Bywaters Recaps on a Successful 2018

2018 marked another successful year for us here at Bywaters, with various award wins, more beach cleans, and an upgrade to our IT system to ensure we keep improving into 2019 and beyond.

Our Top 5 Achievements of 2018

Through our company-led projects we have spearheaded business growth and improved sustainability around the capital. Bywaters’ innovative approaches to tackling single-use plastics, in particular, has sparked national recognition, resulting in multiple accolades for reducing pollutants and emissions across the board.

We’ve had a number of great moments this year, and we’re proud of each and every member of our team for continuing to push Bywaters to new heights. The following achievements stand out as our top 5 of the year:

1. Victory at the Planet Mark Awards

   Our victory at the 2018 Planet Mark Awards saw Bywaters secure first place for its ‘Communication-Sustainability Campaign: Best example of promotional plan of activities around a single issue or achievement (e.g. social media/PR)’ category.

   Hosted at Sadlers Wells Theatre on 12^th October, the judging panel were impressed with Bywaters’ company mascot, ‘Plasticus’ the blue whale – A sculpture made entirely out of materials collected from our beach clean events in the south east and plastic waste we have sorted from businesses and households disposing in East London.

2. Plasticus’ UK Tour

   Plasticus, the whale made of recovered plastic, proved a great success promoting a more responsible approach to single-use plastics after journeying around Britain and stopping off at 12 locations to greet members of the public.

   Plasticus’ fans were given the opportunity to name the sculpture, while at the same time learning about sustainable waste management. This campaign reached around half a million recipients during it’s two-week spell up and down the country; providing increased awareness around the crisis that single-use plastics are causing for the world’s oceans.

   Plasticus managed to engage everyone from industry bodies, to members of the public and young children, to educate people about the detrimental effects we’re having on our seas.

3. Bigger Beach Cleans than Ever Before

   Another successful milestone was our largest ever beach clean as 40 delegates including Bywaters customers, staff, and partners, made their way to Brighton Beach, West Sussex, to remove plastics and other waste items in June.

   Volunteers split into two groups and were tasked with collecting as much rubbish as possible within a two-hour time limit. A total of 20 bags were collected by the end – equating to 100kg of litter in the form of plastics, food waste, bottle caps, and metals.

   As with our other beach cleans, the Brighton edition proved a big hit with our volunteers, which has helped us hammer home the message of safeguarding the environment to customers.

4. Making Our Fleet More Environmentally Sustainable

   Going into 2019, Bywaters has strengthened its services after acquiring a fleet of Euro 6 vehicles – forming an integral part of improving customer service as well as bringing down our carbon footprint. These vehicles will also comply with the stringent Euro Six Emission standards when London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) takes effect in April 2019.

   Luke Taylor, Senior Transport at Bywaters, commented:

   “Our new Mercedes Econic vehicles, which we will be taking delivery of from now until just after Christmas, are the latest innovation and meet very high standards of quality with the transport sector. The fleet also meets the direct vision standards for vulnerable road users. With heightened focus on cyclists and pedestrians safety in busy urban areas, our new econics provide more ocular vision to ensure more visibility on the road.”

   Harry Howell, Weighbridge Operator at Bywaters, added:

   “Our vehicles are the backbone of our services, which is why we have invested £7.5 million to purchase a more efficient Euro 6 fleet, which meet NEDC and RDE assessment requirements.”

5. Implementing an Extensive IT Upgrade

   To coincide with this investment, Bywaters has upgraded our IT infrastructure with ‘Entropy’ – a compliance system by BSI. This partnership with BSI will allow Bywaters to benefit from a reduction in audit dates, the ability to interact the business performance and reporting via an electronic App, which will ultimately maximise ROI and repeat business.

   Nir Barak, Head of SHEQ, said:

   “During 2019, we will be looking to introduce the BSI compliance tool ‘Entropy’ as the new core of our management systems compliance database, capturing the performance of our H&S, Quality, and Environmental compliance.”

The Future Looks Bright for Bywaters

Bywaters is delighted with our 2018 performance, and we are prepared for any challenges that may arise in 2019. Our latest business investments will keep us at the top of our game, and – as ever – we’ll keep pushing to provide exceptional service to all of our clients.

We would like to wish all of our customers and staff a Merry Christmas and we look forward to working with you all again in the New Year.