Business
Making a splash with sustainability
Proud local Northern Beaches swimwear manufacturer Budgy Smuggler is a global success story, and has developed an enthusiastic following for their wild and wacky designs. Whilst fun has always been part of their recipe for success, CEO and Manly resident Adam Linforth explains that sustainability has always been high on their agenda.
“Our fellow smugglers are very protective of the ocean and we've focused on minimising waste and the use of plastics. A core principle is to make our garments well so people get a long life out of each piece of swimwear - the opposite of fast fashion. We manufacture to order here in Australia which means we can limit stock write-offs and unnecessary transport costs. Typically about 1/3 of mass produced goods end up in landfill!” Linforth said.
Linforth has put a number of measures into place recently to reduce the business’s carbon footprint including:
Introducing AI technology to print and cut efficiently. Whilst set-up is expensive, in the long term this reduces wastage (which includes some plastic components) by 20% and saves over 5km of fabric per year. Shifting all mail & packaging bags from plastic options to compostable/biodegradable options, resulting in a reduction of 250,000 plastic bags annually! Bulk-packing accessories into units of 25 rather than individually removing a further 10,000 pieces of plastic from the supply chain.
“The Roadmap is a great initiative and provides lots of inspiration,” said Chief Smuggler Adam Linforth. “Once you start looking at your supply chain, you realise how many ways in which your business can trade more sustainably.”
Student
Student Abby shows locals the way
Twelve year old Abby from Allambie Heights was concerned about how the build-up of litter could impact her local community.
“I realised that if everyone in my community picked up just one piece of litter every day, we’d clean up over 200,000 bits of rubbish in just one month!”
She decided to be the change she wanted to see, so she designed a poster to encourage people to pick up litter and has been going around her local businesses asking them to display one. She also created a Twitter page and is encouraging people to share photos of themselves picking up litter.
“I was very happy about how many businesses wanted to support my campaign. Abby has also downloaded the checklist from the Roadmap to see how else her family can reduce their contribution to landfill. You can support Abby’s campaign by posting a photo of you picking up litter to her campaign Twitter page #cleanupallambie.
Business
Beauty doesn’t have to come at a cost
Australian hair and beauty salons send over one million kilograms of recyclable aluminium foil to landfill every year, which led to the foundation of the “Sustainable Salons” initiative in 2015.
Sara Bowtell, owner of House of Samara in Allambie Heights took inspiration from the Roadmap to Zero and joined the “Sustainable Salon” scheme which enables her to recycle 95% of the materials her business uses.
“I was uncomfortable with the waste that salons historically produce and wanted to do something about it,” Sara said. “As a member of Sustainable Salons, all our plastics are now collected, cleaned and upcycled into new products. Any metals, like aluminium foil, are sold for recycling with proceeds donated to provide meals for the homeless and all our chemicals are collected and processed to become environmentally safe.”
“If you’re prepared to look, there are ways every business can be made more sustainable,” said Sara.
To find a sustainable salon near you, go to https://sustainablesalons.org/salon-locator/
Adult
Northern Beaches War on Waste was set up on Facebook by Manly resident, Joeline Hackman in 2018.
“My friends and I were talking about the best ways to lessen our impact on the planet and found all the options hard to navigate. So, we created an inclusive online space to share ideas on being more sustainable,” said Joeline.
Northern Beaches War on Waste helps educate locals on things such as how to recycle and reduce food waste. It promotes programs like “swap and go” coffee cups, diverts hard to process plastics from landfill to be converted into useful things like prosthetic limbs and supports advocacy in schools and workplaces.
“The EPA recently changed the national rules about processed food waste, resulting in more landfill. We’re trying to educate people on better options,” Joeline said. “For example, if you attend a course on composting or farm worms, you can get a free starter kit from Northern Beaches council!”
“Zali’s Roadmap to Zero is a great way to crystallise sustainable solutions that work for your family. It’s easy to use, you'll save money and you protect our entire community.”
ITo follow Northern Beaches War on Waste, go to https://bit.ly/2N5YeQw
