Operator continues sustainability drive with launch of reusable cup initiative

PARKWOOD Leisure is launching a new initiative to reduce the use of single-use cups at 60+ facilities across England and Wales.

From July 1, customers will be encouraged to use reusable cups at all sites, which includes leisure centres, theatres, golf courses and outdoor activity centres.

Reusable cups will also be available to purchase at each facility, with customers receiving a complimentary hot drink with each purchase.

A surcharge will apply on all single-use cups.

All staff will also be receiving complimentary reusable cups to encourage them to support the initiative.

According to the University of Kent, 2.5 billion coffee cups are used and discarded annually in the UK. Of these, only 0.25 per cent – less than one in 400 – are recycled.

Parkwood Leisure currently purchases 750,000 disposable cups per year, and the new initiative aims to reduce this number by half by the end of 2023.

Alex Godfrey, operations director at Parkwood Leisure, said: “As one of the UK’s leading leisure operators, one of our primary objectives is to reduce the environmental impact of our facilities, while continuing to provide the same great service and access to facilities that our local communities expect.

“The drive to significantly reduce our disposable cup use is just the latest in a series of sustainability initiatives, and we’ll continue to demonstrate to our customers, partners, and other stakeholders, our commitment to the environment, by promoting environmentally responsible practices and incorporating sustainable principles into our work.”

This campaign is part of Parkwood Leisure’s ongoing commitment to reduce its carbon footprint across its portfolio of sites.

In the last year alone, the leisure operator has delivered a number of impactful sustainability projects, including: n In partnership with Torbay Council and energy consultancy Leisure Energy, Parkwood Leisure won the Energy Efficient Partnership of the Year award at the Energy Awards 2022. The project helped to reduce annual carbon emissions at Torbay Leisure Centre by 60 per cent. n The opening of Bingham Arena Leisure Centre, a new £13.1million facility that uses air source heat pumps, combined heat and power technology, water efficiency measures, LED lighting and energy efficient building materials to achieve a 78 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to other leisure centres in the borough. n Legacy Leisure, part of Parkwood Leisure, partnered with the Vale of Glamorgan Council to secure funding to replace boilers at Llantwit and Cowbridge Leisure Centres, which will help to reduce energy consumption at the centres and lower each facility’s carbon footprint. n Legacy Leisure was also successful in supporting Cherwell District Council’s leisure centres – Spiceball, Bicester, Woodgreen and Kidlington & Gosford – secure funding from the UK government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The funding was used to deliver sustainability projects at the four sites, managed by Parkwood Project Management.