Tetra Tech Examines Its Plastic Use for World Environment Day
Supporting environmentally responsible actions and sustainability in our daily operations
The United Nations designated June 5 as World Environment Day in 1974. Annually, people in more than 100 countries participate in events to improve the environment and support environmentally responsible actions. This year’s World Environment Day theme was Beat Plastic Pollution, challenging us to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce plastic pollution. Statistics show that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish and it is integral to the health and sustainability of our planet to address these concerns.
As part of World Environment Day 2018, Tetra Tech challenged its offices with 10 or more employees to examine their disposable plastic use. We identified any office items that were made of disposable plastic and noted which items could be replaced with reusable or compostable versions. Employees identified replaceable products including straws, cutlery, cups, and pre-packaged food and drinks.
We received responses from 85 of our offices around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Kenya, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Of the offices that submitted their audits, 70 locations noted that they already have plastic recycling procedures in place.
The smallest amount of plastic can make a difference. Our Ithaca, New York, office committed to replacing all plastic coffee stirrers with compostable wood stirrers, and our Calgary, Alberta, office pledged to phase out all plastic utensils. While Calgary already began moving towards reusable utensils, our plastic audit focused their efforts to completely eliminate plastic utensils.
Our offices also examined ways they can reduce the plastic brought into their offices. Our Manchester, United Kingdom, office informs any caterers they work with not to bring plastic ware and instead our employees use the non-plastic cutlery they already have in their office.
View our interactive map to see some of the other highlights from our offices around the world.
Tetra Tech took a big step towards beating plastic pollution using this audit as a starting point. With 400 offices around the world, Tetra Tech employees can have a positive impact on our local environments. We strive to operate as sustainably as possible, and encourage our employees to improve the sustainability of their offices.
Thank you to all our employees who participated and supported this project to raise awareness about single-use plastic consumption in our offices.
Learn more about Tetra Tech’s sustainability measures through our annual Sustainability Report Card.
