Panasonic and Team Panasonic Athletes Lead 'Big Community Clear Up'

The Panasonic Group, which last year reported net sales of €52.12 billion, has partnered with elite athletes from Team Panasonic to inspire sustainability at the community level. On October 29, Panasonic joined forces with nine-time Paralympic gold medalist, and local resident, Hannah Cockroft for the “Big Community Clear Up” in Mount Tabor, West Yorkshire. They aimed to work with the community to combat litter pollution and promote environmental action. Keep Britain Tidy reports that over 2 million pieces of litter are dropped everyday in Britain.

Led by Hannah Cockroft, and backed by local volunteers, the group collected over 250 kilograms of waste from roadsides and parks. Panasonic provided high-visibility vests, anti-litter signage, and larger bins to support long-term efforts in maintaining cleaner public spaces.

Hannah Cockroft, a proud Mount Tabor resident, spoke about her commitment to sustainability. She commented,

 “Besides my absolute love for racing, I am passionate about being an ambassador for sustainability and social change. I and my fellow Team Panasonic sustainability ambassadors have a shared goal – to raise awareness of the fight against climate change and inspire others to act.

This initiative is part of Panasonic’s broader “GREEN IMPACT” environmental mission, which aims to raise awareness of climate change and inspire community action. Through this mission, Panasonic collaborates with Team Panasonic athletes—including Hannah Cockroft, Hannah Mills, Malaika Mihambo, and Vahine Fierro—to advance sustainability efforts across Europe. Kathrin Schlangenfeldt, Panasonic Europe’s Sustainability Manager, emphasised the collective power of individual actions, encouraging everyone to contribute to cleaner communities. This initiative highlights the power of local action and cross-generational involvement in creating a sustainable future.

Panasonic is actively exploring ways to advance toward a circular economy, focusing on transforming resource use to support a sustainable future. This approach aims to retain the value of materials for a longer period, reducing waste, and promoting resource longevity. A crucial aspect of this shift is redefining our concept of "waste." Economist Kate Raworth, who developed the Doughnut Economics theory, emphasises that securing resources for future generations requires eliminating waste from the economic cycle. Encouraging communities at the local level from young to old will help people to reconsider their own relationships with waste is a good place to start.