Environmental Policy - Sundry Supplies Limited
“Sundry Supplies is an environmentally friendly company. We promote cognizance in and out of office to adhere to global environmental policies and practices.”
We are very conscious of our role in developing business practices that minimize our environmental impact and maximise our contribution within the community. As part of our environment & sustainability policy, we have incorporated various methods to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle waste. Sundry Supplies has always emphasized and put into practice the following initiatives:
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
We make a conscious effort to use recycled or recyclable paper and office products. All Sundry Supplies deliveries are packaged in 95% recycled Kraft boxes. We have also switched to E–invoicing to reduce the amount of paper used, thereby saving paper not only for ourselves but also for our customers. We further assist customers by offering online ordering through our website and digital catalogues to eliminate the need for excessive amounts of paper in our customer’s offices.
All our commercial waste is recycled through Thorntons Recycling. They recycle more than 80% of all material received. Sundry Supplies also ensure that all our pallets are returned to our suppliers for re-use or recycled in the correct manner through Thornton Recycling. Thorntons Recycling is one of the most successful companies in Ireland's recycling industry recovering over 85% of the 350,000 tonnes of material processed annually. We also provide customers with the service of collecting used cartridges toners using these boxes to for collection. We also collect used batteries and company mobiles on a regular basis. These are then recycled through Recognized Recycling Centres.
For instance, in our office all our domestic waste is separated into general waste and recycling, we use Panda. Panda has a Zero Landfill mission that means our waste will be reused, repurposed, or recycled. We also recycle all our own toner and ink cartridges with Q Recycling Box.
Waste Management
Sundry Supplies will collect any waste generated from the delivery of your stationery that has been purchased through us. We will collect any waste that you have onsite from your current or previous stationery order that are ready to be disposed of e.g., Cartons and outer packaging from boxes of paper or stationery supplies. All packaging materials used will be recycled by Sundry Supplies through Thornton’s recycling- we will supply containers to dispose of your recyclable paper waste. We will collect these from your premises on a regular basis.
We will also collect and dispose of any electrical items under the WEEE directive where the same or similar product has been purchased. We will recycle all waste that is returned to us here including paper waste, Office Machines, Batteries and Consumable Cartridges.
Energy Savings & Efficiency
We use environmentally friendly energy saving bulbs throughout the office and warehouse. We also encourage employees to consider their work and lifestyle choices such as using public transport to commute to and from work thereby reducing carbon footprint. In addition, all equipment in the buildings are serviced on a yearly basis. This ensures that equipment operates within specification and at an optimal use of energy and other resources. Within the office we use a sensor system, and our light bulbs are all energy efficient LED bulbs throughout the premises. The lights automatically turn off whenever someone leaves their office, ensures that lights are never left on. We are also now looking at the benefits of Photovoltaic panels on the roof areas to help reduce our reliance on the Grid.
Sourcing of Sustainable Products
Sundry Supplies strives to purchase products from fully certified suppliers. We continually promote environmental products and encourage our customers to choose recycled/environmentally friendly products. Most of the products we supply are either recycled or have elements that are recyclable. Paper is an important resource used worldwide and we source paper from suppliers who provide high quality paper procured from sustainable forests. There is also a sheet which is Carbon Neutral and available to order, it’s made using energy from the mills own pulp making process and using modern filler and fibre technology. View this product here.
Also, all envelopes that we source are manufactured from 100% recycled paper, have a minimum of 100% post-consumer waste and is fully certified for the Chain of Custody of FSC & PEFC paper. We ensure that all inks and glues used by our manufactures are 100% water-based products machining them more sustainable.
For those who prefer the hard copy catalogue, our Sundry Supplies Buyers Guide is printed on 51gsm Galerie lite paper. The paper is elemental chlorine free and sourced from well managed forests. The paper of the Buyers Guide can be recycled, for use in newspapers and packaging and is also biodegradable as compost or can be incinerated to produce energy. Our Buyers Guide also includes a Green Index which helps customers find environmentally friendly products at their ease. This has been followed through to our website, where we have a section solely dedicated to our environmental policies and products. The following list is current items clearly stating the recyclable and sustainable status on each product.
We have completely eliminated all single use plastics from our website to become more compliant and sustainable. We have heavily focused on incorporating eco-friendlier and more reusable cutlery within the website.
In relation to our main Furniture suppliers Dams the cardboard they use for packaging is 100% reusable and is made up of 84% recycled content. They re-use cardboard attached to cut offs of MFC as corner protection for their desktops, storage, and boardroom tables. Here is their CSR statement.
We do also offer many ranges of furniture and we believe the focus is changing toward sustainable product for instance our Sit Stand Desk is available in Plywood and was awarded the Green Tag, our range of Rosalie Canteen Seating is made from 43% recycled materials. Currently many of the fabric being requested are from recycled lots more here from the leading fabric provider.
We also have waste sorting bins which have proved themselves invaluable, cost-effective training for the community at large.
Keeping our Customers Informed
We continually update our digital catalogue and online system with environmentally friendly products and ensure to pass this information to all end users. We will also offer products to our customers that we believe will assist in reducing their waste. For example, we pioneered a 3 way recycle bin for Deloitte, which has been installed in Deloitte’s locations nationwide. These bins have been a remarkable success and have already helped to reduce Deloitte’s waste by a third.
Carbon Footprint
We adopt the principles set out by the ‘Carbon Fund’ (www.carbonfund.org). We see to reduce what we can and offset what we cannot. We recognise our collective and individual responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and seek out ways to do so. Our staff are encouraged through education, training, and positive re-enforcement to consider their work and lifestyle choices and to find opportunities to reduce their carbon and climate impact.
We have recently engaged an environmental consultant to help us progress towards achieving a carbon neutral position. Our baseline level of carbon emission is estimated at 200 tonnes. We have put the following measures and metrics in place to accurately measure and track our progress towards reducing this figure by 30% per year.
Many of our initiatives can be found on our Content Hub, which is updated on a very regular basis here for instance is our statement re carbon reduction
Here are some helpful measures and metrics relating to how we can all do our part.
Transportation
- How do our employees get to work?
- How far do they travel?
- What mode of transport do they use?
Facilities, Energy & Waste
- Building
- Construction Materials
- Energy Rating
- Size of buildings
- Age of buildings
- Area of impervious zone around building
- Electricity
- How much is used per month?
- How much comes from renewable sources?
- Oil, Gas & Water
- How much oil is used per month?
- How much gas is used per month?
- How much water is used per month?
- Waste
- How much waste is produced of each type from the following?
- Paper & Cardboard
- Aluminium
- Other Metal
- Glass
- Plastic
- What is the % recycled / landfilled?
Products & Services
- Supplies
- How much paper is used in your office?
- What is the average post-consumer recycled content of the paper used?
- Technology
- How many desktop computers are in your office?
- How many laptop computers are in your office?
- How many phones, faxes, and other business machines are in your office?
- Furniture
- What is the approximate weight of the wooden furniture in your office?
- What is the approximate weight of the plastic and metal furniture in your office?
- What percentage of your office furniture is made from recycled or certified renewable materials?
- Janitorial
- How many gallons of cleaning or hygiene products are used in your office?
- Breakroom & Common areas
- How many cups of organic or Fair-Trade Certified coffee or tea are consumed?
- How many small appliances (e.g., microwaves, toasters) does your office have?
- How many large appliances (e.g., fridges, stoves) does your office have?
These are OUR current contribution towards reducing Carbon Footprint:
- “Enable Power Management :” Power Management is to be enabled on all PCs, laptops, and print equipment. LED and sensor lighting
- “Waste:” Waste from the Office is recycled by Panda and commercial waste from Thorntons
- “Print Minimization:” Unless a hard copy is absolutely required, use electronic devices to display and share information
- “Desking:” Our desks are made from plywood
- “Equipment Maintenance:” All equipment is serviced on a yearly basis. This ensures that equipment operates within specification and at an optimal use of energy and other resources.
- “Print Policy:” Where printing is essential, we do double side, black and white on carbon neutral paper.
- “Services:” We use recycled and eco Janitorial products, use of paper cups is banned
- “Heating:” We use a Combi Boiler for our gas heating, deemed to be one of the most efficient ways to heat a building, our radiators are thermostatically controlled, we also use a timer, so heat is not constantly on.
- “Transportation:” Staff are encouraged to share or combine journeys where possible to minimise the costs and resources associated with driving