How much waste does your office generate? No matter the size of your team, every business has the ability to cut down their waste by more than 70%.
How? Well, almost all the contents of a typical office waste bin can be recycled, rather than funnelled into landfill. So, setting up recycling and composting bins is a practical place to start to help our planet.
But it doesn't stop there. In fact, there are stacks of sustainable businesses working to reduce waste, reuse and cleverly recycle materials.
From stocking toilet paper in your bathrooms to the energy provider that powers your building, let’s walk you through five of the best sustainable swaps to make in your office this year.
Swap one: Who Gives A Crap
Did you know every day 27,000 trees are cut down to be used for regular toilet paper? Yep, that stat shocked us too.
Luckily, the crew from Who Gives A Crap can deliver 100% recycled toilet paper to your office instead. The team takes recycled office paper (the stuff that ends up in your shredder or that to-do list you chucked into recycling) to make the eco-friendly toilet paper around.
Plus, Who Gives A Crap sends 50% of profits to sanitation projects around the world to help build toilets for those in need. Because a safe loo is a basic human right, right?
Swap two: Zero Co
Ready to ditch single use plastics from your office kitchen? Say hello to Zero Co, the crew turning beach and landfill bound plastic into cleaning and personal care products.
In fact, the Zero Co team have a pretty massive goal in mind: to collect 21 tonnes of ocean-bound waste and reimagine it into refillable bottles. Even the formulas for their entire range (from hand wash and all-purpose cleaners to dishwashing liquids) use plant-based formulas that are good for you and the planet.
The Zero Co team even has a plastic-busting Office Box, packed with five of their top-notch products that can be delivered to your office door. And once you run out, simply pop your refill pouches into the reply-paid postage satchel and receive a clean, refilled and reusable pouch with your goodies inside.
Shop ZeroCo’s Office Box online.
Swap Three: TOM Organic
500 years. That's how long it takes for conventional pads and tampons to break down. And in case you were wondering, there’s almost 30,000 tampons collected from the ocean each and every day.
Clearly, something has to be done about the level of period care waste ending up in landfill and our oceans. And your office can make the switch to kinder, more sustainable period care products.
TOM Organic has crafted a range of 100% organic cotton tampons and pads, free from nasties like synthetics and plastics. In fact, their range is fully biodegradable and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or dyes that can damage our planet.
Shop TOM Organic’s period care range online.
Swap Four: Urban Brew Pods
Is your office powered by caffeine? Us too. But instead of accepting the waste generated by capsule coffee machines, it’s time to find a more sustainable option.
That’s where Urban Brew comes in. This team of coffee lovers have crafted biodegradable coffee pods and capsules that are packed with ethically sourced, Fairtrade and freshly roasted coffee. The best bit? Their range is 100% compatible with Nespresso®, Caffitaly® and K-fee®.
And it’s not just the capsules that matter. Unlike big coffee brands, Urban Brew roasts and creates all of their products locally in Australia. That means fewer kilometres traveled to reach your cup (and no crazy international flight fuel emissions to worry about either).
Whether you purchase pods as you need them or sign up for a regular subscription, Urban Brew is helping to ditch the unnecessary waste from your morning (or 3pm) brew.
Shop Urban Brew’s biodegradable pods online.
Swap Five: Powershop
Ever thought about what it takes to keep your office lights on? Besides your regular power bill, there’s also the carbon emissions and environmental impact of producing that energy to factor in, too.
If you’re looking for a greener solution that genuinely offsets carbon emissions and proactively works to support renewable energy, it’s worth taking a look at Powershop.
These guys are 100% carbon neutral and have even scored the title of Australia’s greenest power company in the 2020 Finder Awards. Plus, they also offer businesses a free carbon calculator to help to figure out how much carbon your business is generating.
Find out more about making the switch to Powershop online.
And that’s a wrap. When it comes to creating a more sustainable office, finding easy swaps for your usual expenses is one of the best ways to lower your environmental impact. Because if you’re going to pay for power, TP and coffee pods, you may as well choose the most sustainable option, right?