The crowdfunded contraption cleaning up the world’s oceans – The Property Chronicle
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The crowdfunded contraption cleaning up the world’s oceans

The Analyst

It’s estimated that as many as 12 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enter the oceans every year.The consequences are grave: such volumes of litter are destroying life, both animal and plant. 

As a business that’s ostensibly more concerned with structures being built on land than materials in the sea, it might seem a strange subject for a mortgage provider to address in the Property Chronicle. Yet companies’ impact on the environment – and what they can do to address this issue – is something that warrants attention, and is likely to be a frequent talking point in 2019. 

No business operates in isolation. In the most obvious sense, a company is part of a broader network: a chain that involves clients and service providers, suppliers and partners. More directly, an organisation also has a fundamental impact on the societies within which it operates and, importantly, the environment on both a micro and macro level. 

Indeed, private businesses in the UK are responsible for 56%of the country’s energy usage. As one of the nation’s larger industries, the property sector cannot overlook its responsibility to help tackle problems threatening the planet. 

For those involved in the design and construction of real estate, the ability to implement positive environmental change is perhaps more obvious. From the materials and methods used, through to the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of a particular building, there is a clear opportunity to adopt greener practices. 

But other parts of the property industry, including mortgage lenders, can and should play their part. And so we return to the opening point: the plight of the planet’s oceans. 






The Analyst

About Alpa Bhakta

Alpa Bhakta

Alpa Bhakta is Chief Executive Officer of Butterfield Mortgages Ltd. With more than 20 years’ experience in the world of high net worth (HNW) property finance in the UK, Alpa is uniquely well-placed to oversee BML as a stand-alone mortgage lender, with a focus on prime property lending. Before joining Butterfield, Alpa headed the private property finance team at BNP Paribas Fortis, following positions at Credit Agricole Indosuez private bank and NatWest. Her expertise in this field is unrivalled and makes her a much-respected senior figure in the industry. She has recently been short-listed for the 2018 Citywealth Powerwomen awards.

Articles by Alpa Bhakta

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