The work of phasing out single-use plastic items was started in 2018, and we are continuously focusing on new initiatives that can help reduce our use of single use items.

To begin with, we have reduced the generel use of single use items of any kind - specifically single use cutlery, -cups and glasses. Instead, we have replaced the necessary items with biodegradable alternatives.

Furthermore, all new employees get a personal ceramic cup made by Danish designers and a thermo water bottle. Consequently, we no longer have single use coffee ups in any of our locations. The Café, which is run by the canteen, serves delicious freshly made barista coffee every day. If the employees bring their own cup, they save DKK 5 per cup of coffee.

The decision to drop disposable plastic items may be seen as a small and somewhat insignificant change. But looking at the results, Topdanmark previously used over 340,000 plastic items each year, but since the initiative started the reduction has been quite impressive. From 2018 to 2021, Topdanmark reduced single use plastic items by 85%.

In 2021, we set a new baseline which has proven hard to beat. Due to food security restrictions and the need for sorting wast in ten fractions, it has proven very difficult to reduced single use plastic items even further, since there is still a need for plastic gloves and waste bags to run our facilities. Read more on our efforts the adress the throw-away-mentality in our latest Sustainability Report.

In our work to reduce disposable plastic, we work based on Sustainable Development Goal 12.5 By 2030, waste generation must be significantly reduced through prevention, reduction, recycling, and recycling.