In a world where waste is fast becoming a major concern, better methods – and products – should stand as priority over convenience.
THE human population has shown a sharp increase over the 20th century, going from around 1bil in 1804 to 2bil in 1927, according to the Worldometer. The rate has since increased to 7.7bil as of April last year.
In its wake, of this expansion huge wastes are left behind. According to The World Bank, the world generates about 2.01bil tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, out of which a conservative figure of 33%, is not environmentally managed in a safe manner.
Today, people are becoming more aware of how their actions impact the environment and are already familiar with terms like “climate change”, “global warming” and the importance of “sustainability”.
But one company began its journey into sustainability before the awareness caught on, all stemming from the sincere goal of allowing people to store their beverages and food in their ideal temperature for long periods of time, even against extreme weather.
The Thermos story began at the turn of the 20th century with an invention of the vacuum flask
An enduring creation
Following in the footsteps of the increase in human population is the humble vacuum flask.
Created from the need to keep food and drinks hot and clean through long periods of time at the turn of the 1900s, the flask went into production under the name of Thermos.
It became popular following explorations in extreme environments in the early part of the 20th century, such as Lieutenant EH Schackelton's trip to the South Pole and Lieutenant Robert E Peary's trip to the Arctic.
It didn’t take long for its popularity to span worldwide.
Sustained by green values
Today, Thermos is the world’s leading dedicated manufacturer and the pioneer in development of innovative vacuum-insulated products that help retain the desired temperature and flavour of food and drinks for people on the go.
It integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise to both “keep hot, keep cool”.
Thermos products are reusable, which helps reduce dependence on single-use products.
But in order to build a sustainable product that withstands time – like the heat or coolness maintained by the vacuum – Thermos created and marketed the first reusable vacuum-insulated flask.
In doing so, it has by default, been green for over a century.
A prevailing problem faced by all living beings today is the prevalence of disposable plastic products - or what is also termed as "single-use plastics".
These products such as plastic bags, straws, plastic drinking bottles are not recyclable – and end up being dumped into landfills or oceans, where the flora and fauna end up absorbing or ingesting them, causing environmental problems.
A turtle tethered to floating plastics shows how inundated the world’s oceans are with plastic wastes.
As petroleum-based plastics are non-biodegradable, they instead decay into particles that release toxic chemicals over long periods of time.
By choosing Thermos as an option to store food and drinks, you have already made the right move of consciously choosing a more sustainable option. Thermos’ reusable products help owners reduce their dependence on single-use plastics – while enjoying the best performing products available.
Taking on proactive decisions
In order to show its dedication towards the environment, Thermos recently collaborated with WWF-Malaysia to raise awareness for the need to consume more wisely, while protecting critically endangered Hawksbill Turtles in Melaka.
As a corporate entity, the brand works hand-in-hand with the foundation to make living green a lifestyle choice for all.
Hence Malaysians can take part in this ongoing campaign, which started on June 1 last year where they can enjoy a RM10 rebate on all Thermos products if they were to bring in any recycled old bottle to the Thermos Experience Shop at the Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur.
Also for every pledge to avoid using plastic or paper bags in the Thermos Experience Shop, Thermos will donate RM2 to the WWF-Malaysia to support the Turtle Guardian Project.
The campaign ends this May 31, the terms and conditions are listed on the website below.
For more on the campaign, visit the Thermos x WWF webpage.
