Office Products Make an impact, but not on the environment

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Make an impact, but not on the environment
As of late there has been a fresh emphasis on the ethical obligation of corporate entities, particularly with regard to their accountability for the environmental impact of their activities. The publi

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Up and down the country office supplies are consistently wasted, from accidental multiple photocopies, through to inaccurate stationery orders which aren’t rectified. The very fact that paper, printer cartridges and the ilk are often referred to as ‘consumables’ demonstrates the extent to which we live in a consumptive society and goes a way to explaining why stationery stock levels are anything but stationary.

As of late there has been a fresh emphasis on the ethical obligation of corporate entities, particularly with regard to their accountability for the environmental impact of their activities. The public focus has particularly gravitated towards heavyweight companies, notably supermarkets, who have responded by implementing small changes to their operation that ultimately have a substantial impact on minimising their detrimental effect on the earth. More often than not, these seismic shifts in corporate activity are spurred by the stimulus of threatened government intervention into their practices.

The most prominent of these changes is the recent switch away from spurious distribution of plastic, disposable carrier bags. By promoting ‘bags for life’ and condoning the re-use of plastic carrier bags, major supermarkets are undoubtedly making a dent in their damage to the environment. The ‘every little helps’ attitude has extended beyond a company slogan and into something of a manifesto on environmentally ethical practice. This ethos can comfortably be embraced by considerably smaller companies with regard to their office consumables, whilst you can’t have ‘printer paper for life’ there are now abundant options for recycled office supplies. Equally, it may be advisable to implement changes gradually, rather than wait until legislation dictates that your operations must be drastically altered.

Availability of recycled products has extended far beyond paper to such items as folders, desk tidys, bubble-wrap, even recycled recycling bins. Furthermore, unlike previously, recycled products are by no means prohibitively priced, with so many manufacturers turning to more environmentally conscious products it is a highly competitive market: forcing prices down to levels comparable with non-recycled products.

Brands such as Aurora truly push the boundaries when it comes to environmental ethics, most notably through their range of EcoCalculators. This line of products exemplifies environmental awareness, not only are they on the whole solar powered, made from recycled plastic, shipped in 90% recycled packaging, ISO14001 WEEE & RoHS compliant but also guaranteed to have travelled zero air miles prior to distribution to the consumer. The very fact that these items generally retail for prices on a par with stanadard devices, goes a great way to demonstrating that green products needn't cost the earth: in either sense.

At the risk of coming across evangelical: it is the responsibility of all to ensure the longevity or our planet and the ‘every little helps’ mantra has no more relevant application than to the field of environmentally ethical practice. Whether a company chooses to just reduce waste by refilling ink cartridges, help preserve forests by using recycled paper or goes the whole way and only utilises recycled or sustainable consumables the overall outcome will benefit all in the long run and have no impact on either profit margins or the earth.