Small Change, Big Impact

In 2018, a group of communicators in our Vinhedo, Brazil, office launched a one-week challenge called “One Cup per Day.” The effort was part of an Avery Dennison sustainability initiative to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics from locations worldwide by year-end 2019. The group’s goal: to reduce and preferably eliminate the consumption of single-use plastic cups.

Words Matter

To kick off the project, the team calculated the Vinhedo facility’s consumption of single-use plastic cups. They were surprised to find it came to 5,000 units per day. A simple calculation revealed their facility alone was easily using and discarding roughly 1.4 million cups each year.

While the ability to recycle cups was already available at the site, only about 20 percent were being recycled. After considering the problem from different angles, the team came up with a plan to solve the problem at its source and also drive employee compliance through education and awareness.

Ideas Motivate

To start, the team launched a targeted campaign to inform employees about the impact of their actions. Infographics shared sobering statistics on the life cycle of plastic cups, as well as how much water is needed to manufacture the cups used each day. They illustrated how small changes in use at their facility could make a big impact on the amount of waste they produced.

The results? According to Executive Assistant Thais Sacchi, “During the one-week challenge, the Vinhedo facility collectively lowered their use of single-use plastic cups drastically, from their typical use by nearly half.”

Education Empowers

Inspired by their success and the possibility of making real and lasting change, the team took their initiative to the next level by setting a goal to end their consumption of single-use plastic cups entirely. The communications team partnered with the operations and sustainability teams to find a viable alternative. They provided aluminum water bottles to all employees to replace plastic cups throughout the facility.

In August, every member of the Vinhedo team was gifted with an aluminum water bottle - ending the facility’s reliance on plastic cups. Since the end of the project, the group has gone on to research alternatives for other single-use plastic products including coffee cups. They replaced these with aluminum coffee mugs in November 2018.

The Avery Dennison Vinhedo “One Cup per Day” sustainability project was recognized as a winner of the Label and Graphic Materials 2018 Sustainability Award. The Sustainability Awards recognize individuals and teams who have done significant work moving us towards achieving our 2025 Sustainability Goals. Learn more about sustainability at Avery Dennison by visiting our website.

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