Sustainability & the environment

WE supports the mantra or reduce, recycled and reuse

WE monitors all changes and proposed changes relating to European legislation around sustainability and the environment, providing updates from time to time for Members. Current issues include the implementation of the EU Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the UK Plastic Packaging Tax which takes effect on 1st April 2022.

WE provides support to enable Members to build on and promote the industry’s excellent sustainability credentials.

• WE Members increasingly source products that can be recycled or reused
• Mains-fed water dispensers have a lifespan of approximately 10 years, and can then be recycled under national legislative schemes
• Bottled water dispensers use materials that are reused many times
• Once they reach the end of their life, water dispenser bottles are responsibly recycled. A wide variety of products can then be made from the recycled material from mobile phones to traffic lights
• In addition, many WE Members have implemented their own schemes to reduce the impact on the environment from recycling of filters and offering alternatives to plastic cups such as reuseable drinking bottles.