Top firms mobilise staff to join clean-up brigade
Some of Britain’s biggest companies today back calls for an army of workers to join the Great British September Clean.
The heads of leading banking, finance and fashion firms are supporting the effort and have echoed Boris Johnson by urging staff to roll up their sleeves to help ‘make a difference’.
It comes after the Prime minister gave his ‘wholehearted support’ for the campaign – run by Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Daily mail – which mobilises volunteers to clean-up our towns, cities and countryside.
major companies already supporting the clean include the Co-op Group.
Yesterday Keith Skeoch, chief executive of Standard Life Aberdeen – one of the biggest investment companies with more than 4,000 staff – revealed he would be getting involved himself and urged his colleagues to ‘do their part’.
mr Skeoch said: ‘I am delighted to support the Great British September Clean. We have seen a wonderful community spirit during the pandemic and what can be achieved if we pull together and think about each other and our environment.’ mr Skeoch, who will be joining a litter pick in edinburgh, added: ‘Litter is ugly and very damaging to the wonderful British wildlife we all love and the oceans where it too often ends up.
‘Just a few hours committed to this clean, in a socially distanced manner, will make a huge difference and Standard Life Aberdeen will be encouraging our colleagues to do their part, as will I. Let’s roll up our sleeves and clean up our communities.’
Debbie Crosbie, chief executive of TSB Bank which employs 7,000, said: ‘The Great British September Clean not only helps make our neighbourhoods cleaner, it’s also a powerful example of bringing people together to do what matters to help communities thrive – something TSB wholeheartedly supports.’
Backing also came from the bosses of Kurt Geiger shoes and boutique fashion firm David Nieper. Neil Clifford, chief executive of Kurt Geiger, said: ‘We endorse this campaign and the Daily mail’s dedication in tackling this issue to reduce litter and clean up Britain. We hope our customers and our staff will follow our lead.’ And David Nieper chief Christopher Nieper said: ‘The Great British September Clean is something every community across the country should support.
‘We have all been spending more time outside recently and enjoying the outdoors, but we need to look after it for generations to come.’
mr Nieper, whose company employs 300 people, added: ‘I’d urge our community to join in and help us. By all of us doing our bit, we can really make a difference.’
Another big name supporting the campaign is packaging company DS Smith. Chief executive miles Roberts said: ‘At DS Smith we recognise we only have one environment and we need to take care of it, which is why our circular business model is built around the recycling and reuse of the packaging we make.
‘With over 45 sites across the UK, we work closely with our communities to support a range of projects from litter picks to lessons on recycling for local schools.
‘We’re delighted to support the Daily mail’s Great British Clean, which is a great initiative to improve local environments for everyone to enjoy.’