Leading lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas is playing its part in safeguarding the environment by encouraging customers to cut down on plastic waste – notably through reducing the use of single use plastic water bottles.
“Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact plastic water bottles are having on our environment, particularly the oceans,” confirms gift buyer Hannah Tait. “The recent Blue Planet series definitely highlighted this message, and our customers are responding by cutting down their individual plastic waste through buying reusable, well designed water bottles that easily fit into their lifestyle.”
The multiple retail group, which trades from 70+ stores (with another 10 opening this year) has highlighted a plastic reducing, environmentally- friendly message on its website to encourage its online customers to join the battle.
Oliver Bonas is far from being the only gift retailer to be encouraging the public to switch to reusable water bottles, cups and other items.
Up in Scotland Fiona Fabien, owner of Papyrus in Glasgow, says that the store is struggling to keep re-usable coffee cups in stock while down on the south coast, Bob England, owner of England At Home in Brighton is another retailer that really got behind promoting re-usable travel coffee cups.
Meanwhile, Nik Gornall, owner of the three Romantica shops in Bristol, has joined forces with his local traders in his quest. Nik is spearheading a campaign to encourage those visiting shops and cafes in the Gloucester Road area of the city to cut down on single use disposable cups and bottles and replace them with reusable coffee cups and water bottles.
“We all need to take responsibility for our environment whether as designer, producer, seller, buyer, retailer or customer,” Nik told GiftsandHome.net. Nik urges everyone in the gift and card trade, whether manufacturer, retailer or trade supplier “to talk to those either side of you in the chain and make decisions for the good of the planet, not for our personal wellbeing.”
* Recent analysis of 259 bottles of water from 19 locations in nine countries across 11 different brands found an average of 325 plastic particles for every litre of water being sold. The scientists who conducted the analysis in America said that they found twice as many plastic particles in bottled water than those found in a previous study of tap water. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has subsequently announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water.
Top: Gift shop Oliver Bonas.
