materials for our transparent medical masks.
By using materials that are recyclable, it helps protect the environment and prevents the need for extracting, refining and processing raw materials. As the Helloface Transparent Medical Mask materials are 100% recyclable, after use they will be reprocessed into new products, resulting in less waste being sent to landfill.
Helloface and Design Abled are always looking at ways to innovate their products. As a way to adhere to their net zero goals within the medical industry, they are looking into ways to make their clear masks biodegradable. Without giving too much away, watch this space to stay updated and sign up to their mailing list for more information: https://thehelloface.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7ed8ff3fb73a642e7f2ea9965&id=84d5c315ec.
Encouraging Employees to Make Small Changes
Being environmentally friendly does not just apply to the ways Helloface produce their products.
The Helloface team encourage ways to reduce carbon emission outputs, throughout the business. They encourage a work from home culture wherever possible and have found that they have embraced digital technology to reduce travel requirements. Running a completely paper-free office, work is stored in the Cloud which employees can access from their home working stations.
As a design-led business, creative ways to decrease carbon emission output comes natural to Helloface. For networking events, employees create and use digital business cards to collect data using a QR code to avoid printing physical cards.