Empowering our colleagues to help the environment

Plastic-free Fridays

Even small changes can make a difference to the environment — just ask our team in the Netherlands. ESG Ambassadors there wanted to raise awareness of just how much single-use plastic we use as a society. They started Plastic Free Friday in September 2021 and haven’t looked back since.

Every Friday, a team in the Netherlands use their volunteering hours to go plastic picking during lunch or after work. They’re equipped with bin bag hoops and litter pickers and clean up plastic from surrounding areas. Lisa Stümke, Senior Customer Care Consultant at Specialist Staffing Group's Parent company in the Netherlands, said:

“I never thought it would give me such a positive feeling, but every time I go plastic picking with my colleagues I feel a rush of by simply cleaning up the streets, having a positive impact on the environment and functioning as a role model to society. On top of that, it gives everyone a nice break from work and allows you to connect with your colleagues on another level!”

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions with the click of a mouse

On the 25th of June 2021, the APAC offices cleaned out their inboxes in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Here's what they achieved.

44,305 emails were deleted as a region

Did you know that one stored email can generate 10 grams of carbon dioxide per year? Well, our team in APAC certainly did as they carried out a large scale clear out of their email inboxes, deleting over 44, 300 emails.

CO2 reduction of 0.44 tonnes

By doing this they managed to achieve a CO2 reduction of 0.44 tonnes – that’s the equivalent of a flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong or a return trip from Singapore to Bangkok.

60 litres of waste cleared from streets and parks in Belgium and Luxembourg

Our colleagues in Belgium and Luxembourg took the streets, local parks and nearby forests to take action to protect our planet. A total of 32 people used their paid volunteering hours to collect 24 bags full of waste – which amounted to 60 litres.

Teams were supported by environmental partners who provided tools for the clean, which coincided with World Environment Day.

SThree employee wearing a mask with glasses, holding plastic cup full of cigarettes from litter picking

“It was great to see our colleagues excited about getting involved in this cause. And it was a brilliant opportunity to get together outdoors after a long time of working from home and doing something positive for our environment” Andrada Calugaru, L&D Designer and ESG BeLux Lead

Farm clean up in the UK

A group of volunteers from our Leeds office in the UK used some of their volunteering hours to help at a local urban farm. Every five years, the dogwood trees and bushes at Meanwood Valley Farm are cut down in a specific way to allow them to regrow healthily and to full bloom.

Our colleagues got stuck in using saws, loppers and secateurs to get the job done all in one day. The old trees don’t go to waste as they’re made into patterns and displayed around the farm.

SThree Leeds team, helping clean up a farm to allow regrowth of new healthy plants

“It’s a great feeling to know we’re doing our bit for the environment and the Leeds community. It was hard work, but we were determined to do as much as possible, and it helped bring all of us closer together.” Conor Buckley, Recruitment Consultant, UK&I