On average, every 100 meters of Italian beach is littered with 892 pieces of abandoned waste, according to the Beach Litter 2025 survey. This alarming figure highlights the urgent need to rethink our production and consumption models and to address the environmental and social impacts they cause.
On September 20, 2025, the World Cleanup Day will mobilize millions of volunteers across more than 190 countries to clean beaches, parks, rivers, and urban areas. This is more than just a community effort to tidy up the environment—it’s also an opportunity for companies to get actively involved and incorporate the initiative into a broader strategy of responsible waste management.
World Cleanup Day: why and how companies can participate
The World Cleanup Day is more than just a community initiative; it’s also a chance for companies to make an impact. By inviting employees, partners, and local communities to join cleanup initiatives, businesses can multiply their positive environmental impact while fostering a shared sense of responsibility for the places we all live and work in.
Companies can take part in the 2025 edition by joining scheduled initiatives listed on the official website or by organizing a cleanup in their own city.
Past editions have seen participation from companies such as Leroy Merlin, Poste Italiane, and Allianz.
Beyond the World Cleanup Day: building a sustainable waste management strategy
Awareness campaigns and cleanup initiatives are important but they are one-off actions. To manage waste sustainably, companies need to address the problem at its source, adopting strategies that reduce waste production and improve overall waste management.
This involves monitoring material flows, optimizing production processes to minimize waste, embracing reuse and recycling practices, and ensuring proper disposal in compliance with regulations.
Responsible waste management doesn’t just reduce environmental impact; it can also bring economic benefits. For instance, it helps identify inefficiencies in production, optimize resource use, and lower disposal costs.
The waste hierarchy: what it is and why it matters
Sustainable waste management goes beyond separate collection: it requires a systemic approach known as Life Cycle Thinking, which considers the entire life of a product, from design to disposal.
In line with this approach, Directive 2008/98/EC establishes a hierarchy of actions, with preferred options at the top and disposal as a last resort:
- Prevention: reduce waste from the design and procurement stages;
- Preparation for Reuse: recover products or components for a second life;
- Recycling: recover materials from waste to produce new goods, materials, or substances;
- Energy Recovery: incinerate non-recyclable waste at high temperatures to generate electricity;
- Disposal: only when all other options are not feasible.
Instead of the traditional “take-make-dispose” model, resources are, whenever possible, repurposed and reintegrated into production, in line with circular economy principles.
Turning principles into action: the example of Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond participating in the World Cleanup Day. The company has implemented a comprehensive circular economy strategy across all areas of its operations, aiming to reduce environmental impact and optimize resource use.
Products are designed with ecodesign principles to minimize resource consumption and waste while maximizing durability, reparability, and environmental efficiency.
The company also promotes rental and repair services, allowing customers to use equipment without purchasing it and to repair damaged items, extending product life and reducing waste.
Projects like Casa della Circolarità give a second life to products with minor imperfections or damaged packaging, minimizing waste and supporting a circular economy.
Initiatives such as the TwoEco tiles, made from recycled materials, show how waste can become a valuable resource. In this case, materials that would otherwise be discarded, like Tetra Pak cartons and PolyAl, are used to create a high-quality, functional product.
These initiatives significantly reduce the amount of waste generated. For residual waste, Leroy Merlin has developed a multi-year management plan based on data collected over previous years. Waste management becomes truly sustainable only when backed by measurable, up-to-date data: knowing the volumes, types, and final destinations of waste (landfill, energy recovery, or other) is key to monitoring environmental performance and identifying areas for improvement.
Finally, raising awareness and training employees and partners is essential to translate proper waste management procedures into concrete daily actions.
How We Can Help
Sustainable waste management is just one piece of a broader corporate sustainability strategy.
At Kyklos Carbon, we help companies understand their environmental, social, and governance impact and take concrete steps toward continuous improvement. Specifically, we provide services such as:
- sustainability reporting
- carbon footprint calculation
- strategic consulting
Our approach supports companies at every stage of their sustainability journey. We start by analyzing your context and collecting data to understand your operational impact. Based on these insights, we help define concrete actions to make your company more sustainable, reduce risks, and enhance overall performance.
Get in touch to discover how we can support your corporate sustainability journey.
World Cleanup Day: a step toward responsible waste management