Reckitt, Bupa and GSK are among the organisations who have helped deliver The Camden Breathing Better Charter.
Despite the beginning of April coming with a warning that we shouldn’t believe everything we hear, dozens of major Camden employers from the private and public sectors have joined forces to battle against a problem that’s become beyond a joke: air pollution.
Image: The organisations involved in breathing life into The Camden Breathe Better Charter.
Together 20 companies have helped create The Camden Breathing Better Charter, which outlines 12 commitments that can help organisations around the borough limit emissions. These include replacing all gas boilers and combined heat power systems with electric heating systems by 2030, switching to 100% renewable electricity by the same deadline and rescheduling deliveries to outside of peak air pollution hours by 2027.
Currently, the initiative hasn’t detailed specific emission reduction targets but will track what levels of pollution might reach if no action is taken.
The organisations involved in the charter, which originated from members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), include Bupa, ARUP, AstraZeneca, BCG, Caversham GP Practice, Clarion Housing Group, Freuds, GSK, Havas, HS2, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Paramount, UCLH, and Welcome Trust.
What’s more, Asthma & Lung UK and the Clean Air Fund have also pledged their support for the scheme, which arguably couldn’t have come at a better time. The latest statistics show Camden has some of the worst pollution hotspots in London, particularly Euston Road and High Holborn and its air contains 24% higher levels of pollutants than the UK average.
Against this backdrop, particulate air pollution is responsible for 7% of all deaths in the borough and asthma-related hospital admissions are four times the UK average.
With these statistics in mind, Anna Wright, health lead at Camden Council has described the charter as a ‘big step forward’.
‘The commitment of so many Camden’s major employers and institutions to the Camden Breathing Better Charter, means that out ambition to tackle poor air quality and improve respiratory health among the people who live and work here just took a big step forward,’ she said.
Echoing a similar tone, Patty O’Hayer, global head of external affairs at Reckitt added: ‘As Camden illustrates, people’s health can be truly shaped by where they live or work. Small steps collectively add up to scalable action that can improve air quality and respiratory wellbeing. In addition to protecting public health, these improvements will reduce pressure on healthcare systems and help them to decarbonise – protecting people and the planet at large.’
Going forward, it is hoped that more employers will join the charter though only time will tell if the dream becomes reality. Previous achievements, however, suggest individuals/organisations are right to remain positive – Camden Council was the first UK local authority to commit to meeting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) air quality guidelines.
Image supplied by Bupa.
In related news:
Childhood exposure to air pollution linked to risk of substance abuse
Barcelona study finds cutting traffic could save 200 lives a year