To create more natural habitat for the increasingly rare Regent Honeyeater, LAPP Australia Managing Director, Simon Pullinger began planting the types of gum tree best suited to this critically endangered native bird, including Eucalyptus sideroxylon (Red Ironbark), Eucalyptus melliodora (Yellow Box), Corymbia maculata (Spotted Gum), and Eucalyptus robusta (Swamp Mahogany).
With an estimated 250-350 of the species left in the wild, habitat loss has been identified as the primary reason for the Regent Honeyeater's declining numbers. As part of community conservation efforts, Simon helped plant 250 new saplings.
However, when native fauna like wombats, kangaroos, and wallabies – plus the invasive deer population – showed an unwelcome interest in this bushland regeneration, Simon wanted to harmlessly dissuade them from eating his new plantings.
After puzzling about how to protect the trees 24/7 while he was at work in Sydney, the answer came when he was inspecting the recycling needs of the company's booming industrial cable, automation, and connectivity solutions operation.
"When I looked at the cylindrical cardboard spools for cable drums that we were gathering for the company's recycling and sustainability programme, I thought – 'This is good, and we can use some of these ourselves out at the family's bushland shack as "collars" to protect the young plants.'"
"The whole family loves going out there to give the bush a helping hand to survive and flourish, and working with the local land care group (which takes the rest of the collars to use across a broad area of bushland)," says Simon, who swaps his executive attire and corporate transport for a 4wd to enjoy the tranquillity of the bush at weekends.
To protect saplings from becoming part of the menu during their early stages of life – and to conserve and retain water around their roots – the dozens of newly installed cable drum collars now do the job of conservation without the need for non-biodegradable materials being introduced to the pristine property.
"We didn't set out to build an environmental showpiece, because that's not the way it is done in the bush. Out in the country, it is second nature to use and reuse resources. It is the way people live. It is simply good common sense," says Simon, who has also recycled a fuel stove more than 100 years old, which his father-in-law had stored in his home's garage for more than 50 years.
"We cleaned it up and lit it up and – wonderfully – it burst back to life after lying disused for decades. It was a small thing, but real sustainability practices start with individuals and a mindset," said Simon.
While Simon's country sustainability initiatives are a personal choice, they also accord strongly with the corporate objectives of the global LAPP Group of which LAPP Australia is part.
Matthias Lapp, Chairman of the Board at Lapp Holding SE, says that, "As a family business that is driven by the search for forward-looking solutions for future generations, it is our duty to treat the resources of people and the environment responsibly.
"For us, looking at the impact of our work and our products is part of the development of promising innovations. Sustainable thinking influences our decisions every day. We tackle the challenges we face together – with the ideas, expertise and strength of all our employees."
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About LAPP
LAPP Australia is part of the LAPP Group, a leading global manufacturer of high quality German-manufactured cables, connectors, and industrial connectivity solutions for a broad range of industrial applications. LAPP Australia has more than 5,000 cables and associated cable accessory ranges locally stocked for immediate despatch across Australia, in addition to 40,000 product lines delivered from Germany within two weeks.
