We’ve been more and more exposed to the advances of climate change over the last few years – and we are starting to witness a shift in mindset on the impact we can all have in driving change. 

So now, to celebrate all things sustainability, help share tips for smarter environmental thinking and remind each other just how much our carbon impact matters, we’re inviting colleagues, friends of the business and our peers in the wider industry to take part in this quickfire environmental Q&A.

Next up, it’s our recently-appointed parts and maintenance administrator, Claudia Johnson…

Where do you fit into the environmental sector? Tell us a little bit about your role at UNTHA UK…

I act as the main point of contact for customers who are seeking help with their UNTHA products. This could entail anything from providing a parts or maintenance quotation to processing orders and invoicing. I am also a support for our team of engineers when booking in services and site visits. 

Complete the sentence – the UK is great at recycling… 

…recycling cardboard and paper. It accounts for 20% of all waste produced in the UK — one of the most recycled materials in 2023. 

Which sector do you think could achieve significant environmental progress this year? 

I think the fashion industry could make drastic improvements by simply reusing scrap material to make new garments. Many designers have already begun to instigate change, with Chanel, for example, delivering workshops showcasing how to create a bag using material offcuts, as well as unused buttons and accessories from previous collections. I’d love to see this movement — and others — gather momentum in the coming years. 

What do you wish you’d known about the environment, as a child? 

I’ve been a clothes lover for as long as I can remember, and yet I never knew how much water was used in the manufacturing process — 10,000 litres to make a single pair of blue jeans! When considering the number of garments produced in the world of fast fashion, the water usage is crazy! 

What’s the single biggest threat to the environment, in your opinion? 

The amount of single-use plastic that makes its way into our oceans, threatening marine life. I’d love to see more wide-spread adoption of plastic recycling, and therefore a reduction of valuable materials that are sent to landfill. 

Share one tip to help people be ‘greener’, at work or at home: 

Plan meals for the entire week to minimise food waste. If any food scraps do arise, they can be composted to create an environmentally-friendly compost. 

Tell us an environmental statistic that you think people need to know: 

75% of the earth’s land surface has been altered by humans. And, 66% of the ocean area is impacted by fishing and pollution. 

Complete the sentence – in 100 years’ time… 

I hope significant progress has been made to prevent temperatures and sea levels rising further, to the detriment of our natural surroundings.