A proud sponsor

For Miele X, sponsoring 'Clean the Beat' is about involving and inspiring people to think about sustainability and integrate it into their everyday lives. As Barbara van Asten, our Director of Operational Excellence & Information Management, explained: “Sustainability is such an important pillar of the strategy of the full Miele group, and we as Miele X really want to contribute to that. Since we are a digital hub, these are the type of events we can do, where we can go from eco-thinking into eco-action. We are trying to create awareness through these events and ingrain it into our organisational DNA.”

This is the first time that Miele X has sponsored this type of event. But it's part of a longer-term deal with ByeBye Plastic Foundation, and Camille Guitteau, the NGO's founder, hopes it'll be followed by many more. She says partnering with Miele X is “a no-brainer, as the whole Miele Group is relentlessly working towards sustainability and durability.” Adding that, “It’s been an amazing journey with Miele X this year, first with a beach clean-up in April and now including them in our Amsterdam Dance Event programme.”

A beautiful atmosphere

The Amsterdam Dance Event is a city-wide celebration of dance music and as part of the event, Miele X decided to team up with ByeBye Plastic Foundation to clean up Westerpark. On the day, there were lots of positive vibes among the Miele X team. As Sophia Hahn, a member of the Miele X team, explained: “It’s a beautiful atmosphere and we all share a common goal – to show support for the local area and support sustainability in general.” And it was a sunny day, so there were plenty of opportunities to talk to people in the park about what they were doing. They even managed to get some of them involved in the clean-up.

Our colleagues also described the different emotions they went through. From guilt and frustration at the amount of trash they picked up, to positive feelings that they were doing something about it. For Barbara, this showed the importance of taking action to promote sustainability, rather than just talking it: “We had people joining us and giving us the thumbs-up. We know that many people want to be part of what we’re doing and when they see it happening, they’re even more inspired.”

And Sophia found that taking part in the event also made her think about bigger issues: "Sustainability can be about collecting trash at one of these events, but it can also be about changing how we buy our clothes, how we eat, etc. In fact, how we go through our whole life."

An immediate and visible impact

The Clean the Beat clean-up was a huge success. The team of 85, including Miele X employees and members of the public, collected 3,917 items. From aluminium cans and paper, to pieces of plastic, plastic bags and wrappers. With all 70 kilograms of trash then sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable materials.

Sophia summed up how the whole team felt at the end of the day: “It just shows that it is possible to have fun while still being sustainable.” And Camille believes ByeBye Plastic Foundation's partnership with Miele X will continue to grow: "Let's go on and make it bigger and stronger in 2023."

What next? You decide.

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