Green Thinking News

Banner publishes green catalogue

UK business supplies reseller Banner – part of the EVO Group – has launched its first B Green catalogue, aimed at helping companies and public sector organisations across the country meet their sustainability targets.

The new publication includes a wide range of sustainable products in categories from cleaning and catering to office supplies and printers. Banner says a “critical” component of the catalogue is a guide which helps users understand the different product sustainability accreditations. Those covered include Blue Angel, Carbon Neutral, Energy Star, Fairtrade, EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan and the Rainforest Alliance.

Banner CSR and Social Values Manager Julie Hadley said: “Everyone knows the supply chain plays a huge role in an organisation’s sustainability. In drawing together products with sustainable credentials and putting them side by side, we hope customers can make easier comparisons and better choices. However, we are fully aware that the burning question of ‘which is better?’ remains unanswered.”

‘Be Green’ is a tagline that has long been associated with Office Depot; its contract business in the UK is now owned by Banner rival OT Group. It’s probably not a coincidence that Banner – which bought the Staples UK book of business last year – has come up with something that sounds identical, although the word ‘Be’ has been replaced with the letter B in a style that matches its logo. UK dealer group Integra Business Solutions has launched a carbon footprint calculation portal to help its members measure and report on their carbon emissions.

The Green Initiative portal has been set up in partnership with Compare Your Footprint. It provides dealers with a dashboard, together with scope guidance and support, to take them through the process – from collating and recording data to calculation and benchmarking.

According to the group, the portal, once populated with the relevant data, will provide all the information members need to analyse areas for improvement and reduction. It can also act as a data repository for companies working towards certifications such as B-Corp and ISO.

Integra’s reasoning behind the initiative is the UK’s target of achieving net zero by 2050 and the increasing pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon footprints – with the ability to measure emissions being regarded as an important first step

Sustainability focus for Interaction

European purchasing group Interaction is raising its game on environmental and social matters, Managing Director Jan Van Belleghem has told OPI. Van Belleghem highlighted recent acquisitions by three Interaction members: PBS Holding (buying Staples Solutions’ global accounts business), EVO (the Staples UK contract book of business) and Wulff (Staples Finland). He said these deals had greatly increased the Q-Connect brand owner’s exposure to large, multinational clients across Europe. Sustainability is a top priority for them and a key component of tenders. This has led to Interaction expanding the sustainability initiatives it already had in place, such as reducing the amount of plastics used in products and packaging. At the start of 2022, the group became

Jan Van a member of environmental and social

Belleghem monitoring NGO Amfori. This has so far resulted in 40 Q-Connect suppliers undergoing audits under Amfori’s Business Social Compliance Initiative platform. It includes areas such as factory working conditions, fair remuneration and child labour.

Interaction is also monitoring environmental aspects of its supply chain via Amfori’s Business Environmental Performance Initiative self-assessment tool. This takes a holistic view of carbon footprints through a life cycle analysis methodology that supports outcomes from the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Another area Van Belleghem wants to develop is Interaction’s charitable support. From 2023, the group will be involved in World Bicycle Relief. This is a charity that helps girls and women in low-income rural areas around the globe to become more mobile, enabling them to go to school and work. Van Belleghem himself is a keen cyclist and mountain biker, so the choice of charity seems a natural one.

Interaction has brought all its efforts together in a new social and environmental responsibility charter which has already been approved by the organisation’s board. It is now being distributed to other Interaction stakeholders and should be made public shortly.

Bureau Vallée takes CSR action

Bureau Vallée is engaging its entire network of around 350 stores on CSR issues. After a two-month pilot in its home country of France, the reseller is implementing a CSR action plan in partnership with sustainability services provider Lakaa.

The first step has been to create a group of internal ambassadors – known as Colibris – who will act as liaisons between the head office and the stores. They will help franchisees develop their own CSR initiatives at a local level in line with the group’s wider sustainability and social goals.

The Lakaa platform will enable Bureau Vallée to bring everything together in a single online portal. It includes a catalogue of actions that can be carried out, the ability to share ideas across the network, and a reporting tool for each store.

During the pilot stage, the 50 outlets that took part shared almost 700 environmental and social initiatives between them. The goal is now to build on this to increase the group’s positive impact across all its regions.

OT Group makes ESG appointment

Debbie UK and Ireland Wall business products organisation OT Group has appointed Debbie Wall to lead its environmental and societal strategy. Wall is a seasoned sustainability and CSR professional, with more than 20 years’ industry experience. This includes over five years at business software firm Sage, where she set up the Sage Foundation. More recently, she has been working with the Aston Martin F1 racing team and UK charity Best Beginnings.

Her immediate priorities at OT Group will include setting a carbon baseline and establishing achievable targets to “significantly” reduce the company’s environmental footprint by 2030.

Tork survey highlights office sustainability frustrations

Essity’s B2B cleaning and hygiene brand Tork recently questioned workers in seven European countries to gauge their expectations on the topic of sustainability as they return to the office. The Tork Eco Office Survey – conducted by OnePoll – interviewed 12,000 people from the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Poland.

One key finding was that 84% of employees want to see a more environmentally friendly office. Essity said there has been a “clear shift” in expectations, with 43% of those surveyed feeling their offices are actually “shamefully” eco-unfriendly. Moreover, almost half are disappointed their employers did not make improvements during the pandemic. Other responses included:

• Seven out of ten employees feel they are left to take the lead, and many have already considered implementing eco-friendly practices themselves. • One in three say their bosses don’t appear to care for the planet at all. • 68% responded that they select companies based on their sustainability reputation and actions when looking for a new job. • Topics such as recycling and reducing waste, energy use and better internal communications around sustainability should be top priorities for employers to address.

Commenting on the research, Reneé Remijnse, Sustainability Director at Essity Professional Hygiene, said: “There has been a definite shift over the past 18 months in our general attitudes as workers take the issue of sustainability more seriously than ever before.” “There is a clear expectation and request for an eco-friendly office, something not all employers are taking seriously. Simple steps, such as improving recycling practices and reducing energy use can already make a difference – but only if you include, and communicate with, your employees to get the best impact.”

Officeworks participating in wind farm project

Australian office products reseller Officeworks recently took part in a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct in Queensland.

Expected to be operating by 2024, the precinct will be the largest in Australia and one of the biggest wind farms in the southern hemisphere, with a combined capacity of 1,026 MW. It will generate more than 3,000 GWh of renewable energy annually, the equivalent of powering 700,000 homes.

Officeworks Operations Manager Tracey Warren (photo, centre) joined other Wesfarmers Group retailers as well as partner CleanCo Queensland for the event. The project forms part of Officeworks’ commitment to use 100% renewable energy by 2025.