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6 Ways to Create a More Sustainable Office

Office sustainability is about using resources wisely and doing our part to make the world a better place. At ZGO Solutions, being environmentally responsible is one of our core values, and we strive to create solutions that both meet your workplace needs and take care of our planet.

Sustainability can seem like a daunting goal at first, but we believe that making planet-friendly choices doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Small steps can add up to meaningful changes that make not only your office but our community and world a better place to live.

What Makes an Office Sustainable?

Sustainable choices reduce our impact on the planet and use resources wisely. Sustainability means investing in products that last longer, are made with environmentally friendly resources, and have less of a negative impact on the environment. Sustainability encompasses everything relying on natural light and shutting off lights when you’re not in the room to designing buildings with cutting-edge features that save energy and resources.

RELATED: Why Every Manager Needs to Help Employees Get Up and Move

Six Steps to a More Sustainable Office

When you’re ready to take the next step towards a more environmentally conscious office, here are six practices to consider.

1. Skip the Print Job

With cloud storage and digital communication more intuitive and accessible than ever, reducing your paper usage is one way to commit to eco-friendly office habits.  Send digital agendas, memos, and announcements. Share, send, and approve items digitally when you can. And when you do need to print, choose an efficient printer and recycled paper.

2. Invest in Furniture That’s Built to Last

Planned obsolescence — the intended deterioration of consumer goods — forces shoppers to replace products early and often. Choosing to work with companies that build products to last is the best way to break that cycle. At ZGO Solutions, our goal is to create a circular economy, which is a system that’s designed to be restorative and re-useable. We don’t create products with short lifespans destined for the landfill.

3. Source Environmentally Conscious Products

When you’re choosing which products to use in your office, consider products with environmentally friendly, ethically sourced components. For example, you may want to consider:

  • Sourcing products and services from local businesses
  • Prioritizing products from companies with a track record of eco-conscious decisions
  • Choosing recycled materials and refurbished equipment or repairing broken items when possible

At ZGO Solutions, we use 100% recycled steel and aluminum, and all of our components are either recycled or can be recycled or re-purposed into something else.

4. Use Furniture that Supports Employees’ Well-Being

Sustainability isn’t just about the environment. It’s also about preserving our most valuable resource — people. Unfortunately, the equipment employees use at many offices is not always conducive to healthy or productive work.

There are many possible solutions to this problem. Ergonomic desking solutions make desk work more sustainable by making your employees more comfortable and less prone to injuries. Moving during the day is natural and necessary, so offering employees customizable ergonomic options like height adjustable desks can prevent muscle fatigue and improve energy levels. Our Zen collection, for example, is a sustainably designed height adjustable desk that embodies our passion for health, wellness, and balance.

5. Reduce Waste

Research shows that every day, the average office worker sends 4.4 pounds of trash to the landfill. You can make your office more sustainable by redirecting or reducing waste that would otherwise end up in the trash.

There are plenty of ways to begin reducing the amount of waste your office produces. An estimated 70% of office waste could be recycled, including paper, plastic, and glass. You can also compost food scraps and reduce your reliance on single-use plastics. Encourage employees to bring their own refillable water bottles and coffee cups to work. Also, try offering guests or clients glasses of water instead of bottles.

6. Start a Green Committee

The most effective changes start from the ground up. As you start making long-term changes with sustainability in mind, invite employees to join a sustainability committee so they can feel invested in your office’s eco-friendly initiatives. You may be surprised how many of your employees know exactly what it takes to implement an effective recycling program, begin composing, or start a company carpool. Working together can help bring those ideas to life and give employees a sense of ownership of your sustainability initiatives.

ZGO Solutions: Making Sustainability Simply Beautiful

At ZGO Solutions, we draw inspiration from landscapes and cultures from around the world. That’s why we apply a sustainability-focused mindset to everything we do, from our manufacturing facilities to reducing our global ecological footprint through our commitment to a circular economy.

If you have questions about our initiatives or how our desking solutions can help you create a thriving, sustainable office, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact us today to get started on your custom, eco-friendly desking solution.

Reference

Bell, S. (2019, July 11). The Facts: Office Workers and Their Waste Generation. Roadrunner. Retrieved from https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/office-worker-waste-generation

World Economic Forum. (2014, January). From linear to circular — Accelerating a proven concept. Retrieved from https://reports.weforum.org/toward-the-circular-economy-accelerating-the-scale-up-across-global-supply-chains/from-linear-to-circular-accelerating-a-proven-concept/

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