Facebook will no longer offer single-use plastic water bottles in its new offices worldwide. Instead, it will install water-filling stations for employees.
The news on Wednesday makes Facebook one of the biggest companies to issue such a plastic ban. As awareness about the dangers of plastic manufacturing and waste grow, companies, gyms and stores have stopped offering single-use plastic bottles, opting instead for glass, aluminum or paper cartons.
In August, San Francisco International Airport issued a ban on the sale of plastic water bottles in an effort to cut down on the nearly 4 million water bottles it sells each year.
Facebook’s new cafeterias in Burlingame, Fremont, San Francisco and Sunnyvale will feature the new water stations while its Menlo Park headquarters will be retrofitted with them. New offices in Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles will also feature the water stations.
“It’s really about us thinking about our sustainability goals … and being a good corporate steward,” said Juan Salazar, Facebook’s director of local policy and community engagement. “This is the standard we set for the company going forward.”
