Aquabio SHIFTs up a gear for the environment

Aquabio – the UK-based arm of the Freudenberg Group – is well established in the industrial wastewater treatment and reuse field, particularly in the food & drink and landfill leachate sectors, among others.

Now the company is doing its bit for the environment in another way. For the second year, Aquabio has successfully encouraged its employees to ditch their cars and cycle to work instead, by setting up the SHIFT initiative.

SHIFT – Sustainability and Health in Future Transport – was set up in 2017 as part of Aquabio’s corporate social responsibility campaign, to reduce emissions, improve air quality and support the physical and mental health of its employees. By choosing to commute to work by bike, Aquabio employees are able to avoid the traffic jams and the stress that congestion brings, at the same time helping the environment and reducing the amount of traffic on the roads.

Since the SHIFT initiative was launched, the number of regular cycle commuters has doubled, with 21 Aquabio employees registering a ride in 2018, and over 1,000 commutes logged to the office and sites. Aquabio employees log their kilometres using Strava while cycling for work or leisure. Together, they have now collectively cycled over 80,000 km – based on an average of 118g/km of CO₂ (2017 European average for new cars), this equates to an impressive 9,440 kg of CO₂ that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere.

In addition, for every kilometre cycled, Aquabio donates 2.5 pence to a nominated charity, which is accumulated and presented at the end of each year. The scheme has so far resulted in a donation of £927.30 split between two UK cycling charities, Sustrans and Cycling UK.

James Palser of Cycling UK commented, 'It’s fantastic to see how the SHIFT scheme has motivated more people to start cycling to work. As the UK provider of the Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation, we know that encouraging cycle commuting leads to a healthier, more productive workforce, and hopefully other employers will be inspired by the benefits and decide to give it a go. We’re thrilled that Aquabio have chosen to channel the funds back into cycling, and this generous donation will help us continue our work to champion cycling as an activity for everyone.'

Dan Brothwell, General Manager at Aquabio, said, 'For the second year running, SHIFT has demonstrated that a tiny incentive is enough to encourage people to use a bike as a regular means of transport. The aim now is to try and get other companies to join the scheme.'

In return, in 2018, Aquabio was awarded the Red Bull Extra Mile Workplace Award for Best Small Business, which recognises workplaces who support active transport, including running, cycling and walking to work.

Aquabio was established in 1997 and operates from its headquarters in Hallow, Worcestershire. More information about the SHIFT scheme can be found at www.goshift.co.uk.