VGroup International is urging fleets to be part of ‘Plastic Free July’ by using a tablet form of vehicle screen wash.

‘Plastic Free July’ is a global movement that encourages millions of people to be part of the solution to the epidemic of plastic pollution by choosing to refuse to use single-use plastics.

VGroup is already waging a war on plastic with the introduction of tablet-form Screenwash Pods through High Street retailers, parts distributor Euro Car Parts and via other outlets.

In the first six months of 2019, vGroup International has sold 200,000 of the Screenwash Pods in place of a similar number of five-litre plastic containers of screen wash or 500ml of concentrate.

VGroup International calculates that by selling 200,000 Screenwash Pods in the first six months of 2019 it has eliminated 36 unnecessary HGVs filled with traditional screen wash containers and replaced them with its Pods transported in a single van.

Additionally, the blue raspberry smelling Screenwash Pods, teal blue in colour, which are available in single tablet, three-tablet or six-tablet blister packs and in recyclable pouches of 50 and 100, are free of methanol.

Its use has been heavily restricted in screen wash from May 9, 2019 under European Union legislation approved last year designed to cut poisoning from consumption of the fluid.

Individually costing no more than the price of either screen wash or the concentrate, each Pod when mixed with water makes up to five litres of screen wash.

The Screenwash Pods have also already been introduced into the UK franchise dealer workshops of two major vehicle importer brands and are already advocated by BMW and Nissan in Germany and their franchise dealer networks. Additionally, other organisations, including the RAC, are white labelling the Pods.

VGroup International calculates that UK motorists annually consume around 100 million plastic bottles of screenwash, that eventually end up in landfill sites, being incinerated, or making their way into seas and oceans.

Martyn Nash, VGroup International chairman, said: “That’s why we introduced the Screenwash Pods. We want to fight the war on plastic waste and make a difference to the global environment. ‘Plastic Free July’ is the ideal launch pad for fleets and all businesses to take a similar stand. Less plastic equals a better world.”

‘Plastic Free July’, which was first held in 2011, is a campaign led by the Plastic Free Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organisation based in Australia.

Nash said: “Replacing screen wash containers with Screenwash Pods may seem a small change, but if all fleets and company car and commercial vehicle drivers as well as all motorists made the transition collectively it would make a massive difference to the volume of single-use plastics consumed and speed the move to a world without plastic waste.

“Sustainability has fast become critical to organisations as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes. VGroup International’s innovative Screenwash Pods have a key role to play in reducing the use of millions of plastic bottles of screen wash.”

Last year, the UK Government put forward a 25-year plan that aims to “set the global gold standard” on eliminating plastic. It wants to encourage industries to take greater responsibility for the environmental impact of their products, and for making them easier to recycle.

Additionally, dozens of companies have signed the UK Plastics Pact, which aims to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging by 2025 with targets to make 100% of their plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable and to ensure 70% was effectively recycled or composted.