BNP Paribas Marylebone Station ‘Clean Air Zones’ improve air quality for a further year
Air filters cut PM2.5 by up to 85%, NO2 levels by up to 70%, in support of BreatheLife, the global campaign for clean air
London, 12 November 2019 – BNP Paribas today unveiled the next phase of its pioneering ‘clean air zones’ campaign at London Marylebone Station, working in partnership with JCDecaux UK, Airlabs and Chiltern Railways for a second year.
The positive impact advertising solution, which incorporates air-cleaning technology within advertising structures, is supporting the global ‘BreatheLife’ campaign for clean air. BreatheLife’s growing network includes more than 70 cities, regions and countries, reaching over 288 million people. The campaign’s goal is to mobilise communities to reduce the impact of air pollution on health and climate.
The BreatheLife campaign principles align closely with BNP Paribas’ own sustainability objectives, which have a clear community focus. London Marylebone Station was chosen for the filter installation due to its direct proximity to BNP Paribas’ UK headquarters, underpinning with practical action the bank’s commitment to making a positive impact within the local community.
The air cleaning technology from Airlabs was first unveiled in October 2018. The filters reduce up to 85% of PM2.5, 86% PM10 and up to 70% gases like NO2 and ozone from the area immediately surrounding the filters, which are housed within specially adapted advertising units from JCDecaux UK. In a twelve-month period, the air filters have produced 41.4 million cubic metres of clean air, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 36 times.
Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head, BNP Paribas Group, said: “BNP Paribas is committed to London and to helping provide immediate, positive impact for our local communities. The Clean Air Zone partnership enables us to continue to deliver cleaner air to more than 14 million station users every year, which include our employees, clients, commuters and the local community. As well as helping to reduce the impact of air pollution, we want to raise awareness of this silent killer, and that’s why we are supporting the BreatheLife campaign, which is so aligned to our own corporate values.”
Helena Molin Valdés, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme hosted Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat said: “These types of initiatives are important to raise awareness that more needs to be done to improve air quality in order to protect human and health and our climate. Cleaning the air is one solution and should remind everyone – from individuals to businesses and local and national governments—that they have a role to play in stopping air pollution at its source.”
Helena Kavanagh, Chief Partnerships Officer at JCDecaux UK said: “We are very proud of the partnership with BNP Paribas, Chiltern Railways and Airlabs which led to this ground-breaking advertising solution, and it is excellent news that it will continue for another year. The air filters, incorporated within Out-of-Home advertising structures, are another example of how Out-of-Home media can provide a service to the community as well as a clear communication channel raising awareness of important issues – in this case, the BreatheLife campaign – in front of the millions of rail users who pass through London Marylebone Station every year.”
Marc Ottolini, CEO at Airlabs said: “We are delighted that our air filtration technology is being used in this impactful way. Millions of people are using public transport in London every day. Our mission is to provide all of these people with clean air during their journey. The Clean Air Zones at Marylebone Station show that this can be turned into reality. Our partnership with BNP Paribas, Chiltern Railways and JC Decaux is a great example of the difference like-minded businesses can make to the lives of millions of people affected by air pollution every day.”
Press Contacts:
BNP Paribas
Alexandra Umpleby (UK) +44 20 7595 2436 Alexandra.Umpleby@uk.bnpparibas.com
Sarisher Mann (UK) +44 20 7595 8150 Sarisher.Mann@uk.bnpparibas.com
Notes to Editors:
About BNP Paribas: BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 72 countries, with more than 202,000 employees, including around 149,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its two main activities: Retail Banking & Services and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors.
BNP Paribas has a well-established and growing UK platform. The bank has served the UK economy for more than 150 years and today employs more than 9,000 people, based in 21 core locations throughout the country, across 10 business lines. These include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Exane BNP Paribas, Leasing Solutions, Arval, Real Estate, Asset Management, Cardif Pinnacle, Commercial Finance, Personal Finance and Vauxhall Finance.
https://www.bnpparibas.co.uk/en/
BNP Paribas UK on Twitter – @BNPParibasUK
About BreatheLife: https://breathelife2030.org/