RS Planet vs Plastics live-stream event

Hosted by Andrea Barrett, our RS Planet vs Plastics Live Stream Event takes place on 22 April 2024, from 10h00-11h00 GMT, featuring a range of guest speakers, including an external sustainable engineering expert, our suppliers and some of our very own RS people leading the charge on our packaging, plastic and waste reduction.

Andrea Barrett, Vice President of Social Responsibility and Sustainability says: “Recognising Earth Day and the theme of "Planet vs Plastics" is important because it highlights the significant impact of plastic pollution on our environment. Here at RS, we are committed to reducing plastic waste - we know this is the right thing to do for our business, customers and the wider environment - and it’s why our 2030 packaging and recycling goals are a key commitment within our 2030 ESG Action Plan:

- Making our packaging more sustainable: by 2030 we will, reduce intensity by 30%, with 100% of packaging widely reusable and recyclable and made with 50% recycled content, and

- Reducing, reusing and recycling our waste: by 2030 we will, reduce waste intensity by 50%, recycle > 95% and achieve zero waste to landfill in our direct operations”

Here are some of the key actions we have taken in RS to reduce packaging, plastic and waste:

- RS in the UK, France and Italy, have replaced plastic tape with paper tape sealing to allow for easier recyclability for customers. Paper tape stands out as an eco-friendlier option compared to plastic tape. Its composition primarily consists of kraft paper, a biodegradable and recyclable material derived from wood pulp. This has reduced our plastic consumption by 4 tonnes since its transition in October.

- We’ve introduced 100% recyclable paper padded envelopes across EMEA in mid-2023 that has prevented 80 tonnes of plastic mailers from landfill. As we continue our sustainability efforts and collaborate with our industry partners, the next iteration of bags will have an increased recycled content.

- In EMEA and Americas, we’ve increased the amount of recycled content in our boxes to over 55%.

- In EMEA, we’ve introduced reusable eco totes and pallet collars for internal stock replenishments between RS locations, saving paper, wood and plastic waste

- We’ve installed automated packaging machines in our DCs in Nuneaton, Fort Worth, Bad Hersfeld and now Beauvais, that produce fixed height transit cartons that reduce void fill and better reflect the contents of the order.

- Waste has been a key area of focus for our DC management teams as we prioritised better waste segregation, recycling, and reuse across our global operations in 2023/24, with success at our Nuneaton DC in the UK. Today, over 85% of our waste is recycled across the Group.