Australian Mutual Bank is committed to minimising the amount of waste generated by our operations as well as reusing and recycling as much waste as possible. That is why we are supporting Plastic Free July.
Protecting our environment is important
Australia is world known for its pristine beaches, beautiful landscape, and unique wildlife. In fact, some of our precious native fauna and flora are found nowhere else in the world, so it’s important we do what we can to help protect these species. But sadly, our wildlife continues to be harmed by increasing amounts of plastic waste, and our natural scenery is littered by debris.
On average, Australians use 130kg of plastic per person each year. Less than 12% of that's recycled. More frighteningly, up to 130,000 tonnes of plastic will find its way into our waterways and into the ocean. Items like plastic bags are dangerous to marine animals, who swim through them and become entangled. Turtles may choke on plastic mistaken for food, and larger animals like whales can starve due to their stomachs becoming full of plastic debris.
According to the CSIRO, about three-quarters of the litter found along the Australian coastline is plastic with 85% of Australian seabirds devastatingly affected by plastic pollution.
Plastic waste isn’t just killing our wildlife. Skyrocketing levels of plastic production are creating needless greenhouse gas emissions, with plastic litter contaminating our soil, rivers, oceans and food chain.
Plastic Free July
This July, Australians are encouraged to take part in Plastic Free July, an initiative by the Plastic Free Foundation which aims to raise awareness of the suffocating impact of plastic pollution on our environment. Participants can pledge to take the Plastic Free challenge by choosing to refuse to use single-use plastics to help reduce the amount of plastic waste.
Our commitment
Australian Mutual Bank is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and looks to minimise the carbon footprint of all our products and services. That is why our eco-friendly cards are 82% recycled plastic. By using mostly recycled plastic, we’re making the most of what already exists and we ensure that far less plastic is being produced to make our cards.
Click here for more information on our commitment to environmental sustainability.
For more information about Plastic Free July, or to learn how you and your team can get involved, visit www.plasticfreejuly.org. Together, we can all make a positive difference on reducing plastic waste.
Sources:
www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/recycling/plastics
www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/plastic-pollution/stopping-plastic-pollution
