It is important to consider ways in which to conserve energy and to reduce the carbon footprint, not only to protect energy sources, but because it often helps to save your business money. We've come up with a list of ideas about how to make your office greener- why not get everyone in the office involved?
Let's start at the basics- your office furniture.
Office furniture manufacturers are also very conscious of the environment, and are constantly looking to reduce the environmental impact of their operations.
Most manufacturers generally adhere to ISO14001 standards- an internationally recognised standard which ensures that manufacturers identify elements of business which impact upon the environment and produce achievable objectives for continuous improvement. One of our factories actually uses its material offcuts in order to heat the factory, rather than adding to waste!
Most manufacturers also adhere to FSC (the Forest Stewardship Council) standards, which ensures that any wood used to manufacture the furniture is harvested from sustainably managed forests.
If you are choosing office furniture, and are conscious of the environmental impact of products, you should also think about product miles. Rather than choosing a product which has to be imported from places like China, why not choose products which are manufactured within the UK? As well as supporting British manufacturers, it dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of the product.
An Answer to Environmentally Friendly Desks!
The Paperweight desk is made of special single walled clay coated corrugated board, with a solid board, water varnished top which is capable of repelling all spills. Its design integrates a deep cable management tray and an under-desk 'secret' shelf. There are cable outlet slots and twin access points with covers that can be found on the top of the desk. The legs of the desk can be positioned inset or outset as required. I know that you wouldn't expect a desk made of cardboard to be strong, but it really is- it's strong enough for you to even stand on!
Other Tips for Reducing your Office's Environmental Impact:-
- Why not encourage communications via email rather than paper? Emails make communication a lot quicker, more cost efficient, less easy to lose and can also cut down paper usage dramatically. Only print off communications which are absolutely necessary.
- When office equipment is not being used- say at the end of the day- have a quick check and make sure that it is switched off. That way, you are not draining unnecessary power overnight.
- Make an effort to recycle all of the waste paper that culminates in your office- we all know very well how quickly waste paper can build up! Make sure that you shred documents which contain important information such as addresses or client names before you recycle them, however.
- When purchasing paper, try and buy brands which use a good proportion of recycled paper fibres.
- Wherever possible, try and print double sided documents, in order to save further on paper usage.
- Use energy efficient light bulbs around the building- they typically use 80% less energy than normal light bulbs, and are safer because they don't get as hot! They will reduce your energy usage and your electricity bill!
