header border
Select your language
border

World Cleanup Day in Alkmaar and across our global teams

At Royal Ingredients Group, we believe sustainability begins close to home as well as in the global work we do. That’s why, on World Cleanup Day, our Alkmaar colleagues joined forces with El Kombi, a fellow member of Global Goals Alkmaar, to clear rubbish from the canals of our city. This activity connected directly to our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and followed our recent blog on how we link global goals with local action. 

Why we took part 

Packaging and waste have a major impact on the environment. Taking part in this clean-up gave us a chance to make a contribution while connecting to some of the SDGs that guide our sustainability journey: 

  • SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: tackling waste and encouraging more sustainable practices. 
  • SDG 13 – Climate Action: reducing pollution and protecting our living environment. 
  • SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals: working with local partners for greater impact. 

With El Kombi focusing on SDG 14 – Life Below Water, this collaboration showed the strength of partnerships in protecting both local waters and our shared global future. 

Three teams, one mission 

The sun was shining, making it the perfect day to combine community action with Vitality Week, our internal program focused on health, energy, and wellbeing. Colleagues joined in three groups: individual SUP boards, a mega SUP, and the clean-up boat. Buckets and grabbers in hand, we pulled everything from plastic bottles and cans to a rusty chair and even a football from the water. 

In total, we collected two sacks of rubbish. To keep spirits high, prizes were awarded for the smallest and most unusual finds, a reminder that sustainability can go hand in hand with fun and team spirit. 

Linking vitality and sustainability 

By combining World Cleanup Day with Vitality Week, we gave the activity an extra dimension. It was not only about contributing to a cleaner environment, but also about moving together, spending time outdoors, and strengthening our team’s energy. Linking vitality and sustainability in this way shows that caring for our planet and caring for ourselves often go hand in hand. 

Global participation 

While this blog highlights Alkmaar, our teams in the USA, Mexico, and China also took part in World Cleanup Day activities in their own way. Together, we showed how local actions across the globe can add up to a much bigger impact. 

Looking ahead 

This clean-up was not just about what we pulled from the canals. It was about supporting our community, strengthening our team, and showing that small actions can contribute to meaningful change. 

We are glad to be part of Global Goals Alkmaar and will continue linking our global perspective to local action to build a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future. 

To learn more about our sustainability work or explore how you can get involved, feel free to contact us at sustainability@royal-ingredients.com or to learn more about our broader efforts and goals, visit our sustainability page.