We supply office supplies so we are unlikely to solve the worlds climate change issues between delivering printer catridges, paper and coffee. However, as part of our Carbon Smart Gold Certification we continually review and update our business to make sure we are doing as much as we can to improve our environmental impact.

How can we innovate?

Over the past 3 years we have reduced our carbon footprint by 47%. We want to get beyond 50%. Unfortunately, there is no way we can do that without the help of our customers. Nearly all of our carbon footprint is from our delivery service. Obviously, we don’t want to stop delivering your office supplies so we need a plan! And, from Wednesday we know what that is!

Step 1 – Reduce
If you the customer reduce the number of orders that you place, we deliver less.
Don’t stop ordering! Don’t order less! Just order smarter – if you use a box of staples and three boxes of paper a month, place one order for those items and not an order when you run out!
If you don’t know what you do use every month contact us and we will let you know!

Step 2 – Reuse
Our van makes more than one stop – let’s reuse it more efficiently
If our van has 100 deliveries in John O’Groats on Tuesday and 100 deliveries in Lands End on Wednesday but you really need that stapler in Lands End on Tuesday… we might ask if you knew you were doubling the number of miles we needed to do on that day! In realitity we know sometimes you need goods urgently, but if we can reduce our delivery rounds by 10% with route optimisation software, imagine how much we could save if we planned it for all our customers!

Step 3 – Recycle
Our van has delivered to you… now what?
Our local vans currently offer waste ink and toner cartridge recycling to our customers, please make use of it! Also, if you need to return an item, could it wait until we are next in the area?

We are running a poll on Facebook – so please get involved and let us know your thoughts and give us suggestions!

If you followed our advice yesterday you should already have looked at how you can reduce what you and your office are using. (Do you really need another box of pens or is someone in the office hoarding them?)

The next step is to check if there is a “greener” product. Recycled paper and cardboard products are an easy first step, but there are different degrees to how much they are recycled. (That is why our site gives you a guide to what percentage of the product is recycled!) Remanufactured options for printer ink and toner cartridges are also available – do you know our North West vans collect cartridges for recycling? Then there are products where you just have to do your best, such as cleaning products (try the Maxima Green or Ecover ranges for a kinder environmental clean) and electronic equipment (check the energy star ratings to make sure they are efficient).

One final thought, once you’ve selected your green products and you are ready to make your order, don’t let your purchasing department order from 10 different suppliers just to get the cheapest price! You might as well rip up your environmental policy if you let that happen! Using a single local supplier for all your supplies reduces your carbon footprint, reduce business costs and supports the local economy.

If you would like to help in moving your business to a greener more sustainable way of working, please Contact Us for more information.

• Reduce – Simple. If you use less, you will waste less.
• Reuse – Now you’ve used it once but is there another use?
• Recycle – Okay, now you can recycle!

The simplest example is paper – Can your office use less paper? Do you use both sides of the paper when printing? Do you recycle all your paper?
But you can ask the same questions when setting up your office printers – Do we need a printer for everyone? Can it double as our fax machine or scanner? Can we donate it to charity when we’ve finished with it?

Inevitably we will make waste. Below are a few products that will help you manage your own waste issues!

We know transport makes up the biggest part of our Carbon Footprint and we work hard to reduce it. Here are a few tips that have helped us to make big reductions in our footprint.

• Check your Vehicle! Checking the oil and tyre pressure and making sure the vehicle is running efficiently means less fuel and lower carbon emissions
• Plan your journey! We asked our driver the route he would take & compared it to a route planner – the route planner gave a journey 10% shorter!
• Drive carefully. Excessive acceleration and braking is not fuel efficient, gentle acceleration and braking will ensure you get many more miles per gallon.

Obviously, these tips can only go so far and in order for us to reduce our Carbon Footprint further we need the help and support of our customers. So, before you pick up the phone to order that one box of staples (you know who you are!) think, if I placed 1 order for all my stationery instead of 2 this week I can reduce my Carbon Footprint by 50%!

Avery are offering a great incentive to join their reward program. Buy any of the products below and get a £2 reward.

Discover Avery products made from 100% FSC certified paper from responsibly-managed forests and ReadyIndex™ Dividers in 100% Recycled Card.

After being Highly Commended at the Pendle Environmental Business Awards 2012 we know a couple of things about being green in the office.

But, if you are thinking about being green this week, remember to beware the Greenwash!

When considering buying a “green” product check if:-

• it’s Recycled – what percentage? Over 75% that’s good, just 5% is it worth it?
• it’s Carbon Neutral – are they improving production methods or just planting trees?
• it’s On Offer – buy green products and win a flight? Not the right message!

If you are interested in improving your environmental impact please Contact Us!

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Price shown Excluding VAT. Prices valid until 1/7/2012