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Office supply, procurement

Sustainable or recycled office supplies

Objectives

Green Value indicator

Sustainable and recycled goods are more environmentally friendly as they reduce the consumption of natural resources.

Explanation

In addition to favouring reusable products, when it comes to consumable goods (paper) or even some durable goods (furniture), you can at least opt for recycled or biodegradable products.

Here are some ideas:

1) When it comes to printing, and you think twice if you really need to print something you will often conclude that it’s not necessary. However, at times it is unavoidable: you need contracts, timesheets and other documents that need to be signed. For these cases use recycled paper. And when you do not need the paper anymore, recycle it afterwards.

2) If there are no second-hand options available and you really need to furnish your office, go for sustainable and repairable office equipment. A very sustainable option are wooden rustic or log furnishings made from local solid wood. This kind of furnishing is less processed, that means less (fossil) energy is required to produce this kind of furniture. As it does not require straight lines it allows using more parts of a tree: uneven wooden planks, branches or smaller logs that are otherwise not used to build furniture thus can have a use as desk, chair or shelf. As wood is biomass and binds CO2, your office becomes a small CCS (a carbon capture and storage) or CCU (carbon capture and utilisation) unit.

3) Since the EU ban on single-use plastic entered into force in 2019, plastic bags and other single-use plastic products (cutlery, cups, plates, etc.) have received more negative public attention, although they are still widespread. Yet, as a seeming alternative “natural” or “organic” plastic products made from renewable resources appeared. Contrary to their name these products are not as natural or ecologically friendly as you might think, as they are made of sugar cane, corn, potatoes or other plants grown in monocultures for example in Latin America with agro-industrial methods. This involves destruction of ecological areas such as rainforests or grasslands, common use of pesticides highly toxic to humans and nature, as well as long transport routes around the world. What is more, their production involves high (fossil) energy inputs, and less than 40% of the bio-based plastics are biodegradable. Even those that are, take a long time to decompose to then create a bad compost. In the oceans they do harm to animals that mistake them for food. Corn instead of oil is not really a solution. So, try to avoid plastic whenever you can.

If you use plastic bags, for example, try to use them as long and often as you can. Usually, there is a plastic-free alternative: whether you buy a coffee to go (bring your own thermos cup), takeaway food (bring your own box) or grocery shopping (bring you own hipster cotton bag, or backpack). Yet, even the most fairly and ecologically manufactured cotton bag is not environmentally friendly if only used a couple of times. For this reason, avoid paper bags. Yes, they are made from renewable wood or even from recycled paper, but still require large energy and water inputs and usually have a short lifetime. It is thus important to repeat this: the longer you use a product, the more environmentally sustainable it is.

PROS/CONS of the action

Pros: Cons:

Certified

Eco labels: Sustainable office supply: EU Eco Label:>https://www.level.org www.bifma.org/page/e3standard

Link to useful sources

Plastic Atlas:
acts and figures about the world of synthetic polymers (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung): Sustainable office supply:
www.level.org www.bifma.org/page/e3standard Certipedia: a digital certificate database where you can search for product certifications Page If you are an organisation that sends out parcels regularly, use RePack Page
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