News

Apr 04, 2023

From bags to benches, Harrods, the world’s leading luxury department store, takes a seat for sustainability

In working closely with Veolia, the global resource management company, the

In working closely with Veolia, the global resource management company, the business has begun to recycle its plastic carrier bags into picnic benches for staff

Global resource management company, Veolia, has recently worked with Harrods to demonstrate the potential of recycling Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic bags, by transforming them into picnic benches. This supports Harrods’ sustainability strategy, which aims to remove all virgin and single-use plastics from its business, on its journey to net zero. The initiative will save Harrods up to 77.42 tonnes of carbon emissions, in comparison to using virgin materials.

Between 2020 and 2021, 774 million plastic bags (single-use and reusable) were sold, according to government statistics. Recycling all of these could save in excess of 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions across the retail sector, and the process of breaking down LDPE bags is relatively simple. They are first transformed into plastic pellets, which can then be reprocessed into plastic lumber, suitable for making garden furniture. The Harrods bags have been recycled into ten picnic benches to be used at its distribution centre in Thatcham.

Simon Futcher, Business Development Director at Veolia UK and Ireland said: "As part of our work with Harrods, we are looking for innovative ways to reuse materials which otherwise would have been wasted. It is part of a bigger issue in the retail industry with the amount of carbon that could be saved by recycling plastic bags."

Martha Brown, Sustainability Manager at Harrods, added: "As a leading voice in the luxury retail industry, we are proud to partner with Veolia to roll out projects such as this, so that we can continue to help raise awareness within our community about the importance of sustainability and waste reduction."