Your computer is certainly essential to your job, but it’s not the only device you use for work. Like many employees and managers, it happens that you have to take notes, transcribe a meeting, send mail, file documents… all these tasks involve using office supplies. : pens, notepads, envelopes … you store or take with you in your drawer. with you in your bag. Rest assured, it is still possible to reduce your ecological impact.
Ecological impact of office life
In France, office life involves 13 million bureaucratic and administrative workers, representing 46% of the working population. It should be noted that CO2 emissions as a result of a person’s outbound and return journey are 1.4 tons per year. The complex consists of 175 million m2 of buildings intended to accommodate these workers, of which 56% of electricity consumption is devoted to heating and 32% to other uses. This community of workers produces 900,000 tons of waste paper every year, of which only 35% is recycled. Whether they come from paid drink distributors or water fountains, the French use 4 billion cups per year, thus producing 32,000 tons of plastic waste per year; A company of one hundred people consumes between 2,000 m3 and 5,000 m3 of water per year, which amounts to €6,000 to €15,000 excluding taxes.
Privilege Ecological Supply
Prefer supplies made from natural and untreated ingredients and, if possible, rechargeable! This way, you prolong the use of the product while reducing the amount of waste and saving money. Similarly, fountain pens or refillable highlighters should be preferred over disposable plastic pens and highlighters! Plus, pens made from recycled plastic or pencils made from recycled paper fibers can lighten your office equipment budget. And if you’re a conservative, know that bic pens now offer refills.
There are many correction tools in the form of liquids, pens, markers, etc., but they usually contain solvents. Choose concealers that are water-based and don’t contain toxic solvents. Still be careful by avoiding the pen format, which, of small capacity, tends to be a source of waste.
small office supplies
Prefer paper clips or tie-alls instead of staples, choosing materials such as wood or metal, which are more durable and resistant. Use solvent-free, vegetable-based gum (gum arabic, dextrin) that stick just like the others! Similarly, gum pots generate less waste than sticks. For erasing, stay traditional with the good old natural rubber eraser which is more effective and more eco-friendly than a colored eraser.
office filing tools
You often have pockets, binders, dividers and other plastic filing materials in your hands and know that it is a variation of petroleum. For this reason, adopt this solid, accessible and eco-friendly material that is cardboard (recycled or not) or even recycled plastic.
Paper saving: recycled paper
Buy paper that is not bleached with chlorine and has a low viscosity (80 grams). To fight against deforestation, make a habit of using 100% recycled and labeled paper instead of FSC-certified paper (Forest Management Council is an environmental label that ensures that the production of wood or wood-based product Complies with procedures intended to guarantee. Sustainable Management of Forests) or PEFC (Pan European Forest Certification, participates in the management of a mark nominated by the delegation of the Pan European Council for Forest Certification. In particular, it participates in the management of that mark. which guarantees that the timber content comes from a permanently managed forest in accordance with the regulations of the region established by the region).
Be aware that envelopes, notepads, printing papers, etc. can be kept safe. exist in recycled form. The guaranteed minimum rate of recycled cellulose fibers on the products can be recognized by the presence of the French label “Apoor”.
affected by the weakness of his impressions
According to a study conducted by Ipsos, the number of paper impressions per employee in France in 2007 was 28 pages per day. French companies spend 400 million euros annually on unnecessary impressions. With such a figure, France has one of the highest rates of waste paper in Europe.
Avoid unnecessary paper print as it is just a waste. Most of you have a printer at home as well as in their office. However, we must remove from our habits the harmful reaction of printing everything. To save paper when printing, opt for double-sided documents or use printer drivers that can print multiple documents on a single page.
Apart from all this, you can collect used paper printed only on one side to be used as draft on the other side
card with your furniture
Transform your furniture for eco-friendly, sustainable and inexpensive or inexpensive office elements. Know about the cardboard furniture currently available in the market. In fact, not only are these pieces of furniture completely recyclable, generally use recycled cardboard, and on the other hand they do not require screws, glue or any other adhesives.
Waterproof, this eco-design furniture has an uneven weight/strength ratio. Be it armchairs, armchairs, desks, shelves, bins etc., a complete range of cardboard furniture for office is available to you at very affordable prices. This furniture could also benefit from customization in your company’s colors.
A breath of fresh air and a little greenery
Decorate your offices with polluting plants! Green plants can clean the surrounding air by absorbing some harmful substances! It would be a shame to deprive yourself of it. It’s not about turning your office into a jungle. Two or three plants will be enough to purify the air in a room of 17 to 20 square meters. With care (and pencil lead), the risk of catching a cold is reduced by 30%! Instead of buying deodorants, almost all of which are toxic, plant plants that purify the environment. If your employees are less sick, less absenteeism is to be expected.
Energy Saving
Office equipment is becoming increasingly complete: computer equipment, lighting, air conditioning, coffee machines, etc. All these elements certainly contribute to the comfort of everyone, but don’t they add to the consumption and electricity bills? how to cope ?
To begin with, it is very easy to reduce the energy consumption of IT equipment by adding a programming clock that cuts off the power supply (nights and weekends) and shuts down the premises when employees are not present. , computer and netbox at night . For coworking spaces, all you have to do is equip the offices with power strips that cut everything off with a single click.
Offer your employees to charge their mobile phones and portable electrical equipment with a freely accessible solar charger.
Light up low-energy offices by installing compact fluorescent bulbs in all rooms and turning off lights when not needed. For an individual desk lamp, opt for LED lamps, which tend to be more efficient than compact fluorescent bulbs.
It is true that spending the scorching heat in an office without air conditioning is a difficult ordeal. But there’s nothing worse than getting sick of the air conditioning… and blowing up the energy consumption meter. The cost of air conditioning for electricity at the rate of 10 hours a day in the summer is 150 euros annually … for a room! Avoid the ingress of heat inside the office by closing wounds and shutters, avoiding the use of air conditioning. In very hot weather, use fans (their consumption is less than an air conditioning unit.
If the coffee break allows you to “recharge your battery”, unfortunately it “depletes the battery” of the planet. For distributors of energy-intensive drinks, cakes, sweets, etc., they contain as much plastic waste as other over-packaging. To avoid waste, ban plastic or cardboard cups and go for crockery items that are left to the employees’ responsibility.