Knight Frank pledges to become a plastic free business

Discarded plastics are affecting every part of the globe. They are causing severe harm to wildlife, pollution in our oceans and the waste is ruining our landscape.

Knight Frank LLP has made a commitment to reduce the harm posed by discarded single-use plastics, both in our UK business and by influencing the personal choices of our employees.  Our primary aims are:

• To remove disposable ‘single use’ plastic from our UK business
• To significantly reduce our plastic footprint and reliance on plastic products
• To dispose of unwanted plastic responsibly

To realise these aims, Knight Frank is partnering with Surfers Against Sewage and has embarked on a program to become a Plastic Free Business. Surfers Against Sewage is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading marine conservation charities. The charity deals with a wide spectrum of marine conservation issues from marine litter to climate change.

The company’s 2,000 employees have all received a reusable and fully recyclable metal water bottle. The average UK adult uses 175 plastic water bottles a year – and with over 2,000 employees, this has the potential to remove 350,000 plastic bottles from waste circulation over the next 12 months.

Peter Bowden, head of Knight Frank’s Newcastle office, said: “We have reached a tipping point where we need to change the way we view and use plastics.  Everyone needs to take responsibility for changing their habits and understand that small, changes can make a real difference.

“Plastic pollution is a concern for us all– it really is a case of ‘if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem’. There’s a positive drive across Knight Frank to give something back to the community and we can make a real difference by embracing this initiative as a firm.”

Hugo Tagholm, CEO of the marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage:“I’m delighted that Knight Frank have joined the Plastic Free Business initiative and are taking steps to reduce their plastic footprint to protect the environment.

“The Plastic Free Communities movement has captured hearts and minds across the nation, and businesses are playing a vital part in driving change. We can all be ocean activists by saying no to avoidable plastics.”

Our program includes a range of initiatives to make a positive difference across the country, including supply chain engagement, local volunteering, and awareness campaigns.

The business has already achieved the following:

• Replaced nearly all our in house café packaging with 100% compostable and eco-friendly Vegware
• Appointed a waste broker to maximise waste diversion away from landfill into waste to energy
• Refined our stationery list prioritising reusable / refillable items or products with a higher recycling content
• Stopped using of laminates on the majority of our marketing materials

This is one of the key steps we will be under taking in the next three months, after which point Knight Frank aims to be the first property agent to be awarded the Plastic Free Business accreditation from Surfers Against Sewage.