Have you been considering creating a more environmentally responsible workplace? A place that promotes reduction in waste- be it energy or trash? Reuse, refurbish and practice a more sustainable lifestyle.
Restaurant Association strategic partner, OfficeMax presents five practical tips that businesses can adopt to reduce their environmental footprint:
- Procurement
- Conserve electricity
- Repurpose & recycle
- Waste Audit
- Go digital
Procurement:
The first element of sustainability is to be conscious of what you purchase – understand its environmental and social impacts. Start at the top and make sensible procurement decisions for the workplace – it could save dollars and reduce social and environmental impact.
- Purchase locally made wherever possible. It is great for our communities and reduces the carbon footprint of a product. Look out for social enterprises to maximise the social benefit.
- Be mindful of not just the function but the product’s lifecycle. Purchase good quality and sustainable products with greater shelf life and possible reuse options.
- Ensure employees know the procurement objectives of your organisation and buy from approved suppliers only.
Check if the products are ethically made and sourced. Do the suppliers have good human rights performances, such as having Fairtrade certification? OfficeMax’s website enables customers to use the EcoMax function to filter for the sustainable attributes of products and suppliers.
Think about the way you place orders for items you buy on a regular basis. Small, frequent orders are likely to have higher freight-related emissions than larger orders made less frequently.
Conserve electricity:
Electricity production and consumption contribute immensely to carbon emissions and pollution in our atmosphere.
- AC/Heating units: Create a consistent setting and avoid extra power consumption due to constant changes in temperature settings. Make sure your units are regularly maintained.
- Energy-efficient devices: Use energy- efficient products – LED bulbs, high energy- rated appliances such as microwaves, dishwashers, table fans etc. Where practical, use sensor lights that are activated when people are present.
- Stop snooze, switch off: If not in use, switch it off – lights, desktop computers, monitors, laptops, printers, laminators etc. Unplug chargers when not in use (mobile, laptop, smartwatch etc.). Devices in sleep mode or idly plugged into an outlet still consume energy.
- Service equipment regularly: Unserviced equipment soaks up energy and can also be a fire hazard.
- Make the most of natural lighting. It’s sustainable and free!
- Engage with staff on the benefits of efficient energy consumption.
Repurpose & recycle:
One of the best ways to reduce waste is to repurpose items that are not required. Find a local e-waste recycler and set up a process for collection or drop-off. If items are not at their end-of-life, donate them to a local charity that can redirect them to schools, aged care, health centres, Lions Clubs, Red Cross etc.
OfficeMax helps customers repurpose unwanted items by redirecting them via All Heart NZ Charitable Trust (note that this may incur some costs). They also donate dated stock to Auckland City Mission and Mercy Hospice for a second life.
Waste Audit:
Do a waste audit of the workplace – determine how much waste is generated from each area and if it can be cut down by trying alternative options.
- Kitchen or breakout area: Check if the waste is disposed of properly. For example, ensure that recyclable items, organic- composted waste, and landfill items are in their respective bins. Have signage well placed on or near bins that clearly show what goes where.
- Avoid single-use items.
- Packaging boxes: Try reusing the cardboard boxes for storage and break unused boxes down properly when recycling.
Check out OfficeMax’s Waste Audit Templatefor a monthly waste audit.
Go digital:
- Use e-notebook apps such as OneNote, Trello, and Google Workspace on your devices instead of physical notebooks. If using notebooks, procure FSC-certified and recycled items and stationery.
- Get refillable toner printers.
- Consider managed print services as they will complete a companywide printer audit that will provide a report on your consumption print/copy consumption, usage, and energy efficiency.
- Print only if necessary. Try using recycled or carbon-neutral paper and double-sided or booklet printing to reduce paper consumption. Print in greyscale instead of coloured ink, as it reduces consumption and is inexpensive.
- Put wastepaper into assigned recycling bins or shred it if it contains sensitive material.
Sustainability in a workplace is a combination of many micro activities that can result in significant improvements and achieve long- term environmental and financial goals.