Tackling Single-Use Plastics in Your Workplace (2019)

Overview:

The Tackling single-use plastics in your workplace course is designed for UK businesses looking to reduce their plastic footprint. It is for buyers responsible for procurement or sourcing of goods, sellers responsible for producing and packaging goods and for HR personnel looking to work on green initiatives at their workplace.

This online course contains all the knowledge, skills and tools the learners need to reduce single-use plastics in their workplace and supply chain.

Upon completing it they will be able to:

Understand plastics and alternative materials and what is best to use and when
Confidently talk to suppliers about reducing plastics and packaging
Inspire change within your workplace
Take action to reduce single-use plastics

Background:

I was thrilled to join Livvy Drake, behaviour change consultant and plastics expert, in creating her first online course, and have the chance to delve into her vast knowledge on plastics and to be able to contribute to a green project.

For many years, Livvy's been sharing her expertise in plastics reduction in the classroom, delivering workshops for businesses wishing to reduce their plastics footprint. To make the course more accessible, she decided to offer it in a fully online format.

Challenge:

The main challenge of this course was to transform a very hands-on training into an almost fully digital one. In the end, we have decided to leave a large chunk of the learning in the students' hands. Videos and case studies teach them about the theory and best practices of the subject, but to achieve anything more meaningful than raising awareness, they need to get their hands dirty and dig they way through the exercises – as well as their rubbish bins.

It's true for every online course, but especially to this one, that the learner will take out as much as they put into the course.

Luckily, our target audience is more invested and motivated than the average distance learner. The exercises are collaborative and can be done off-line in a team. The learners are encouraged to share their findings in the online community - which awards them CIPD points.

The secondary challenge was due to production equipment and time available. Livvy pulled the course together on time with amazing effort and the few pieces of equipment available in her studio. But we both hope that we'll have the chance to re-record a good part of it with a professional media team.

Outcome:

The result is a mix of sharing knowledge and practical action items. Each week a new chapter of knowledge is released which includes:

Bite-size lessons delivered by online videos, text and downloads.
Case studies from a range of businesses and offices on how they are reducing plastics.
Activities to apply your learning to your workplace.