Behaviour change

Changing people’s patterns of behaviour is key. A Unite rep working for an engineering company said: “Our best measure is probably the increasing recognition of the validity of home working for a certain portion of the week and providing support for individuals (particularly those working a long distance from home) to do so.”

A Prospect rep in central government said he found awareness training to be crucial: “Getting everyone to understand it is not a load of tree hugging rubbish.” Another Prospect rep employed in the nuclear industry says that positive action can be taken even without the employer’s support: “Staff — independent of the employer — take plastics and cans home to recycle them, to stop them going to landfill.” Meanwhile, a PCS rep working for a museum says the same: “Recycling of paper, cardboard, cans, plastic, batteries is carried out by staff volunteers and is not a management initiative.” An Usdaw rep working for Tesco believes getting shoppers to recycle plastic bags is the best measure to have been taken.