Plastic Free Fridays

At KnowBe4, we believe that small actions can lead to significant change. With that in mind, this November, we embarked on a month-long contest called Plastic Free Fridays, challenging our global team to reduce plastic use for both environmental and health reasons.

Did you know that chemicals in plastic can leach into our food and drinks, potentially causing hormonal imbalances and other health issues? This sobering fact was just one of the motivators behind our initiative.

Our Plastic Free Fridays lasted five weeks and engaged 171 participants from all 11 of our country offices. The challenges ranged from using reusable tote bags to creating zero-waste lunches, each aimed at reducing our plastic footprint.

The results were truly inspiring:

- 149 people used reusable tote bags, avoiding approximately - - 745 single-use plastic bags.
- 169 individuals opted for reusable cups or tumblers, preventing about 54,925 microplastic particles from entering the environment.
- 146 participants made zero-waste lunches, potentially eliminating up to 105,120 plastic bags from the waste stream in a year.
- 144 people prepared or ordered dinner without using plastic utensils, wraps, straws, or containers, saving approximately 41.04 kg of CO2 emissions and preventing 10.22 kg of plastic from entering the environment.
- 99 individuals did laundry without single-use plastic, potentially preventing about 1,188 plastic detergent bottles from entering landfills annually.

The creativity and commitment of our team members were truly inspiring. Participants swapped out various plastic items for sustainable alternatives, demonstrating that eco-friendly options exist for almost every aspect of our daily lives. Some notable swaps included replacing plastic straws with metal or bamboo ones, using beeswax wraps instead of plastic food wrap, switching to bamboo toothbrushes, opting for glass or metal containers for food storage, and choosing refillable options for personal care products like shampoo, hand soap, and deodorant. Other innovative changes included using biodegradable coffee cups, wooden planting pots, reusable silicone bags, and even homemade face toner stored in reused glass jars. These swaps not only reduced plastic waste but also encouraged a more mindful approach to consumption.

The cumulative impact of these actions is staggering:

- 107,917 plastic items prevented from entering the waste stream or environment

- An estimated 7.57 tons of total CO2 emissions reduced

- 563 pounds of total plastic weight prevented from entering the environment (potentially trillions of microplastic particles)

To put this into perspective, the reduced CO2 emissions are equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of about 343 mature trees or taking approximately 1.51 cars off the road for a year. The plastic weight prevented from entering the environment is equivalent to about 12,764 plastic water bottles or the weight of a small adult beluga whale!

But our efforts didn't stop at action; we also focused on education. Participants watched 33 documentaries exploring the detrimental impacts of plastic on our health and environment, and 14 people delved deeper by reading books on the subject, including the eye-opening 'A Poison Like No Other' by Matt Simon.

As Matt Simon poignantly states in his book, "You might question why as a society we would invest so much money and energy confronting the microplastics crisis when the climate crisis is an immediate threat to life on Earth. And to that, I'd say the two crises are one and the same. Remember that by 2030, the manufacture and use of plastic is projected to generate as much greenhouse gas per year as 295 coal plants, and that will more than double by 2050…"

The ubiquity of plastic pollution is alarming. Simon further notes, "A special atmospheric sampling aircraft once gathered microplastics 11,500 feet high. The particles are in snow cores from Iceland's Vatnajökull ice cap, 40 miles from the nearest urban area, and on remote Mount Derak in Iran."

While our efforts at KnowBe4 are making a difference, the global challenge remains immense. Recent international negotiations failed to produce a legally binding deal to address plastic's future, with oil suppliers blocking attempts to limit production.

As I reflect on our Plastic Free Fridays initiative, I’m reminded of the dedication page from Simon's book: "To Planet Earth: Sorry about the mess." At KnowBe4, we're committed to being part of the solution while recognizing the urgency of the problem. We understand the apology, but we're focused on action. We encourage everyone to join us in this crucial effort to reduce plastic use and protect our planet. Everything you do, no matter how small, contributes to a larger impact. Together, we can make a difference.