Zero Waste Week is a highlight of the sustainability calendar. The campaign challenges businesses, communities, and individuals to rethink how resources are used and to adopt practical solutions that prevent waste, protect the environment, and unlock value. Taking place from 1 to 5 September, this award-winning grassroots initiative has grown into a global movement that inspires people to take responsibility for the materials they consume and the impact they create. For The P & M Group, it is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and show how collaboration with our supply chain and partners can have a significant impact.
The focus for Zero Waste Week 2025 offers a timely reminder that every small action matters. The campaign encourages participants to reduce, reuse, rethink and recycle. It invites us to reframe waste as an opportunity and to adopt habits at home and in business that do not just help keep resources in the value chain.
Strategic Thinking
As a Group we are reaffirming our longstanding commitment to responsible resource management. Last year we marked the week by raising funds through our second annual cake sale for local Community Interest Company Beach Guardian and began implementing detailed waste audits and supply chain collaborations to reduce waste generation. We are now scaling up our work through a range of internal and external initiatives.
This year we are focusing on interventions that combine immediate impact with long-term change. Our partnership with Allstone, our waste management partner, has entered a new phase where we are improving the level of detail in waste data reporting. This includes information on all skips nationwide and the transport of waste between sites. Greater data granularity gives us a clearer picture of the materials we handle, allowing us to identify priority waste streams and target reduction efforts where they will have the greatest impact. Allstone already provide us with detailed data and we are working with them closely and collaboratively to take it to the next level.
We continue to invest in designing out waste at the planning stage of projects. By considering material use earlier in the process, we can minimise cutting losses and reduce the volume of offcuts generated on site. This is supported by a wider revamp of our manufacturing operations, embedding circular economy principles into the way we work. From rethinking how materials are used, to exploring opportunities for reuse, this approach ensures waste prevention is built into our business model.
As we gain clearer insight into the types and volumes of waste we generate, we will continue to apply the waste hierarchy to guide our decisions. This internationally recognised framework prioritises reducing waste at source, followed by reusing materials wherever possible, then recycling. Only after these steps should energy recovery be considered, with disposal to landfill treated as a last resort. Having this structured approach embedded into our operations ensures our resources are used responsibly and our actions remain focused on long-term sustainability.
One of the most exciting developments is our new partnership with Enviro GY, a specialist in polystyrene recycling. Through advanced shredding and compacting technologies, Enviro GY is able to recycle polystyrene in its entirety, creating a viable outlet for materials such as old coldstore panels and packaging waste. Polystyrene has long been considered a challenging waste to manage, and this partnership demonstrates how innovation and collaboration can close the loop on complex waste streams.
Changing Mindsets
Alongside this, we are investigating new outlets for recycling other types of coldstore panels, with the aim of providing full life-cycle solutions for products that would previously have been destined for incineration or landfill. These initiatives complement the smaller but significant actions being rolled out across the Group, from piloting improved sealant tube disposal processes to expanding opportunities for material reuse across projects. We recognise that progress has been steady rather than rapid, but every small step contributes to long-term change and builds momentum for the future.
Joanne Swift, Group Sustainability Manager, says: “Zero Waste Week gives us a clear opportunity to build awareness and translate it into action. By breaking waste down into real choices, in terms of what we buy and how we use and dispose of it, we can unlock meaningful improvements. Our 2025 programme is not about single interventions, but about embedding waste reduction into how we operate on a day to day basis.”
This reflects the tone and messaging of our 2024 engagement, where we sought to challenge thinking about resource management, raise funds for community action and set a strategic course for embedding circularity across the business.
Looking ahead
Zero Waste Week is a catalyst for behaviour change and systems thinking. The global challenge of escalating waste demands a shift in how we design, consume and regenerate value in everything we do.
We encourage all our teams, partners and supply chain to join us in setting simple, measurable goals: from reducing single-use plastics in our offices or sites to championing material reuse, from advancing recycling streams to demanding accurate reporting of waste volumes. By embedding responsible practices across operations, promoting awareness and collaborating with partners, we can inspire others to follow suit.