Sustainability

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What is Earth Day?

It’s an annual event on 22 April to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held 52 years ago in 1970, it now includes an array of initiatives by EarthDay.org held across the globe by one billion people in more than 193 countries. This year the official theme is Invest in Our Planet, inspiring individuals and organisations on what they can do and how they can make a difference.

What sustainability initiatives are Canary Wharf’s retailers doing?

Putting the environment first is at the very heart of Canary Wharf, as well as our retailers – something that we highlight in our Conscious Consumer campaign, where we spotlight how retailers are doing their part to create a more sustainable future for everyone. Just some of these include:

• All of Barry’s UK studios are powered by green energy. It serves its famous shakes in PLA cups, offers both paper and PLA-based straws while products in its changing rooms are refilled to reduce plastic usage.
• Emilia’s Crafted Pasta makes almost everything on the menu themselves from start to finish each morning and has no additives, artificial ingredients or preservatives in its food. Not only this, but the teamwork with local hand-picked suppliers, and any food that is imported – mainly from Italy – is transported by boat and train, rather than by plane.
• GANT’s 2022 initiative is to repair garments in order to help extend the longevity of them. Any GANT denim jeans that were made in 2020 onwards can be repaired for free, regardless of where the customer bought them. All you need to do is to hand them back to a GANT store, and they will restore them to their former glory.
• London Grace’s founder Kirsten created a nail polish brand which is free from nasty chemicals, and she also made the innovative decision to provide dry treatments at her salons. This environmentally-friendly ‘waterless’ treatment has equated to more than two million litres of water saved over the last six years.
• Monica Vinader has a Repair and Recycle programme and it accepts all pieces, regardless of the brand, and customers receive a £20 voucher towards their next purchase.
• More than 50 per cent of Wahaca’s dishes are vegetarian and it is taking steps to minimise the resources it uses across its outlets, from the initial build of its restaurants to the heat and water used in them.

What are the biodiversity and sustainability initiatives on the Estate?

For decades, Canary Wharf has taken steps to ensure those who enjoy the Estate can do so as sustainably as possible, and these actions have made Canary Wharf Group one of the most sustainable developers in the UK.

Just some of the ways in which we have achieved this are:

• Sending zero waste to landfill from managed areas since 2009
• Recycling over six million coffee cups since 2017
• Breaking the Plastic Habit initiative, which saw Canary Wharf Group become the world’s first Commercial Centre to be awarded Plastic Free Communities Approved status
• Using 100% renewable electricity across our operations since 2012
• Installing 14 electric car charging points and seven water refilling stations
• Recycling over 700,000 kg of coffee grounds since 2017
• Collecting 180kg of plastic debris every year from local waterways thanks to Sea Bin in Middle Dock
• Over 13,000 plants installed in 2021

Meanwhile thanks to the Biodiversity Action Plan to ensure a thriving ecosystem for cleaner air and healthier people, you can enjoy spotting birds and bats, tufted ducks, mallards and even seals as you walk around the many parks, squares and gardens of the Estate.

And, we don’t stop there – we are committed to achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2030 and have recently partnered with the Eden Project; an exciting step to continue to transform Canary Wharf into a space that can bring people and nature together in harmony; click here to read more about this venture.