The QLZH Group goes 'Single-Use Plastic Free'
This June, to further focus on its environmentally friendly mentality, the QLZH Group, through its QLZH Foundation, is going ‘single-use plastic free’ across all of its branch outlets throughout Malta and Gozo. The twenty five branches are gearing up to drastically reduce the consumption of particular plastic items such as cutlery, cups, ‘take out’ containers and bottles that are disposed of after first use. The QLZH Group is encouraging its team on finding alternative options in order to remove, re-use and recycle.
“Single use plastic leaves a huge carbon footprint, kills marine animals and birds as well as enters our own food chain. Our Group has always been at the forefront of promoting and supporting sustainable measures and we are endeavouring to go one step further by mobilising our staff to change our daily habits, whilst contributing to a cleaner environment”, says Group Founder and CEO Steve Mercieca.
The Zanzi Homes Head Office, Spinola and Attard Branches were the first three to pilot this project over a period of three months. The Franchise Owners met regularly and formulated an action plan which includes a list of alternative options to single use plastic. After a successful implementation in their respective offices, these three leaders will act as Single Use Plastic Free Champions to the other twenty-two branches by providing a operating manual and to act as a point of reference.
Mr Steve Mercieca goes on to state that: “This initiative is part of a wider plan to save something very dear to us Maltese; the ocean surrounding the Maltese Islands. On the 8th of June 2018, to mark World Ocean Day, over twenty members of staff will be diving into teams in order to collect waste material, including plastic, which is dumped and settled on the seabed”.
Last February, the Group also organised a competition between all its branches to identify the most sustainable one by rating each of them against a scorecard. The branches were graded on sustainable measures employed such as use of energy saving bulbs, waste separation, maximisation of natural light and use of plants in the offices. The Attard Branch was selected as the winner.
The activities carried out by the QLZH Foundation to sustain a greener environment, picked up momentum in 2018 by means of planting and distributing over 400 trees. A further fifty trees were handed out at The One Drop Festival last weekend. The Foundation has also partnered up with the NGO Act. to strategize its project of planting one million trees over a period of ten years.