Bureau Veritas supports World Environment Day 2013
Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services (BVCPS) has announced it will again celebrate and support the World Environment Day (WED) on the 5th June. In line with this year’s WED theme, “Think•Eat•Save", BVCPS is launching a company-wide campaign to encourage its global workforce to take part in conserving food resources through the reduction of foodprint / food waste as well as increasing awareness of the environmental impact of the food choices we make, said in the company's press release.
Activities scheduled to honor the World Environment Day around the world include:
Fund Raising Campaign: Hong Kong Head Office will organize a fund raising day on June 5 for its locations to raise funds for a local charitable food bank which serves the people in hunger and poverty in Hong Kong.
Best Recipe Competition: In the UK, Bureau Veritas’ Warrington location is organizing a competition throughout May and June for employees to submit recipes made out of leftover food. The competition is a creative way to encourage cooking smarter and therefore reducing food waste. The winner will be awarded a prize of locally produced British organic products.
Food Sharing Campaign: The Germany locations will implement a “Food Sharing project" by which employees can bring in any surplus food to share with the staff to prevent food waste at home. On a regular basis, any surplus of the employees’ soon-to-be-expired food supplies will be collected and donated to a local charitable organization for the homeless or people in need. This project aims to prevent food loss and waste due to its expiration.
Plant a Tree: In India, locations will organize plantations of Neem (Azadirachta indica) trees in the vicinity of our Noida and Gurgaon premises on 5 June. The objective is to conserve and promote biodiversity, and to help realize the full potential of Neem for conserving the planet as a living system. Neem is well known as “the curer of all ailments" for its diverse medicinal, insecticidal and anti-bacterial properties that are commonly used in many consumer products. Other locations including US, Bangladesh, Singapore and Malaysia will also organize tree plantings in their premises or nearby areas.
Meat-free Day: Taiwan has implemented a regular “Meat-free Day" with a non-meat luncheon served during the first week of the month. For the 3rd consecutive year, this monthly event encourages employees to consider the effects of carbon emissions from food production and heightens awareness of individual’s carbon footprint, helping the team make informed decisions about food choices.
Food Waste Awareness Talk: In France, there will be an event at the company restaurant to inform employees and raise awareness about the impact of food and packaging waste on the environment. For other European locations including Spain, Portugal, Russia where there is no company restaurant, a communication campaign on WED will be launched.
Preserve Our Wetlands: The Buffalo location in the US will organize a visit to the local Tifft Nature Preserve to plant trees and shrubs as well as to remove invasive species on 7th June. For the fifth consecutive year, the Bureau Veritas’ volunteers will have participated in this activity to help preserve the ecological balance of the Nature Reserve, and to support related projects to enrich the Preserve.
Other special events at locations around the globe include:
* The carrying out of the best practice of “Green Offices" in all locations worldwide.
* The carrying out of various competitions including poster designs, slogan, speech photographs and painting contests, article submission, etc. for the best ideas regards the promotion of “Think•Eat•Save".
* The organization of educational trainings related to foodprint by industry specialists.
* The implementation of “Use your own lunch box and utensils" campaigns.
* The monitoring and promotion of weight of lunch leftovers in the premises to draw awareness on food waste.
* The planting of vegetables and fruits as well as purchase of local produce.
* The organization of cleaning local parks and beaches to remove waste materials disposed by people.
* The circulation of an email notice of WED to employees to promote “Think•Eat•Save".
* The use of an electronic slogan in email signatures and poster displays in the offices promoting “Think•Eat•Save – Reduce Your Foodprint."
Oliver Butler, President of Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, commented: “It is estimated that a third of global food production is either wasted or lost. As a corporate citizen, Bureau Veritas is delighted to participate, and continue to contribute, to these WED initiatives promoting the importance of the conservation of food resources worldwide." Oliver added: “As a trusted partner, Bureau Veritas actively supports our clients as they implement industry best practices throughout their supply chains, to continually improve quality, safety as well as environmental and social accountability compliance."