"Duo celebrated its 30th year in business and we wanted to mark the occasion by doing something special that made a real lasting difference to the local area"
Anthony Brimelow
Manchester-based business and retail packaging specialist, Duo UK, has partnered with the Greater Manchester City of Trees initiative to transform the underused grounds of the city and help address complex environmental problems, including flooding, air quality and global warming.
The Greater Manchester City of Trees initiative has so far planted almost 460,000 trees in the region and transformed over 264 hectares of woodland.
19 employees of the manufacturer took the first steps to re-invigorate the landscape surrounding Abbotts Community Primary School in Collyhurst, Manchester, by clearing dense brambles on the grounds.
The space will be planted with a small orchard, plus trees and shrubs to provide a barrier from the adjacent footpath.
The project at Abbotts Community Primary School is part of the larger City of Trees initiative, which aims to plant a tree for every person in Greater Manchester.
Anthony Brimelow, commercial director at Duo UK, said: “Last year, Duo celebrated its 30th year in business and we wanted to mark the occasion by doing something special that made a real lasting difference to the local area not just for this year but for many years to come.
We’re absolutely thrilled to be supporting the Greater Manchester City of Trees initiative. The school in Collyhurst is a great place to start, as it is right on our doorstep.
“The planting of trees and shrubs, which will become part of the carbon ecosystem, will contribute to the reduction of global warming as they capture CO2 from the atmosphere. This natural process is the main reason why our business was the first UK manufacturer to adopt GreenPE plastic which is derived from sustainable sugarcane. Not only does it replace the requirement for fossil-derived plastic but as the plant grows, just as trees do, CO2 is removed from the atmosphere. For every kilogram of GreenPE produced 2.85kg of CO2 is removed.
“Now that the grounds are cleared, we can’t wait to start planting the trees and shrubs at Abbotts Community Primary School in October.”
Sian Day, at Greater Manchester City of Trees initiative, said: “Each year City of Trees spends at least £1m helping connect people to the places that matter to them. As a charity we rely on the support of the local community as well as businesses, like Duo, to continue our vital work and make Greater Manchester greener. Duo is not only pledging a £5,000 donation to help City of Trees to achieve these goals, they are also ‘pulling up their sleeves’ and helping directly on the ground – getting hands on in their local community”.
Based in Manchester and established in 1988, Duo UK manufactures, sources and distributes packaging products for a range of clients, including JD Williams, JD Sports and Tesco. Its Green PE mailing bags, derived from sustainable sugar cane, has seen widespread adoption by a number of retailers such as Pink Boutique, Couture Club and Joules since its introduction in 2015, as businesses and consumers become more environmentally aware.
For more information about Duo UK and its involvement in the Greater Manchester City of Trees initiative, visit www.duo-uk.co.uk.
