Green thinking 2017 app (b)

n WHY CHOOSE SUSTAINABILITY? n COMMERCIAL GROUP BIG INTERVIEW n FOCUS ON CSR n GREEN TRANSPORTATION n PARIS AGREEMENT UPDATE n PAPER CATEGORY OVERVIEW n ECO-FRIENDLY FACILITIES SUPPLIES

THE TEAM EDITORIAL Editor Heike Dieckmann +44 (0)20 7841 2950 heike.dieckmann@opi.net Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman +44 (0)20 7841 2942 michelle.sturman@opi.net Freelance Contributor David Holes david.holes@opi.net SALES AND MARKETING VP – Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa Ewan Dickson +44 (0)20 7841 2954 ewan.dickson@opi.net VP – North America and UK Chris Turness +44 (0)20 7841 2953 chris.turness@opi.net Director of Growth Services Jeremy Hughes +44 (0)7807 810617 jeremy.hughes@opi.net Digital Marketing Manager Aurora Enghis +44 (0)20 7841 2959 aurora.enghis@opi.net EVENTS Events Manager Lisa Haywood +44 (0)20 7841 2941 events@opi.net FINANCE AND PRODUCTION Finance Kelly Hilleard +44 (0)20 7841 2956 kelly.hilleard@opi.net Production Eda Sismanoglu +44 (0)20 7841 2950 Eda@opi.net Studio Joel Mitchell joel.mitchell@opi.net PUBLISHERS CEO Steve Hilleard +44 (0)20 7841 2940 steve.hilleard@opi.net Director Janet Bell +44 (0)20 7841 2941 janet.bell@opi.net Office Products International Ltd (OPI) 2nd Floor 112 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5SA, UK +44 (0)20 7841 2950

GREEN THINKING 2017 n

COMMENT

DOING THE RIGHT THING This is the 11th year of Green Thinking and plenty has changed in the area of ‘green’ since we published the first edition in the summer of 2007 – about a year after the world woke up to Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth.

There have been many awakenings since, not least due to Al Gore’s Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which came out in July. Add to that some stark warnings published by the World Meteorological Organisation in March of this year – highlighting rising sea levels, melting arctic ice and record high temperatures – and there’s no chance of global warming fatigue.

But why choose sustainability, asks Toby Robins (page 10)? Legislation, finance or strong ethical beliefs? Does it even matter when a better planet is the net result?

There’s definitely plenty to take heart from. Increasing legislation across all sectors of the industry as well as technological advances mean that progress is being made, in terms of products as well as logistics and the wider supply chain. A look at the news pages and our features on green transportation (page 32), eco-friendly facilities supplies (page 44) and the broad paper category (page 38) aptly illustrate that.

Challenges remain and victories are often counterbalanced by inefficiencies, both from a product as well as a services point of view. A can-do attitude is vital, Commercial Group’s Simone Hindmarch-Bye highlights in our Big Interview (page 22), as is the realisation that there’s no definitive end game – both the goals and the goalposts in sustainability terms are constantly moving.

The meaning of sustainability itself has changed beyond recognition over the years.

Never has this been made more clear to me than during my chat with Hindmarch-Bye. Her company is one that exudes sustainability or, as she puts it, "social responsibility".

Behind it all is a deeply engrained moral compass and the desire to "do the right thing".

Heike Dieckmann, Editor

CONTENTS 5 News 10 Opinion: Toby Robins 12 SOFEA 15 Paris Agreement: Update 18 CSR Initiatives 20 Rapesco 22 Big Interview: Commercial Group 27 Reseller Focus: Lyreco 29 E-waste 30 Edding 32 Sustainable Transportation 36 The Green Workplace 38 Category Overview: Paper 42 Double A 44 Green Facilities 48 Schneider 50 Final Word: David Baumgarten

Printed in the UK by Wyndeham Grange The carrier sheet is printed on Satimat Silk paper, which is produced on pulp-manufactured wood obtained from recognised responsible forests and at an FSC®-certified mill. It is polywrapped in recycleable plastic that will biodegrade within six months.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced, copied, stored in an electronic retrieval system or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with provision of the copyright designs and patents act of 1988. Stringent efforts have been made by Office Products International to ensure accuracy. However, due principally to the fact that data cannot always be verified, it is possible that some errors or omissions may occur. Office Products International cannot accept responsibility for such errors or omissions. Office Products International accepts no responsibility for comments made by contributing authors or interviewees that may offend.

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GREEN THINKING n

KIMBERLY-CLARK POWERS AHEAD WITH SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

NEWS

ISSA PRESENTS INAUGURAL DEAL AWARDS Worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA presented its inaugural Distributor Efficiency Analytics & Learning (DEAL) Awards during the recent ISSA/ INTERCLEAN North America 2017 event in Las Vegas (NV).

The awards recognised the efforts of ISSA member organisations that participate in the sustainability programme.

The winners were:

Paper consumables manufacturer Kimberly-Clark is on track to surpass its greenhouse gas reduction goal four years ahead of schedule.

As part of its 2022 sustainability plan, the group forged its first renewable energy commitment in September, pledging to purchase one million MWh from two new wind power projects in Texas and Oklahoma in the US. That is equivalent to around one third of the electricity needs for its North American manufacturing operations and puts the company on course to slash its carbon emissions by 25% in 2018.

Meanwhile, Kimberly-Clark is currently suing the District of Columbia (DC) after the city of Washington passed a law last year that prevented the company from using the term ‘flushable’ on its disposable wipes. The regulation was part of a bid to tackle clogged waterways in the US capital.

Kimberly-Clark argues that the legislation is too vague, with a lack of the exact requirements needed to comply. However, if it is found to be in breach of the reportedly 'undefined' standards, it can incur hefty fines. The case continues.

KPMG EXPOSES CLIMATE IGNORANCE Professional services firm KPMG has found that 72% of large and mid-cap companies it had reviewed from across the globe did not acknowledge the material risks related to climate change in their annual financial reports.

According to the KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2017 – which was published in October – of the 28% minority that do mention climate-related risks, fewer than one in 20 provided further analysis.

KPMG studied the annual reports of the top 100 companies from 49 countries around the world. It found only five countries where most of the top firms regularly detailed the

threats in their financial statements: Taiwan, France, South Africa, the USA and Canada.

In terms of industry, Forestry and Paper led the way with 44% of global companies disclosing environmental risks, while Retail was one of the sectors least likely to acknowledge it at 23%.

KPMG said that the pressure for firms to up their game was mounting, with investors and regulators increasingly taking a hard-line approach. Reassuringly, of the companies surveyed, 73% recognised human rights as a corporate responsibility issue, while two thirds revealed targets to reduce carbon emissions.

DEAL Awards of Distinction – Distributors • Energy Excellence Award – EBP Supply Solutions • Energy Improvement Award – North American Corp • Transportation Excellence Award – Sikes Paper • Water Excellence Award – Dalco Enterprises • Waste Diversion Excellence Award – EBP Supply Solutions • Core Contributor Award – Alliance Paper & Food Service • Industry Transformation Award – Waxie Sanitary Supply • Communities and Products Excellence Award – Iowa Des Moines Supply DEAL Awards of Distinction – Manufacturers • Energy Excellence Award – Solaris Paper • Engagement and Awareness Award – Nyco Products DEAL Leadership Awards • Outstanding Performing Organisation Award – EBP Supply Solutions • Outstanding Performing Individual Award – Renae Hesselink, VP of Sustainability at Nichols DEAL Partnership Awards • Outstanding Partner Awards – Penske Truck Leasing, SmartWay and Energy Star

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NEWS n GREEN THINKING

PROPOSED EU PACKAGING RULES CAUSE A STIR

The European Council (EC) is set to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) as part of the new Circular Economy Package to cut waste and boost recycling.

Europe’s packaging industry is reportedly worried about the implications of the new directive in terms of the freedom of movement for packaged goods. A body of 127 industry associations has expressed concerns to the EC, saying that its proposed erosion of the single packaging market risked opening a Pandora’s box of conflicting and fragmented national environmental requirements among member states.

The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment has instead called for the internal market to be retained as the sole legal basis of the PPWD. A full legal review is being considered by the EC.

KONICA MINOLTA CUTS CARBON Konica Minolta’s EOS and managed print services divisions have offset more than 2.6 million kg (5.7 million lbs) of CO2 since the launch of the company's carbon neutrality initiative.

Starting in 2015, the firm has offered European customers carbon-neutral printing for its office and toner-based production systems. To achieve this, it has teamed up with international environmental protection expert ClimatePartner to support a Gold Standard certified project for wind energy in Vader Piet, Aruba.

By utilising the island’s wind resources, the project cuts greenhouse gas emissions by around 153,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. It also positively impacts the local community in Aruba, creating employment opportunities and improving infrastructure and air quality.

IN BRIEF STAPLES MAKES SUSTAINABILITY RANKING Staples has made it onto the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 14th consecutive year. The annual global benchmark for corporate responsibility identified Staples’ positive environmental practices.

Recent highlights for the reseller have included selling more than $5 billion worth of eco-conscious products (28% of total sales) and donating over $11 million to worldwide charities. The group has also recycled more than 48 million lbs (22 million kg) of electronic waste and ink cartridges for its customers.

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR COOL EARTH Cool Earth copier paper from Office Club has been awarded the Stationers’ Warrant Award for Excellence. The paper’s sustainability credentials and its innovative presentation have given Office Club’s members a clear advantage. Sales have increased by 40% year on year and over 50% more members are now selling the product.

DEPOT HOSTS GREEN AWARDS Office Depot has recognised companies from across the US for their commitment to greener purchasing and for achieving their sustainability goals. Organisations that received one of Depot’s Leadership in Greener Purchasing awards include utilities firm American Electric Power, electronics retailer Best Buy and professional services group Marsh & McLennan, as well as a number of public sector customers.

SC JOHNSON IN AMAZON JUNGLE PROJECT Cleaning supplies manufacturer SC Johnson is to use the funds raised from its 2017 Acre-for-Acre Match Challenge to kick off the world’s largest tropical reforestation project in the Amazon jungle.

The campaign garnered donations from across the globe and will support a sixyear project to restore 73 million trees in areas of Brazil by 2023. It will also aid the country in meeting its Paris Agreement target of reforesting 12 million hectares (30 million acres) by 2030.

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GREEN THINKING n

NEWS

THE HIDDEN COST OF COFFEE

Paper manufacturer James Cropper has teamed up with a specialist plant in Cumbria, UK, to convert waste coffee cups into long-life shopping bags for UK department store Selfridges. Each bag contains 20% cup fibre, meaning one large bag will contain the equivalent of one cup.

It is hoped the initiative will be picked up by other retailers across the country to cut the growing problem of beverage-related waste (see also ‘Wake up and smell the waste’, OPI May 2017, page 32). Fast food chain McDonald’s has already signed a partnership with James Cropper to process its waste drinks cups in a similar way.

Elsewhere, major businesses including coffee chains Costa Coffee and Starbucks, and suppliers Nestlé, Bunzl and International Paper have agreed a joint scheme to accelerate the nationwide recycling of lined paper cups.

They have launched special collection points across the UK to make processing easier.

In other coffee-related news, agricultural upcycling organisation Coffee Flour is encouraging manufacturers to convert the waste left behind from the production of coffee beans into a nutrient-rich culinary ingredient. This special flour can provide an extra source of income for coffee farmers by paying for a part of the fruit that was not previously sold, and benefit the mills where new jobs will be created. Coffee Flour is urging industry players on both ends of the supply chain to take up its training and implementation schemes.

2

METRES HOW MUCH SEA LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE BY THE END OF THE CENTURY (AROUND 6 FT)

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NEWS n GREEN THINKING

PENKETH REVEALS DEMAND FOR ECO CREDENTIALS Independent OP dealer Penketh Group in the UK has revealed a boom in demand for eco-friendly products. As the recycling trend spreads from the home to the workplace, Penketh has found that more companies are sourcing products with a "sustainable pedigree".

The company has recently worked with interior designer SpaceInvader to provide furniture for engineering consultants Hilson Moran that meet the WELL Building Standard. The consultants’ Manchester office is now set to be the first WELL Gold Standard-accredited office in the North of England. All the furniture was sourced to conform to stringent volatile organic compounds expectations in order to improve air quality and ensure long-term compliance.

IN BRIEF ANCIENT FOREST SAVED Campaigners in Victoria, Australia, have won a court battle to save the Kuark forest from being logged and turned into office paper. Some of the mighty eucalyptus trees that grow in the forest are estimated to be over 500 years old. Government-owned VicForests had slated the woodland to be cut down and turned to pulp for a Japanese office paper company. The government is now looking to impose special protection zones in the region.

HP'S FIRST RECYCLED PRINTER Tech giant HP Inc has unveiled the world’s first printer made with closed loop recycled plastic. The new HP ENVY Photo Printer, launched earlier this year, is made from more than 10% reprocessed plastic from old devices and ink cartridges.

EPSON AUSTRALIA JOINS RECYCLING SCHEME

KINNARPS LAUNCHES SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

CANON USA REACHES 2017 ECO GOAL

Sweden-based office furniture maker Kinnarps has released a comprehensive tool that rates how sustainable its products actually are, detailing aspects such as the use of raw materials and resources as well as the company's social impact and effect on climate change.

The online index grades each piece of furniture from one to three, three being the highest. It allows customers to make better-informed buying decisions in terms of environmental credentials.

EOS vendor Canon USA has reached its goal of helping to plant 50,000 trees in 2017.

To date, the company has contributed to the reforestation of 460,000 trees since it began its affiliation with the Arbor Day Foundation programme in 2009.

The Foundation's global initiatives aim to rebuild forest areas that are in desperate need of regrowth. This year, active USbased replanting efforts have taken place in 35 forests across 23 states.

The mission mirrors Canon’s Kyosei philosophy, which encourages corporations to work together for the common good.

Earlier this year, staff at the Canon Americas HQ began planting trees in its grounds to commemorate anniversaries and milestones.

8 n GREEN THINKING 2017

Epson Australia has partnered with environmental foundation Planet Ark and joined a national recycling programme for used printer supplies. Called Cartridges 4 Planet Ark, the scheme provides a free, fullyaccredited solution that collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing. It is currently in its 14th year and is on track to process 36 million cartridges by the end of 2017.

BIRD-BRAINED SOLUTION FOR LITTER PROBLEM A start-up company in the Netherlands is developing a machine that turns birds into litter-picking vigilantes. It may sound like something from an Alfred Hitchcock film, but the company – called CrowdedCities – is trialling a device that trains crows to swap discarded cigarette butts for peanuts.

Dubbed the CrowBar, the team hopes it will tackle the problem of litter in public parks and gardens.

OPINION n SUSTAINABILITY

WHY CHOOSE SUSTAINABILITY? What drives companies to position themselves sustainably, despite a perceived potential threat to the balance sheet? And why should they do it? Toby Robins explores the issues…

G

oogle’s motto has evolved from ‘Don’t be Evil’ to ‘Do the Right Thing; 83% of Apple’s power comes from renewables; Levi’s now has ‘waterless’ jeans; adidas has ‘ocean plastic’ products and Marks & Spencer has ‘Plan A’.

What has been the motivation for these companies to so clearly position themselves as driven by values beyond the balance sheet?

The fashion industry in particular would seem an unlikely bedfellow for sustainability given the culture of once-worn clothes being thrown out for being last season’s colours or cut. And why would technology corporations choose to erode their short-term profitability by paying a premium for nascent renewable technology?

These businesses aren’t niche players in their industry sectors – they are leaders.

Perhaps a clue lies in Morgan Stanley’s recently published report Sustainability Through the Eye of the Investor. It shows that 72% of individual investors believe that companies benefit from a focus on sustainability and that it is an issue millennials are both highly aware of and want addressed. The aforementioned firms have recognised what matters to their customers.

“Decades of coordination [with the EU] have resulted in a level playing field with our biggest trading partner, and 80% of UK environmental legislation now owes its origins to the EU” PATCHY PERFORMANCE So how have are we doing in our industry? It is a patchy story which may reflect another of Morgan Stanley’s findings – that 54% of investors believe there is a trade-off between profitability and sustainability. Private equity plays a powerful role in our sector now and the perception that sustainability is a cost often leaves it low down on the board’s agenda.

Strategically, all companies have a decision to make as to where they position themselves.

They can choose to simply ignore sustainability, attempt to remain disengaged from it and focus

10 n GREEN THINKING 2017

instead on short-term opportunism. They can make the effort to ensure that they are at least legally compliant. They can choose a defensive strategy whereby they have a credible response to a client or customer’s request. Or alternatively, they can invest in a leadership position which gives them the option to lead with a sustainability USP and future-proof their businesses for what lies ahead.

COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES The drivers behind the decision are threefold.

The reputational and therefore financial risk of not being compliant often makes regulation the first of these drivers. Any former executive of the now defunct Robert Horne paper merchant could describe the costs from it being found to be selling paper associated with illegal deforestation in Indonesia.

The challenge of remaining legally compliant is entering interesting times in both the US and UK. Scott Pruitt’s tenure at the Environmental Protection Agency in the US is seeing a rapid deconstruction of environmental regulation. This lowering of the bar for compliance inevitably gives the opportunity for reduced environmental standards. It also offers companies a chance to stand out by clearly demonstrating the priority they place on people and planet as well as profit; the announcement by Mars of its billion dollar sustainability programme sends a clear message of its position.

In the UK, Brexit has created massive uncertainty. Attempts to alleviate this by transposing all EU law into UK law to provide continuity are requiring a transfer of power to Ministers that have set alarm bells ringing for the lack of democratic accountability.

Environmental legislation is required to address issues that can be local or national, but are also frequently transnational by their very nature.

Decades of coordination have resulted in a level playing field with our biggest trading partner, and 80% of UK environmental legislation now owes its origins to the EU. For our industry, just consider the implications and bureaucracy that would result from a variation in the standard and application of the EU Timber

SUSTAINABILITY n

Regulation with regard to paper, filing products and furniture, or the REACH chemical controls with regard to, for instance, pens.

Given that powerful reasons are required to enact legislation, delivering compliance catalyses growing environmental awareness within a company. That, in turn, increases the appreciation that there are significant financial benefits resulting from managing environmental impacts. Examples of this? The realisation that lighting technology can pay for itself in little over a year or that reducing waste means that you don’t have to pay to dispose of it or buy so much in the first place.

Operational managers have always had a reason to maximise the efficiency of their companies, but sustainability adds a new dimension, with incentives such as avoiding congestion and toxicity charges or reduced vehicle taxation.

These financial benefits are the second driver for managing sustainability.

With greater knowledge and education comes an appreciation of what humanity is doing to the planet and the role a company can play. This creates the third – a moral and ethical – driver and is a key step in the transition towards a purpose-oriented organisation addressing social as well as environmental concerns within a commercial vehicle.

This is the point at which staff aren’t simply working in a company because they are getting paid, but because they are making a difference; the point at which customers and suppliers are proud to be associated with you.

STRUCTURED APPROACH Effectively converting these diverse drivers into a sustainability strategy requires a structured approach from a social, economic and environmental perspective. Socially, it involves understanding who the stakeholders are, including customers, suppliers, staff and the community.

Examine then what their requirements are and what contribution can be made to support them.

No business is sustainable if it is not economically viable. There is an opportunity, however, to strengthen the economic credentials of an organisation by winning and retaining business and staff through the exposition of the sustainability initiatives within marketing materials.

Environmentally, the exercise requires discovering how the firm interacts with the planet.

There are things within your control such as energy use and waste at your own facilities, but there's also the topic of distribution, including the selection and use of the fleet. There are further opportunities to reach along the value chain to areas of influence such as the supply chain and customer purchasing behaviour.

Indeed, the supply chain offers a chance to reposition the relationship with customers and

OPINION

become a centre of expertise. To do so, however, requires going beyond the label and being able to explain why or why not a product should be regarded as better than others. Consider the raw materials involved, their origins and the social cost of their extraction; think about the credentials of the manufacturer; assess the in-use phase and the longevity of the product; debate what will happen to it at the end of its useful life and consider the distribution footprint along the chain.

This article began with highlighting great practice from outside our industry, but who is showing leadership in our sector? For many firms responsible management is so integrated that it is simply how they operate and it would be a challenge to find bad practice: paper mills throughout the EU and the Americas, and German writing instruments manufacturers are a good example of this.

“No business is sustainable if it is not economically viable” Several companies, however, have initiatives that reach beyond that and make them stand out from the crowd. Mills Office Productivity in Canada with its certified B Corp status and Lyreco with the 100% social audit of its own-brand suppliers and its massive PV installation on the UK warehouse.

In France, Bureau Vallée’s A to E analysis of product credentials which translates through into the level of promotional activity. In the UK, Commercial Group with its alternative fuel distribution, its social foundation taking disadvantaged people off the street and setting them back on their feet with training and job placement, or its reverse logistics operation collecting recycling when making deliveries (see also Big Interview, page 22).

Sustainability, in our sector as well as many others, is becoming business as usual. The number is growing of those that are thriving on the recognition that buyers are individuals who, given the opportunity, will tend to, as Google put it, ‘Do the Right Thing’.

Toby Robins is a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Having set up his own environmentallyfocused office supplies company in 1989, Robins is now CEO of UK dealer group Office Club.

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ADVERTORIAL n SOFEA

After a few delays and a lot of work, Sustainable Office European Association (SOFEA) is on the cusp of launching its new rating system, which is set to shake up the future of sustainability in the business supplies industry. OPI's Joshua Allsopp talks to SOFEA Managing Director Anita Singh-Gunther about the scheme and the aims of the organisation OPI: Let's start with a brief overview of SOFEA. Anita Singh-Gunther: SOFEA is a European association for the office supplies sector focusing on the environmental impact of the industry. We owe our existence to resellers and manufacturers that collaborate to collect sustainability data across Europe.

Put simply, our aim is to create an industrywide EU rating system to encourage the proliferation of innovative, eco-efficient and responsible office products. To make this happen, we are taking into account customer requirements and existing standards as we want the system to be credible and accessible to endusers, manufacturers and distributors alike.

With this in mind, the SOFEA platform enables resellers and vendors to fill out a simple online assessment form which covers specific sustainability requirements. The findings will then be used to issue a completely transparent A-E rating that clearly shows how well the product performs based on our environmental standards.

OPI: What have been your key milestones and achievements so far?

ASG: In the past three years, we have focused primarily on building our methodology, one that is not only created by the industry, but that has also been refined through collaboration with the scientific community.

12 n GREEN THINKING 2017

That work is now over and we have launched the ‘SOFEA Assessment Scheme’ (SAS). SAS is a representative product scoring system that brings together the right elements from other sustainable classification schemes and fulfils the expectations of players at every level, across all parts of the sector.

At the same time, we have finished running our first three pilot groups. We learned a lot from these initial experiments and they allowed us to guide how we run the new tests. For example, the next set of groups will use a simplified pathway and the timescales have been made much clearer.

OPI: How else did the pilots influence the next stage of the process?

ASG: The SOFEA online platform – which will be made available at the end of 2017 – will feature a questionnaire built around the findings of the pilot groups. This makes it easier for companies to assess their products against our standards resulting in an A-E rating. We expect to certify around 2,000 SKUs using data SOFEA Managing Director from the initial three-product Anita Singh-Gunther group assessment.

SOFEA n

WHAT SOFEA MEMBERS SAY: “We are proud to be a founding member of SOFEA. It motivates our customers to make well-considered, sustainable decisions in their buying/procurement process. This is critical to our objectives as a business.” – Staples Solutions “SOFEA not only helps consumers to make better decisions, but also positively promotes good corporate governance for suppliers and resellers alike.” – Pentel Europe “All decision-makers within our industry carry a responsibility towards the environment, and that can only be achieved through a collective initiative like SOFEA.” – Maped “We are convinced that a more uniform and trustworthy initiative on a European level will help us to achieve our goal of cutting out greenwashing from our sector.” – ACCO Brands EMEA

“Everyone is consciously contributing to the well-being of the Earth in their own way and choose goals that suit their company” We have also enrolled our project into one of the European Commission-subsidised programmes, ‘NSR Interreg’. This has given us an opportunity to test the SAS in the government sector, which will help us to roll out our programme elsewhere.

OPI: What can we expect from SOFEA in the coming months?

ASG: We have laid the groundwork for SOFEA and, working together with the industry, we now want the organisation to gain the recognition it deserves. Our members have volunteered their time to build a service that can now be considered an asset to the industry. We will continue to grow trust and credibility in our rating system by involving more parties from across the industry and by looking for partnerships that are complementary to our work. As mankind's impact on the environment is such a global issue, we do not believe in flying solo. The only way we can make a difference is by working together.

We will be closely following developments in the market to ensure that we can remain proactive and introduce appropriate solutions as and when they arise. We will also be looking to collaborate closely with the scientific community and the European Commission through subsidy programmes or other ways that match with our work. As I mentioned, we are going to start filling our system with fully-assessed SKUs and we will start to open new pilot groups next year. Then it's just a matter of spreading the word about our methodology and online platform.

ADVERTORIAL

OPI: Why has it all taken so long?

ASG: The idea for the project has existed for a long time. It has great potential for success, but there has been much debate about the right solution and its appropriate implementation.

We are working with an extensive board and it is very important to listen to each member and use their input to form a solution. I guess it takes a lot of time when all those involved in the project are doing it alongside their day jobs. But with our milestones achieved, we are now ready to go live.

OPI: Broadly speaking, what's your view on sustainability in our industry?

ASG: Looking around, we see various initiatives being taken by companies to be more environmentally responsible. Everyone is consciously contributing to the well-being of the Earth in their own way and choose goals that suit their company.

Sustainability is no longer one of those things that is nice to have but has become an integral part of many organisations and indeed individuals.

There is clearly customer demand for accurate product information like certification, energy use, recycled content, etc, and we should be able to access this instantly. It is our goal to consolidate this data and make it readily available to everybody.

For more information on SOFEA, please visit www.sofea.eu.

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT A new and exciting time lies ahead for SOFEA as we launch the online platform this December and I am very proud of what we have achieved so far.

We have invested a lot of time fine-tuning our methodology to create a trustworthy system for the industry. There will soon be a uniform rating to determine a product’s environmental attributes that can be recognised as standard across Europe.

Right now, we are ready to roll out the first three online product scorecards: notebooks, filing and writing instruments.

We are then opening new product groups and are gradually filling up the online platform with reliable, accurate information that will be valuable to the industry and its sustainability efforts.

2018 will be a very important year as we build upon our relationship with the European Commission and enrol the SOFEA project in the co-subsidised NSR Interreg programme. We will also be working to strengthen our ties in the industry.

There are a lot of things to look forward to and I hope you will join us in our journey.

Matthias Schumacher President, SOFEA

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PARIS AGREEMENT n

UPDATE

MOVING FORWARD Despite a major setback, the Paris Agreement climate pact is still on track

T

he Paris Agreement aims to tackle climate change by keeping the increase in the global average temperature to "well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5°C".

The landmark deal, which was ratified and came into effect on 4 November 2016, has been progressing steadily towards its goals. In the past year, there has only been one – albeit major – upset: the intended withdrawal of the US under the Trump administration.

This means that only two countries are not supporting the accord – the US and Syria – as Nicaragua has now signed up.

The country had initially refused to join the agreement, stating that a voluntary pledge did not go far enough in tackling climate change, in particular efforts from wealthier countries.

However, on 23 October 2017, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega signed the Paris Agreement, leaving just the US and Syria in the wilderness.

While Syria is occupied with civil war, President Donald Trump declared in June his intent to leave, citing too many restrictions on US businesses and calling for renegotiations.

In August, a letter sent by the US representative to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres made clear that the US is fully prepared to resign

from the climate accord. In the accompanying media release, it stated: “He [President Trump] is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favourable to it, its businesses, its workers, its people and its taxpayers.”

“Only two countries are not supporting the accord – the US and Syria” In effect, this means that the US has halted the execution of its current nationallydetermined contribution, but is nevertheless dedicated to an approach that lowers emissions while sustaining economic growth and enhancing energy security needs. The US has also said it will work closely with other nations to use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently, as well as help establish renewable and other clean energy sources.

STRONG RESOLVE Officially, no country can formally give notice until 2019, and then it will take another year to jump through all the necessary hoops, taking the US to the run-up of its 2020 elections. Of course, a new US President could choose to reverse the impending decision.

There was initial concern that President Trump’s decision would pave the way for other countries to call for changes or follow suit and resign, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. In July, members at the

G20 Summit in Germany – with the exception of the US – agreed the Paris Agreement is irreversible and are steadfast in their “strong commitment” to the accord and swift movement towards its full implementation.

The Summit ended with a commitment to the G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth.

Whatever the outcome in 2020 regarding the participation of the US in the climate deal, it is clear that the rest of the world is determined to continue on a course towards halting rising global temperatures.

TAKING ACTION In response to the Trump administration’s planned withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, not only did major US brands such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Google condemn the move, but so did a number of US governors and other prominent state officials.

In the days that followed President Donald Trump’s announcement, several US states – Hawaii being the first – declared to honour the goals put forth by the Paris accord. This prompted Governors Andrew Cuomo (NY), Jay Insell (WA) and Jerry Brown (CA) to create The United States Climate Alliance (USCA), a bi-partisan coalition of states committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

At the time of going to press, the USCA consisted of 14 US states and Puerto Rico which combined represent 36% of the US population.

They are collectively on track to reach a 24-29% reduction below 2005 emission levels by 2025.

Brown said: “The Alliance believes in the Paris Agreement and will help America get on a solid path to decarbonise our economy.”

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CSR n INITIATIVES

3M LEADS THE WAY IN DISABILITY INCLUSION 3M's support for people with disabilities is recognised 3M has been awarded a 100% score in this year’s Disability Equality Index (DEI) for its outstanding support of employees with disabilities. This makes it one of the DEI’s ‘2017 Best Places to Work’.

3M supports employees with disabilities and their families in a number of ways. Staff have access to a resource group called the disAbility Awareness Network, for example, as well as flexible work arrangements and an employeeassistance programme that offers individualised consultation on everything from maximising effectiveness at work to navigating family and relationship issues.

Darcie Rossborough is a 3M Continuous Delivery Manager with a hearing disability. “I’m comfortable sharing that part of me at work and I think that’s due to the culture of 3M,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have to hide it or that disclosing it will limit my career.”

Rossborough and other colleagues are also creating an employee group focused on autism and mental health – the ‘invisible’ disabilities.

“Because of the stigma, people don’t tend to share their personal or family’s experiences,” explained Rossborough, whose son is on the autism spectrum. “We have 3Mers with a wealth of experience in these areas, and we need to tap into one another as well as others for support."

3M also scored 100% on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, making it one of the ‘Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality’. Additionally, it received the 2017 Catalyst Award for accelerating women’s leadership.

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IN A CSR NUTSHELL HURRICANE RELIEF The International Paper (IP) Foundation, part of US manufacturer International Paper, is supporting disaster relief efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey, which hit the Caribbean and North America in August this year. $750,000 is going to American Red Cross branches in Texas and Louisiana – US states where nearly 5,000 IP employees live and work – with a further $250,000 given to Feeding America.

WINC SUPPORTS INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we know we still have to do more,” said 3M’s Senior VP of Human Resources Marlene McGrath.

DISASTER RELIEF In a separate initiative, 3M has established a Global Relief Fund to support communities affected by recent natural disasters.

Both hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit areas with 3M operations across Texas and Florida. The company reacted quickly with cash support and a programme to match donations from 3M employees and retirees. Hurricane Maria also affected Puerto Rico where the company has an office dedicated to sales, technical and marketing operations. In addition, multiple earthquakes have devastated areas in Mexico.

3M is pledging $1 million to help provide relief for those areas impacted in Latin America. It will also support the American Red Cross for US-based emergencies, including the victims of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.

Winc (formerly Staples Australia and New Zealand) and charity AIME have teamed up to launch a new product range that will support young indigenous Australians in education. All profits from the 15-piece collection – a selection of notebooks, pens, mugs, pencil cases and umbrellas – will go to the AIME Education Program which seeks to support 10,000 children annually across Australia.

GEORGIA-PACIFIC SUPPORTS FIREFIGHTERS

Georgia-Pacific's Bucket Brigade programme has awarded $188,400 in grants to 40 fire departments in the US this year, providing equipment that is critical to firefighters' safety. In the 11 years since the programme's inception, GeorgiaPacific has given more than $2.2 million to fire departments in cash and educational materials.

INITIATIVES n

KILIMANJARO CYCLE TOUR TO SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS MD of European alliance helps African agriculture

CSR

GENERATION Z CSR STUDY Enlist the young to get your CSR message across A recent study by Cone Communications – a US-based public relations and marketing agency specialising in CSR – revealed that Generation Z is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to environmental and sustainability issues. This tech-savvy cohort was born between 1995 and 2010, which means that some of them are just entering the workforce. Cone's research shows that this group of people is ready to use their digital devices to spread the CSR message.

Crucially, these digital natives will account for 40% of all consumers globally by 2020 and they expect companies to be their partners in

change, with the survey revealing the following key findings: • 94% believe companies should help address CSR issues.

• 81% believe they can have an impact on social or environmental issues by using social media.

• 89% would rather buy from a company that supports CSR issues over one that does not.

• 58% feel that supporting social or environmental issues online is more effective at making a difference than doing something out in the communities.

It certainly seems that it will pay off to bring Generation Z on board to get your CSR message across.

HP HELPS LEARNING IN THE EMERGING WORLD HP School Cloud to reach 100 million people by 2020 Jan Van Belleghem, Managing Director of European wholesaler and distributor alliance Interaction, has recently completed a cycle tour around Kilimanjaro, aimed at raising funds for local agricultural projects.

The six-day journey involved covering 420 km (250 miles) and climbing a total of 6,000 m (60,000 ft) along hot, sandy tracks in the savannah and red-clay slopes that flank the highest mountain in Africa. Monies raised will help local farmers improve irrigation and boost their harvests of rice and passion fruit.

“We slept in tents and on the floors of schools and churches, but the natural beauty and Tanzanian joy of life made it more than worth the effort,” said Van Belleghem. “I’ve received a substantial number of donations from our industry for which I am very grateful. Once I’ve cleaned off the dust I might consider a new challenge.”

From early 2018 the new HP School Cloud and Open Learning Platform will provide access to educational materials and apps for students, teachers and adult learners in rural and poor communities around the world.

The HP School Cloud acts as both an advanced wireless router and state-ofthe-art file and content server. Each device provides a range of free, opensource educational materials. Schools without internet access can simply install an HP School Cloud, turn it on and let students access e-textbooks and lessons on reading, science, mathematics and more.

The technology is currently piloting in schools in Kenya and Malawi. HP aims to reach one million learners by 2020 and is partnering with Intel to seed over 1,700 HP School Clouds in schools in emerging countries.

EPSON JOINS CSR EUROPE Epson demonstrates its commitment to CSR and sustainability Epson has joined CSR Europe, a European business network for corporate social responsibility. The network comprises over 10,000 companies and acts as a platform for businesses looking to enhance their sustainable growth and contribute positively to society.

Stefan Crets, Executive Director of CSR Europe, said: “Joining a leading sustainability organisation like

CSR Europe demonstrates Epson’s commitment to European and global sustainability. It will provide an opportunity [for the company] for further continuous improvement and mutual learning. Furthermore, it will allow engagement with leadership collaborations on key areas defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are at the core of CSR Europe’s business agenda.”

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ADVERTORIAL n RAPESCO

TAKING ECO FORWARD Adding to its current ECO range while reviewing its other products, Rapesco is going full steam ahead in its sustainability journey

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hether it’s governments moving to ban the sale of diesel engines and looking to use more renewable energy or consumers seeking to reduce their carbon footprint, there’s an undeniable culture shift towards a sustainable future.

The impact of this shift can also be seen in changing customer purchasing habits – they want to buy sustainable products made by environmentallysound companies.

GREEN PHILOSOPHY For Rapesco Office Products – one of Europe’s leading OP manufacturers – ECO has always been more than just a product range. It's a statement and philosophy that means decisions of every aspect of the company are taken with the environment in mind. Rapesco is passionate about this and, as part of its commitment, has made some considerable changes to its product range.

Over the past few months, the company has unveiled a line of six new heavy-duty staplers and hole punches.

offering a gentler finish than standard white plastic, the neutrality of these new soft-whites means that Rapesco’s ECO products are also a good fit for the corporate world and the firm has been experiencing some real sales traction with the new ECO range, particularly in the B2B sector.

As Trading Director Ken Trenberth says: “The move towards a more sustainable future is something nobody can deny and, as a company, we’re serious about our commitment. With our ECO range we’re offering consumers the chance to choose products without sacrificing on quality or performance or in fact having to pay extra to do so. It’s little surprise that we’ve seen a huge interest in this range from around the world.”

PRODUCT REVIEW That said, launching new products is only part of Rapesco’s journey to a sustainable future. The vendor has embarked on an extensive review of several of its key products. The idea is to incorporate more ECO material

“The move towards a more sustainable future is something nobody can deny and, as a company, we’re serious about our commitment” Manufactured with a high content of recycled material, the products are available in attractive, soft-white colours.

Importantly, they are offered at the same price as their non-ECO predecessors and counterparts.

From cars to electrical devices, consumers have a strong leaning towards the colour white. But along with

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in their production while ensuring that they retain the same high level of performance and quality customers have come to expect.

Indeed, the company is so confident about the review that many of its ECO products now come with a 25-year guarantee.

This gives end users extra peace of mind when buying Rapesco products.

Combined with the six new product lines, Rapesco’s ECO line extends to over 30 SKUs. Further additions are planned for the future as it looks to expand its ECO ethos to other aspects of its product offering.

BACK-END IMPROVEMENTS Behind the scenes, Rapesco has recognised the growing importance of online platforms and developed a library of digital marketing materials.

This allows the company to provide its partners with digital content – including imagery, video and other data – at the click of a button, connecting and transferring information to customers around the world in a way that more traditional methods cannot.

Needless to say, a wide range of marketing collateral is also available for its new ECO products. All of them can be marketed to end users

by Rapesco partners via the manufacturer’s substantial following across a number of social media platforms.

Having worked hard to create a range of products backed by an environmental verification statement compliant with ISO and the ICC Framework for Environmental Claims, Rapesco is excited about what the future holds and remains confident that its ever-growing range of ECO products will continue to deliver at the highest level.

BIG INTERVIEW n SIMONE HINDMARCH-BYE

FOLLOWING YOUR MORAL COMPASS One of the most comprehensively sustainable businesses in our industry, Commercial Group is more than an independent OP dealer – it’s an inspiration for anybody venturing down the social responsibility path

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he basic facts about UK-based business supplies reseller Commercial Group are these: the company is currently in its 26th year of trading and has revenues of about £61 million ($80 million) with a very strong growth trajectory. It employs 270 staff and as a result of the acquisition of London-based dealer Wiles Greenworld in July 2016 is now one of the largest independent dealers in the country. It’s closely associated with the two main OP wholesalers in the UK, Commercial through a long-standing relationship with EVO Group’s VOW – it’s by far and away VOW’s biggest customer – and Wiles Greenworld historically through Spicers.

In terms of product portfolio, Commercial is strongly grounded in IT and print, something that has evolved to it now being one of the frontrunners in the managed print services area.

In total, it boasts a range of 24,000 SKUs. What sets Commercial apart and makes it far from basic is its extraordinary focus on social responsibility. Sustainability lies at the very heart of the organisation – Commercial is a zero waste operator and has been carbon neutral since 2006. But the term extends far beyond just a green agenda for brother and sister duo Simone Hindmarch-Bye and Arthur Hindmarch.

OPI’s Heike Dieckmann speaks to co-founding Director Simone Hindmarch-Bye about her passion for sustainability in its broadest sense and her relentless drive to make Commercial a better place to do business with and to work for.

OPI: Simone, let’s begin with a look at your sustainability vision and goals.

Simone Hindmarch-Bye: Let me start by saying that for Commercial Group sustainability is absolutely not just about ‘green’, it’s about social responsibility – the whole package.

And yes, we want to shift products and that, naturally, is absolutely vital for commercial

22 n GREEN THINKING 2017

success. But we also want to be constantly challenged to do the right thing. Just over a decade ago, we decided on a set of ten company commitments and everything we do always relates to those commitments. They are about carbon footprint – both ours and that of our customers and suppliers – and waste management, about helping those less fortunate and about staff development, to name but a few.

OPI: How far are you down the path of accomplishing these goals?

SHB: Well, one thing to always bear in mind is that the goals – and the goalposts – are constantly shifting. It’s never a case of ‘yes, we’ve done it and this is it’, but a continuous trial and error scenario, especially with all the new technologies available.

Just take low-emission vehicles, for example, and our hydrogen fleet. We started this project about five years ago and now we’ve got the largest hydrogen fleet delivering goods in the UK – and that’s across the board, not just in our industry [for more information on sustainable transportation, see ‘The Green Mile’, page 32].

But it’s a process: you’ve got to trial it, pilot it, address the challenges, work with different partners all the time, often completely start from

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BIG INTERVIEW

who take you on a course of action. Our hydrogen fuel policy, for example, was a UK OP industry first and completely from outside our sector.

OPI: Where does your current focus lie?

SHB: We’re spending a lot of time right now on building our social enterprise, particularly around the ethical side. We’re working closely with our Gold Suppliers, for example – which is about 80% of our spend – on the Ethical Trading Initiative.

A lot of this has to do with auditing. That’s not to say we’re telling our suppliers “if you don’t do this, we won’t trade with you”. But we do want them to understand we’re on a journey.

We would like to take them on this journey with us, educating them about what’s ethically important to us and supporting them to be the kind of partner that we choose to work with. All suppliers of non-Commercial branded products have to take part in our Supplier Engagement Programme to ensure they comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.

Simone Hindmarch-Bye

“Our hydrogen fuel policy [...] was a UK OP industry first and completely from outside our sector” scratch again. And as new technologies are being developed, you look at the whole concept again.

Another example is our zero waste policy at Commercial. Again, it’s a constant work in progress as new issues arise and you look at challenges such as waste contamination.

Shortly after we came up with our ten commitments, we started having regular CSR days. We invite our suppliers and our customers to come to those, listen to inspirational speakers, such as The Big Issue founder Baron Bird MBE in 2016, and generally have an open forum about sustainability in its broadest sense. The idea is to inspire and energise our customers and suppliers to get involved too.

One of the important aspects for me is the sharing of ideas and experiences, and not just within our industry. I sometimes get comments about the type of events I go to. But it’s at those off-industry gatherings that I often meet people

OPI: What’s the response you get to that type of audit? Is there a willingness to comply?

SHB: With most of our suppliers, yes there is.

Sometimes you have to step in and explain as not everyone has the same priorities as we do. It would be really damaging to suddenly remove our business from suppliers because they’re not quite where we are or want them to be.

The idea instead is to take them on this journey and set realistic goals for them to achieve. We generally do that through a traffic light system. If something is on red, we agree a time where that’s got to be put right. If it’s green it’s fine, good to go. Amber is in the middle – it's quite simple.

OPI: Then you have your customers at the other end of the spectrum. What about them – are they in the driving seat at all on your journey?

SHB: Some are. We won Supplier of the Year with one of our customers, TV network ITV, for instance. They’ve got over 1,000 partners across their entire supply base. One of the reasons we won, they said, is because we challenge them to think outside the box.

I believe this is fairly typical for much of our customer base. Most companies that procure from Commercial do so because of our sustainability credentials and because they have an appetite for it themselves and are somewhere on that curve as well.

OPI: Are millennials coming into the workforce a driving force at all?

SHB: Definitely. There’s a lot to be learned from the older generation, but you also need to have a really good flow across the board.

Sustainability, certainly at Commercial, has

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BIG INTERVIEW n SIMONE HINDMARCH-BYE Left: Commercial Group's green vehicles Middle & right: Green Angels

allowed people to be more open-minded.

Our Green Angels programme has definitely encouraged that as well.

OPI: Tell me a bit more about that programme.

SHB: We have had the Green Angels programme since 2010 and it’s evolved into something of a leadership programme at Commercial. The idea is that our employees are encouraged to instigate initiatives that promote positive change.

The way it works is that small groups of staff chose one or two of our ten commitments that they want to focus on and apply around the organisation. They present their ideas to the board – including the budget, resources and any HR support they need – and then, if ‘approved’, they are given completely free rein to develop and implement their initiatives. We have about four or five of these every year and it works brilliantly.

We now have a ‘living wall’ on the front of our building, for example, as well as a cycle hut and recycled benches around our facilities for people to sit on during breaks.

There's been an amazing response to the programme and so far about nine teams and 70 people have got involved. The premise is to encourage employees to come up with their own ideas and be motivated to make work – and the planet – a better place.

OPI: Another initiative you have and that you personally spearhead I believe is the Commercial Foundation...

SHB: That's right. We set up the Commercial Foundation in 2015. It’s a social enterprise that helps up to 50 young people a year through our No Limits programme to move into jobs. The idea behind it is to change the lives of disadvantaged people and help them to get a new start and purpose in life. We invest 20% of our net profits in the Commercial Foundation as well as contributing time, expertise and resources.

Eight of the young people that went through the programme are now employed by us. They are very resilient individuals who have had their whole family and life falling apart around them.

They haven’t had the upbringing that many of us

24 n GREEN THINKING 2017

have enjoyed, but with some help and support, they have turned around their lives.

OPI: Let’s talk about Wiles Greenworld. What has that acquisition brought to the table?

SHB: Three years ago we set ourselves the target of adding a base in London, in addition to the one we have here in Cheltenham. We looked at a lot of potential acquisition targets and nobody was right for us for a long time. I should probably add that I’m really against taking on a company with a completely different culture.

The minute I walked through the door of Wiles Greenworld, I knew this was the firm I wanted to buy. We did and it’s been an absolute joy.

We needed to change very little, because it already had a very green outlook that was similar to ours. It was also a lean organisation, so there were no redundancies which was important to us as we wanted to make all staff feel very secure.

In addition, we’ve been able to bring some real experts in the field together, both from an eco but also from a broader social responsibility perspective, and we could really add to our own existing credentials.

Wiles Greenworld already had an established recycling operation in place, for example, which we could learn from, so much so that we’re in the process of rolling out a recycling service here in Cheltenham to our customers now as well.

OPI: On that recycling note, what are your thoughts on closed loop?

SHB: Wiles offers a free recycling service for our own brand toner cartridges, whereby new toner is delivered to the customer and they send the old cartridges back. We’re currently looking at clothing. H&M is a customer of ours and offers a clothing recycling service. As we’re selling workwear too, we’re investigating whether we should get involved in this.

Broadly speaking, I don’t think there’s as much demand for closed loop as there once was. I personally believe it’s a good thing when it works properly, but there are also instances where it doesn’t make sense. If you have to travel miles and miles to close the loop – if your paper is

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BIG INTERVIEW

made in Brazil, for example, and if you’re trying to get it back there – it’s just not going to work.

Closed loop has got its place, but you need to look at it carefully, otherwise it just ends up being a greenwashing exercise.

I feel very strongly about the fact that anything around the sustainable arena should be an easy decision. You have to make it easy for people to do the right thing and you also have to make it value for money.

OPI: How do you rate the products you sell from an environmental perspective?

SHB: We have a cap system for our entire product range that has environmental criteria built into it, such as containing recycled content, being recyclable, being sourced responsibly, and so on.

OPI: Are there any other challenges in terms of getting companies – up and down the supply stream – to sign up for what you believe in?

SHB: It’s always engagement. At the beginning there are a lot of low hanging fruit that companies would go for, but when that’s done it becomes a bit more demanding.

What’s technologically out there that allows you to make big changes, for instance? It’s often a balance of technology and innovation: what can you do with waste or how do you approach the plastic containers that people are eating out of?

The challenge is to firstly be aware of the issues and secondly to give your experts the space, the freedom and the resources to be able to go out there, find those technologies and solutions and then, as a team, start to implement them. We have three people at Commercial who concentrate specifically on environmental aspects while four people run our social enterprise.

The question in my mind is always: are you going to take this seriously or are you going to be a greenwashing company? There are plenty of challenges out there – the partners you’re working with, for example. Sometimes you get lazy ones and everything takes a lot longer than you want it to.

But there’s also help and in fact government funding for new technologies. Our hydrogen fleet started out as a government-funded initiative. But you have to go out there, find out about and look for the opportunities.

“You have to make it easy for people to do the right thing and you also have to make it value for money” So one green cap is the minimum and three green caps is the maximum. When our customers go online – 95% of our products are ordered online now – or look at our catalogue, they can clearly see if a product is one, two or three caps.

Customers can also see from their monthly reporting package that we put together what type of products they have bought.

I can’t tell a customer what they should or shouldn’t buy. But we can discuss options and help to educate them about what’s available.

OPI: What about your own brand products – how do they factor in your overall range?

SHB: All our own brand products – paper, notebooks and toners, for example – have to meet the most demanding sustainability criteria.

Our own brand is hugely important for us and it also fulfils a dual purpose. Our business development managers are really excited about it because they can approach customers and attack a sale from a number of angles. So, for example, they ask: do you really want to buy this branded hardback notebook? This is our own brand. It’s considerably cheaper and here are all of its environmental credentials. And, by the way, this is also a product with purpose.

We often negotiate with the manufacturers that make our own brand products to include a certain branding and a real story from our No Limits programme. We also highlight the fact that a percentage of the proceeds of the sale are given back to the Commercial Foundation which helps change young people’s lives.

For our customers, it’s a complete winner because they get a cheaper product with an excellent environmental rating and they’re helping to transform a young person’s life at the same time. It’s a powerful combination.

Simone with her brother Arthur Hindmarch

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BIG INTERVIEW n SIMONE HINDMARCH-BYE OPI: You mention the word greenwashing just now. Is there too much of that around?

SHB: It’s easy to make claims, let’s put it that way. We always encourage people to come and look at our organisation, speak to employees and see what we're doing. And they soon get it.

OPI: Where does legislation fit in?

SHB: Legislation can make a difference and I think it’s got a place. As a company, Commercial is not going to do something just because legislation says so – we’re always trying to go beyond that and be ahead of legislation in any given area in the sustainability and social responsibility field. But it’s a start.

After I saw Al Gore’s Seven Point Pledge in 2007, I said we’re going to lower our carbon emissions by 75% in three years. It actually took us four, but the point is that the commitment was there and that it was a starting point, not just for us, but for many organisations.

OPI: Brexit – are you worried about it?

SHB: As far as climate change and sustainability goes, yes, without a shadow of a doubt I’m

26 n GREEN THINKING 2017

Commercial Group's CSR Day in 2016

worried about Brexit and what it might do to UK legislation. Are we worried about it for Commercial? No, for the same reasons as I mentioned before.

OPI: Your passion for social responsibility is remarkable. Where does it come from?

SHB: My late Dad – he was an amazing person and businessman. It sounds clichéd but the moral compass he instilled in my brother Arthur and me is the cornerstone of what Commercial is today.

We wanted to change the business and felt absolutely compelled to do it. We also felt a real responsibility to do it. So we did, and it’s breathed new life into it. Commercial would not be what it is today and would not have the amazing people working here in such an energised, proactive and positive manner if we hadn’t done it.

LYRECO: ON TRACK WITH ECO FUTURE

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his year's Green Thinking Big Interview with Commercial Group highlights a reseller in our industry that lives and breathes corporate, social and environmental excellence. There are, however, several others that deserve a mention, including France’s Bureau Vallée (see last year’s Green Thinking Big Interview, page 22) or indeed global reseller Lyreco which has been working on its Eco Future for several years now.

Lyreco has recently published its 2017 Sustainable Development Report which sets out in detail its policies and the projects it is implementing globally to achieve its targets.

VALUE CHAIN Lyreco recognition EcoVadis is an independent ratings agency that monitors sustainability in global supply chains across 150 purchasing categories in 140 countries. After the agency's 2017 assessment, Lyreco was given the highest score in the business supplies industry, keeping its ‘Gold’ status and ranking in the top 2% of suppliers globally.

Sustainability audits In 2016, Lyreco extended the scope of audits carried out in factories that produce its range of own brand products. In addition to social accountability topics, the audits broadly cover environmental aspects and impacts.

Focus on natural gas In October 2016, Lyreco opened a dedicated natural gas filling station at Digoin in France. It will supply 20-25 gas-powered delivery trucks each day which can use this greener fuel in place of higher-polluting diesel. In addition to reducing local pollution, it is estimated that this will bring the company’s annual CO2 emissions down by 1,000 tonnes.

Electronic delivery tracking Paperless delivery notes started being rolled out in 2017, with customers across Europe and Australia set to benefit in particular (see 'The Green

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As Nasser Kahil, the company’s Group Quality, Security & Sustainability Director, explains: “Thanks to excellent involvement from all our internal and external parties we are on track with Eco Future which was launched in 2012.

“We recently conducted a survey of over 2,500 participants to identify those sustainability issues that are seen as the most important both by society at large and by Lyreco in particular. One of the key highlights of the survey was that we must broaden our CSR approach ever wider: we need to think strategically about the whole supply chain, not just about the impact of our own direct activities. With this approach in mind, we will hopefully contribute further to the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN.” Below are some of the highlights of Lyreco’s environmental, social and supply chain initiatives.

Mile', page 32). ‘Sign It, Track It’ – or SITI – is now in place which provides live tracking information, with electronic sign-off on delivery using handheld tablets. The system delivers accurate data tracking, a reduction in missed deliveries and route optimisation features, all resulting in a reduced ecological footprint.

Closed loop solution Lyreco’s data centres host more than 500 servers which consume 2,300 MWh of electricity each year. Much of this energy is wasted in heat, but a proportion will now be recovered and used to regulate the temperature in office buildings. This closed loop system will result in recovering energy equivalent to the thermal power consumed by 65 French homes.

Customer recognition Following Germany and Iberia, France and Benelux in 2016 launched an awards programme which aims to recognise Lyreco customers with a sustainable purchasing approach.

Three criteria are evaluated: the percentage of green products bought; the percentage of online ordering requiring paperless transactions; and the optimisation of deliveries meaning fewer journeys and less fuel used.

Nasser Kahil, Lyreco Group Quality, Security & Sustainability Director

COMMUNITY Volunteering in Benelux As part of its CSR programme, Lyreco's Benelux employees are encouraged to take part in volunteering for local charities during their normal working hours. One event chosen in 2016 was the ‘Relay for Life’ where a team of 117 staff joined together to support cancer patients and raise funds to fight the disease.

Preserving coral reefs in Thailand Global warming and rising sea levels are destroying natural reefs, so Lyreco Thailand selected the planting of staghorn corals as its 2016 CSR initiative. Local Lyreco staff joined forces with the Royal Thai Navy in planting new coral to help counteract this decline.

Supporting education in Madagascar The Lyreco For Education programme raises funds to give children in emerging nations better access to education. Its current focus is on Madagascar, with a target of ¤1 million ($1.2 million) to renovate and equip facilities, train teachers and support the NGO Care in helping an additional 17,000 children in schools across the country.

AND FINALLY... GOOD CSR PRACTICE Lyreco is regularly recognised for its sustainability goals and practices. Over the past year it has won numerous awards, including the Top Job Award, the Green Apple Award and the Responsible Business Award.

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E-WASTE n

UPDATE

E-WASTE NOT, WANT NOT OPI's Joshua Allsopp takes a look at e-waste and what is being done to handle the growing problem of discarded electronic goods

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lectronic devices of all kinds are being rendered obsolete or outdated at a rate never seen before. This also means the amount of electronic products being thrown away is rising. In 2017 to date, the total volume of e-waste produced worldwide was 33% higher than five years ago. To put that into perspective, if all that waste was dumped in one place, the pile would weigh eight times more than the Great Pyramid of Giza. And it's still growing. In the EU alone, 12 million tonnes of e-waste are expected to be generated annually by 2020. So how is the world coping with this?

Well, put simply, things are getting slightly better.

The rate at which electronic goods are being recycled is growing too and now stands at 15-20% worldwide.

THE WEEE DIRECTIVE In April of this year, the European Commission revised its flagship Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive that first became law in 2003 and sets out a minimum rate of recovery. The Directive initially aimed for at least 2% of e-waste to be recycled by 2016. 2017 data is yet to be released, but EU members can now set their own targets which need to comply to the Directive's minimum requirements (these will potentially change in 2018). The Directive also allows for the creation of collection schemes whereby consumers can return devices to manufacturers free of charge to encourage recycling among member states.

The truth is that most mature economies actually ship the majority of their e-waste to the developing world, such as Latin America and China. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that around 25% of e-waste generated in the US is exported and 80% of that is sent to Asia. Unenforced or non-existent regulations in some of these places is certainly marring recycling efforts.

In China, the town of Guiyu in the Guangdong Province has been named the ‘e-waste capital of the world’. Despite a government crackdown, around 100,000 people are employed in this sprawling scrapyard, processing around 70% of the world’s – mostly hazardous – discarded electricals. Pollution has turned this once small rice-farming village into a barren wasteland. This is why Guiyu is also known as the ‘electronic graveyard of the world’.

Campaign groups such as PlanetGreen are now working with world governments to encourage better disposal and recycling practices.

In the US, the EPA implements cradle-to-grave federal legislation for e-waste. It also controls the volume and type of waste exported abroad, but this has been difficult to enforce. Earlier this year, non-government organisation Basel Action Network found that around 50% of printers it fitted with tracking devices in the US still ended up being illegally exported.

Japan is arguably the world leader in e-waste regulation, strictly controlling the movement and processing of used electrical goods, and enshrining consumer responsibility into law. For example, Japanese EOS vendor Konica Minolta offers a free collection and disposal system for its products. It also optimises its devices for recycling. This includes the use of recycled (and fully-recyclable) plastics for the outer casing of all of its machines.

COLLECTION SERVICE Meanwhile, in North America, rather than relying on legislation, some companies are taking the problem of e-waste into their own hands, providing takeback programmes for customers to trade in their devices free of charge. Cartridge World, for example, offers a scheme to swap old printers for an upgrade, while Staples Canada provides a free collection service for households, reducing waste being sent to landfill or unscrupulously exported.

In the UK – where the WEEE Directive was adopted as national law post the Brexit referendum – a number of companies have recognised the importance of e-waste recycling in their sustainability targets. UK Wholesaler VOW – following reseller demand – has partnered with asset disposal specialist Greensafe IT to provide its customers with the safe disposal of potentially hazardous waste like batteries, fluorescent lights and electricals.

Manufacturers are also being urged to adopt a closed loop approach whereby waste is turned back into the same product. Tech giant HP Inc, for instance, has set its own standards for the management of devices at the end of their useful life. Last year, it recycled over 102,000 tonnes of hardware and 17,000 tonnes of ink and toner cartridges back into products. It aims to process 1.2 million tonnes of closed loop hardware by 2025.

Much is being done to address the problem of e-waste. That said, there's still a very long way to go in terms of rectifying the cost our consumer society has on the planet.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 29

ADVERTORIAL n EDDING

CLOSE TO THE

HEART German writing instruments manufacturer edding began its sustainability journey many years ago with small initiatives. Since then, it has evolved into a well-known player with an all-round comprehensive corporate social philosophy

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he concept of using our natural resources carefully is not new to edding. In fact, it has always been part of the company’s corporate social philosophy ever since it was established by its founders, Carl-Wilhelm Edding and Volker Ledermann, in 1960. Even in the early days, in addition to its commercial success, one of the foremost concerns of the family-owned business was that it should be socially responsible towards its employees and their families and protect the livelihoods of future generations.

Refillable products and the refill systems that accompany them have always been a fundamental part of edding’s product range. Initially, edding succeeded in considerably extending the life of an edding marker through these refill systems.

But that was not enough: in 1995, co-founder Volker Ledermann had the idea of collecting used markers and disposing of them responsibly or even recycling them. In the same year, he received the B.A.U.M. Environmental Award for implementing his idea of a returns box.

It quickly became apparent that he was ahead of his time. Unfortunately, customers didn’t adopt the system immediately and it took until 2013 when perceptions and attitudes had well and truly changed. The returns box first started as more of a marketing tool, but has since become immensely popular with customers. Modern recycling plants mean that it is now possible to recover around 73 kg of recycled material from every 100 kg of used edding products collected. This recycled material is then fed into the production of new products, including edding markers.

LONG-TERM OUTLOOK The primary motivation for edding’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) philosophy is much more than a short-term – and short-sighted – financial profit outlook. CSR is at the core of the organisation and its long-term processes are not only supported by management, but also need to be embraced by all employees. As current CEO Per Ledermann says: “Ideas that bubble out from edding’s core won’t survive if they are motivated primarily by financial profit.”

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The company began to adopt a consistent, integrated approach to corporate sustainability in 2014, with ISO 26000 – the standard on CSR guidance – as a model. Using this guidance, edding held a number of internal workshops to ultimately devise almost 70 binding targets based on the standard’s seven core themes.

Five key areas of action were then identified: strategy, products, environment, society and corporate culture.

CORPORATE CULTURE On the topic of the last of these points – corporate culture – Patricia Siebel, responsible for environmental management and CSR coordination at edding, echoes Ledermann’s point of the importance of getting employees involved and on board. She says: “We want our employees to feel happy at edding, to identify with the products and their development, production and marketing.

Only if we do that will the 'edding ink', which we regard as synonymous with employee loyalty to the company, flow through their veins.”

“We are in the process of scrutinising our suppliers more closely from a sustainability point of view” She adds: “The best possible integration of economic, ecological and social aspects is edding’s stated mission and corporate goal.

That’s why we’re doing everything we can to meet the personal needs of our staff and to find solutions for their different circumstances. This could be flexible working hours, home working or alternative childcare if the usual childcare provider drops out at short notice. We also, for example, offer older employees bespoke parttime working arrangements to facilitate a smooth transition into retirement.”

ENVIRONMENT From an environmental perspective, edding is guided by two environmental management standards – ISO 14001 (environment) and 50001

EDDING n

(energy). Activities in this area include, for instance, the photovoltaic systems on the warehouse roofs at its headquarters in Ahrensburg and at its production plant in Bautzen, both in Germany. These systems save edding some 180,000 kWh per annum and eliminate 158 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Explains Siebel: “An intelligent and efficient heating-cooling system in our production halls ensures that the entire business is heated in winter. It even means we can cool the production halls in the summer. A combined heat and power unit has been in operation in Ahrensburg since October 2010. This produces one third of our daily electricity requirement and covers our needs for the entire night. We are also using heat recovery in our in-house canteen.”

The manufacturer’s fleet of vehicles has included electric cars for short journeys since 2011. These are fuelled by green electricity from the company’s own electric charging station.

Edding’s vehicle fleet also now includes a range of hybrid vehicles. Overall, its Green Car Policy provides a compulsory framework and defines the rules which apply to the selection of company cars and pool vehicles.

SUPPLY CHAIN INFLUENCE When implementing its CSR measures, one of the challenges edding encounters revolves around exerting more influence on the entire supply chain. “We are in the process of scrutinising our suppliers more closely from a sustainability point of view,” says Siebel. “There’s often a balancing act between what is possible in terms of price and quality on the one hand and what is offered in the respective countries on the other. It’s also important to give equal consideration to ecological, economic and social components. We have enjoyed trusting relationships with many of our suppliers for years, something which may be seen as a positive effect.”

The company’s sustainability performance is naturally significantly influenced by procurement and distribution logistics, as well as production.

ADVERTORIAL

Wherever economically viable, edding is opting to manufacture its products locally. It is also highly demanding in its selection of transport service providers. Criteria include modern, low-emission fleets, the quantification of CO2 emissions, compliance with minimum wage legislation and support for corporate sustainability activities.

ECOLINE SUCCESS Ultimately, of course, it’s all about the product as well, and edding is rigorous about implementing its commitment to sustainability deep down at product level. The launch of the EcoLine range in 2008 represented a milestone in the company’s history. For the first time, recycled plastic – initially made up of leftover plastic from the industry – was being used to produce permanent, whiteboard and flipchart markers.

Ongoing developments meant that, over time, post-consumer recycled materials were predominantly being used. This represented for edding a quantum leap in the implementation of product-related sustainability.

The post-consumer recycled materials mainly come from domestic household and industry recyclables, although a small portion still also comes from edding’s returns box for empty, used markers. As a result of these developments, since 2015 a total of 90% of the total plastic parts used in the products comes from recycled material, 83% of which from post-consumer plastics. This considerably reduces the use of new materials, avoiding CO2 emissions of up to 83 tonnes per year. The series also includes a highlighter – the edding 24 EcoLine highlighter.

Made from at least 90% renewable materials, it contains water-based ink.

Edding’s EcoLine series is currently the only range of markers to have twice been honoured with the prestigious ‘Green Brand Germany’ award. Besides EcoLine, only 33 other German brands have received the award. The Green Brand organisation honours companies’ commitment to environmental protection, sustainability and ecological responsibility.

Patricia Siebel

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 31

FEATURE n GREEN TRANSPORT

Getting transportation and deliveries right in terms of balancing costs while becoming more environmentally friendly isn’t always a straight road, but there are hugely positive moves in the right direction as OPI's Michelle Sturman finds out

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here has been a seismic shift over the past year or so in terms of the availability of more efficient modes of delivery and green transportation.

Whether it’s a natural progression in an attempt by countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or a direct response to the Paris Agreement (see page 15 for an update), it’s clearly good news for the environment.

There are many silos of development involving different transportation methods and some interesting initiatives – along with predictions – have been announced. For example, Dutch bank ING has forecast that by 2035, battery electric vehicles will account for almost all new cars sold in Europe.

This projection may well come true. In 2016, media reports stated that Norway and the Netherlands intend to ban the sale of fossil fuel-based cars by 2025. This year, a number of other European countries joined the movement, including France and the UK, both of which aim to ban the sale of diesel and petrol cars by 2040. In July, Swedish car manufacturer Volvo announced that from 2019 every car it launches will have an electric motor, with electrification at the core of its future business.

Undoubtedly, these initiatives will be extended to other types of vehicles which could have profound effects on the last mile. There is, however, already a clear, albeit gradual, global shift towards using cleaner fuel for vehicles, and the use of technology to promote more efficient delivery routes in a bid to reduce GHG pollutants.

In the US, for example, ‘clean diesel’ trucks now make up 30% of commercial vehicles in

32 n GREEN THINKING 2017

operation, according to research commissioned by the Diesel Technology Forum. That said, the VW diesel emissions scandal that began in 2015 has certainly damaged the ‘reputation’ of diesel, clean or otherwise.

THE ROAD AHEAD Unfortunately, there’s still plenty of greenwashing going on. This means any business serious about becoming more environmentally friendly in terms of transportation has to figure out what the best options are.

The commercial logistics industry is only at the start of a more sustainable way of operating Some office products businesses have ambitious plans such as UK reseller Commercial Group. Reducing the carbon and particulate emissions of its delivery fleet is a key focus of the company’s overall sustainability strategy (see also Big Interview, page 22), with a long-term ambition to achieve zero emission deliveries. To this end, the company has invested significant time and resources to aid the testing and development of new technologies.

Still, as Commercial Group Senior Sustainability Executive Andrew McKenzie says, the commercial logistics industry is only at the start of a transition to a more sustainable way of operating.

GREEN TRANSPORT n

FEATURE

Anglo Office Group Managing Director Gary Naphtali points out that, right now, running zero emission vehicles is still more expensive. The current range of vehicles has a smaller capacity than most dealers’ diesel vehicles which is why the location of vehicles/distribution is crucial. “We ran a dual solution of both zero and diesel for several months to properly integrate the two solutions, but that was an expected cost,” says Naphtali.

He explains that options are assessed with clients and are dependent on volumes, frequencies and service expectations. “Being able to increase average order values with additional products also helps offset additional (relative) costs; a reason we expanded our range significantly at the time of introducing the vehicles,” he adds.

McKenzie explains that over the past five years, the company has been using hydrogen as an alternative low carbon fuel, with the first hydrogen van operational by 2013. Today, around half of its light commercial fleet is hydrogen-fuelled, which represents the largest privately-owned fleet of its kind in the UK. “Electric vehicles also form part of the transition to zero emission deliveries and we’ve started deploying electric technology where it best fits operating requirements. As a Go Ultra Low company, we’ve pledged to ensure that 5% of our total fleet (including vans and cars) is electric by 2020 and expect to hit this target well ahead of the deadline,” he says.

To help ensure it meets its goals, Commercial Group is involved with innovative projects supported by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Innovate UK; it also collaborates with LoCITY and Hydrogen London.

Commercial Group is not the only UK-based reseller that is spearheading greener transport projects. A partnership with Gnewt Cargo enables Anglo Office Group to utilise Gnewt’s 100+ fleet of fully-electric vehicles for London deliveries.

The combination of Gnewt's ‘delivery only’ parcel service combined with Anglo’s ‘managed supply’ services on zero emission vehicles means both standard and non-standard service solutions for clients can be accommodated.

All Gnewt vehicles are powered by renewable energy (solar and wind), with a carbon-neutral service expected to be launched in early 2018. This scheme will deliver last mile/local deliveries on zero emission vehicles and any emissions created by city-to-city trunking will be addressed by an off-setting scheme.

WHAT WORKS BEST Global reseller Lyreco, meanwhile, is working its way towards paperless delivery notes. In 2015, a pilot project in France called SITI – Sign It, Track It – was implemented. SITI electronically records customer signatures and provides live information about the delivery to all those concerned, such as the customer service team and the client.

Last year, the solution was rolled out to some regions of France and then across the country at the beginning of 2017. SITI is designed to strengthen service levels, improve the loading of trucks, and increase the traceability of deliveries.

Enabling Lyreco to increase efficiencies also aids the optimisation of volumes and load per vehicle, which in turn helps to limit overall carbon footprint. Lyreco said it expected to roll out SITI to customers in the UK, Ireland, Finland, Australia, Benelux and Switzerland this year.

Meanwhile, the second largest privately-owned OP dealer in the US, WB Mason, has teamed up with Workhorse Group for the first of its allelectric, range-extended step vans. The vans will be deployed in early 2018 in the ‘Masonville’ region, covering the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast of the US from Virginia to Maine.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 33

FEATURE n GREEN TRANSPORT According to Workhorse, its E-GEN step van offers 40 miles per gallon-equivalent fuel efficiency in on-the-road applications, which reduces vehicle emissions by 75% and is six times more efficient than conventional step vans.

Balancing delivery efficiency, costs and environmental impact is not always straightforward UK wholesaler Spicers has put in place a host of initiatives that have enabled it to reduce the mileage and CO2 of its transport operations by one million kilometres per year. Measures include: double-deck in-house trailers, stateof-the-art route planning software, out-of-hour deliveries, driver KPIs, and OfficeFleet delivery vehicles that are fewer than four years old and compliant with the Euro 4 standard of the European vehicles emissions legislation.

FACING REALITIES However, balancing delivery efficiency, costs and environmental impact is not always straightforward. In central London, Spicers is trialling electric vehicles, but as SPOT Group Head of Logistics Rick Jones explains, the payload of electric vehicles is very low at around 750 kg

versus a standard 1,300 kg on its core fleet. “We are working with various bodies and keeping a close eye on the latest technologies, with the expectation of implementing a fully-electric fleet when the technology has advanced to enable us to provide this proposition effectively for customer requirements,” he adds.

Antalis Transport and Fleet Manager Dave Kellet agrees: “Unfortunately, the reality is that due to the high costs, scale of maintenance and limited charging infrastructure, a hybrid or electric fleet alternative isn’t a practical or economically-viable option right now. While suited to short, small delivery jobs, it’s still a long way off presenting a tangible option for large-scale fleets.”

This hasn’t deterred Antalis from pursuing a wider commitment to lessening its environmental impact and spearheading sustainability. The company recently invested in vehicles that are in line with Euro 6. The state-of-the-art engines emit less than 0.08 g/km of NOx compared to Euro 5 where the requirement was 0.18 g/km.

Any change to the way goods are transported that reduces particulate matter and GHG is welcome and major players in our industry are leading the way. In the future, there will be updates to current legislation in terms of the way goods are transported, particularly in Europe, which will further impact the industry.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HYPE Elon Musk’s idea for an entirely new mode of transport – the hyperloop – has now been through a first test phase. The Virgin Hyperloop One venture, which envisages cargo and passengers being loaded into a pod and accelerated via electric propulsion through a lowpressure tube, will have around 500 employees by the end of this year, all dedicated to making this technology work.

The Phase 1 test was conducted in May at the company’s test track, DevLoop, in the Nevada desert. The vehicle coasted above the track for 5.3 seconds using magnetic levitation and reached almost 2G of acceleration, while achieving the target

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speed of 70 miles per hour (112 km/h).

If the vision ever becomes a reality, pods will glide at speeds of around 600 mph, with the hyperloop designed for higherenergy efficiency per passenger mile than currently available traditional modes of transport, thereby curbing emissions and fuel consumption.

Over the past year, executives from Hyperloop One have been hosting summits to interested parties around the globe. In Europe, the firm unveiled nine routes spanning the continent, and in the US a total of 11 routes thus far.

Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd says:

“Hyperloop One will offer Europe’s transport grid an option that is more efficient, greener, ondemand and faster.”

If it was built, the proposed US route, Cheyenne-Houston, would reduce a 17-hour car or truck journey to one hour and 45 minutes.

Tyler Duvall, former Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy at the US Department of Transportation and Partner at McKinsey, says that congestion alone is costing the US economy over $160 billion every year due to the amount of wasted time and fuel.

However, he adds: "New technologies are poised to drive efficiency, increase capacity, and spur social and economic growth."

FEATURE n WORKPLACE

GREEN

STANDARDS

An environmentally-friendly and sustainable building offers not only financial benefits for businesses, it also enhances the well-being of those that work in it, says OPI's Michelle Sturman

BUILDING UP ENVIRONMENTAL

CREDENTIALS

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he metamorphosis of the healthier workplace has been gaining strength over the past few years. Outside of the construction and architectural worlds, the emphasis has been less on the sustainability of the actual building and more on its internal environment. But the health and well-being of those working in offices is intrinsically linked to the building structure itself.

On a global basis, the majority of new office buildings being constructed have to adhere to ever-more stringent environmental codes. Today, the more sustainable a building is, the more the businesses that occupy it ensure their environmental credentials are shouted from the rooftops. These companies are also more likely to embrace a holistic view of sustainability in the workplace and ensure employees are well cared for.

There are numerous certifications for green building design. Some of the best known are: BREEAM: The first green building rating in the UK LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – rating system developed by the US Green Building Council GREEN GLOBES: North America's green building assessment programme from the Green Building Initiative LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE: Certification for landscaping and infrastructure projects from the International Living Future Institute SITES: Third party rating system administered

by Green Business Certification Inc in the US WELL BUILDING STANDARD: Certification programme administered by the International WELL Building Institute

BLOOMIN’ MARVELLOUS Bloomberg’s new European headquarters opened at the end of October 2017 to great fanfare.

Not because it’s the widest, tallest or was constructed in record time, but because it is one of the world’s most sustainable office buildings.

The building, situated between the Bank of England and the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London, UK, achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating against the BREEAM sustainability assessment method. With a 98.5% score, this is the highest designstage score ever achieved by any major office development.

The new HQ occupies 3.2 acres with around 1.1 million sq

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ft (110,000 sq m) of office and retail space; it includes three new public plazas; a Bloomberg Arcade featuring independent restaurants; and a new entrance to Bank underground station.

Compared to a typical office building, the property delivers a 73% saving in water consumption and a 35% reduction in energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions. This was accomplished through innovative power, lighting, water and ventilation systems.

SOME OF THE BUILDING HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Integrated ceiling panels: Bespoke panels combine heating, lighting

and acoustic functions. 500,000 LED lights use 40% less energy than a typical fluorescent office lighting system.

Water conservation: Rooftop rainwater, cooling tower blow-off water and grey water sources are captured, treated and recycled to serve vacuum flush toilets. Water conservation systems will save 25 million litres of water annually.

Natural ventilation: The building’s distinctive bronze blades can open and close, enabling it to operate in a ‘breathable’ natural ventilation mode. This significantly reduces energy consumption.

WORKPLACE n

The world is slowly gravitating towards a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle.

In the office specifically, the focus is now on ergonomic furniture and ‘stop sitting’ campaigns. And while providing a fruit bowl and sit-stand furniture for employees, for example, is a great first step to achieving a better working environment, it’s only the tip of the iceberg as to what can be accomplished.

Research by US-based Navigant reveals that energy-efficient building technology spending in Western and Eastern Europe is expected to grow from $83.5 billion this year to $111.9 billion in 2026. Navigant Principal Research Analyst Tom Machinchick says: “Intelligent digital building technologies will be necessary for Europe to continue towards its long-term goals of significantly increasing efficiency while reducing overall carbon emissions.”

In fact, new and updated legislation is continuously being sought that will strengthen energy efficiency targets for buildings across Europe. Recently, steps were taken to include a ‘Nearly Zero Energy Building Stock by 2050’ provision within the final version of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

While legislation may be a driving force for change, energy-efficient buildings and happy and healthy employees make simple business sense – cheaper fuel bills and fewer sick days taken, for starters.

This doesn’t just apply to new buildings, of course. Research undertaken by Philips Lighting shows potential savings of up to $1.5 trillion for businesses if office premises were refurbished to today’s most efficient standards and the use

Smart airflow: Smart CO2 sensing controls allow air to be distributed according to the number of people occupying each building zone. The ability to adjust airflow in response to occupancy hours is expected to save 600-750 MWh of power each year, reducing CO2 emissions by about 300 tonnes per annum.

Combine heat and power: An on-site Combined Heat and Power generation centre reduces carbon emissions through the use of a single, efficient system. Waste heat is recycled for cooling and heating and is expected to save 500-750 tonnes of CO2 on an annual basis.

For more information on the healthy workplace, see Hot Topic, OPI July/August 2017 from page 22

FEATURE

of space was replicated from leading green buildings. Philips Lighting Head of Global Public & Government Affairs Harry Verhaar says: “Renovating buildings to make them more energy efficient can have a huge beneficial impact on the environment, and when they are renovated properly to encompass smart technology, the additional financial impact for businesses can also be vast.”

The number of office premises incorporating biophilic design is also increasing. According to the British Research Establishment (BRE), the scientific evidence for the positive influence on biophilic design on the health and well-being of building occupants is mounting. BRE has now launched the Biophilic Office project, the first of its kind in the world, to quantify evidence on the benefits of biophilia in the office.

“Renovating buildings to make them more energy efficient can have a huge beneficial impact on the environment” The BRE centre, based in Watford in the UK, will be used a test facility whereby researchers will carry out a baseline year of pre-refurbishment and a year of post-refurbishment monitoring.

They will evaluate the office environment for daylight, lighting, indoor air quality, acoustic, thermal and humidity comfort. Office occupants will also undergo health evaluations. Some of the world’s most sustainable buildings are incorporating biophilic design now, including Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in London (see 'Bloomin’ marvellous').

The interior of the building encourages active working with sit-stand workstations for all employees and a central ramp spanning six floors that promotes movement throughout the building on foot. There are also two cycle centres, a living wall, and a wellness centre that incorporates on-site health services for all employees.

Bloomberg Founder Michael Bloomberg says: “We believe that environmentally-friendly practices are as good for business as they are for the planet. From day one, we set out to push the boundaries of sustainable office design – and to create a place that excites and inspires out employees.”

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 37

CATEGORY UPDATE n PAPER

GREEN PAPER

MOMENTUM Announcements from across the paper category show significant headway is being made in the greening of the industry

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here’s been a raft of green news emanating from paper manufacturers and suppliers over recent months. The emphasis has been on improved sustainability across the industry, with a wealth of new projects that aim to reduce the sector’s impact on the people, resources and environment that it relies upon. OPI gives a round-up of some of the significant stories.

PROCESSES...

DOMTAR REPORTS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS Domtar’s 2017 Sustainability Report highlights less waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions, and reveals progress on a variety of green issues.

As CEO John Williams explains: “At Domtar, everyone has a role in sustainability. We do not want sustainability to be an annex – we want it to be integrated into our everyday management.”

Key accomplishments include: • a 33% reduction in waste to landfill at pulp and paper mills since 2013; • a 13% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at pulp and paper mills since 2010; • a 5% reduction in water use at pulp and paper mills since 2012.

The company has also increased its acreage of FSC-certified forests from 70,000 acres in 2013 to 500,000 last year. Additionally, it has converted most of its coal-powered boilers to cleanerburning and less carbon-intensive natural gas. 75% of the energy used in its pulp and paper mills now comes from renewable biomass sources.

NORPAC USES ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUE Paper produced using Norpac’s thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) process was first launched two years ago. Produced in the state of Washington, US, it was initially only available in the north-west of the country, but the company has been expanding its geographical reach with its products now becoming more widely available in other regions.

Known as Natural Choice and Natural Choice 30 (with 30% recycled content), production relies primarily on clean steam and physical grinding to separate wood fibres. This compares to the more standard pulping technique that ‘cooks’ the wood in a chemical bath, which must then be washed away, along with a lot of the original organic material.

The TMP process uses 54% fewer trees and significantly less water, energy and chemicals to produce copy paper. As a result, Norpac says its paper is more sustainable and environmentally sound, with a smaller carbon footprint and also available at a lower price than that of its competitors.

SKY AND COMMERCIAL GROUP CALL TIME ON PLASTIC WRAP UK broadcaster Sky has asked its OP and print supplier Commercial Group to help the company eliminate the single-use plastic wraps used around its paper reams. In response, Commercial briefed its paper merchant to use FSC-certified paper wrapping on all its A3 and A4 products supplied to UK customers. The initiative will remove almost one million plastic wraps from the supply chain each year (see also our Big Interview with Commercial Group, page 22).

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PAPER n

CATEGORY UPDATE

RESOURCES...

BOISE PAPER AHEAD OF THE GAME In April of this year, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) revised its certification standards for paper mills that source wood fibre and sell FSC-certified product. Although paper mills have until 1 April 2018 to comply with these revised standards, the Packaging Corporation of America – parent company of Boise Paper – has already implemented the changes across all three mills that manufacture the products. They underwent successful third-party, independent audits last April to prove all elements of the revised FSC standards are now fully realised.

Broadly speaking, the FSC changes include more demanding requirements for transparency via public reporting, clearer demands for information on the origin of material; and specific requirements for mitigating risk related to the rights of indigenous peoples and threats to forest landscapes.

In a separate initiative, Boise Paper continues to donate the majority of the office paper that the American Red Cross uses annually, helping to reduce a large administrative expense and allowing the charity to invest more funds in critical humanitarian needs.

SUCCESS FOR PREMIER PAPER’S CARBON-CAPTURE PROGRAMME The Premier Paper Group is a leading independent paper merchant in the UK. Through its carbon-capture scheme it has raised approximately £500,000 ($680,000) for the Woodland Trust – the country’s largest woodland conservation charity – thereby funding the planting of 87.5 hectares of new native woodland.

Under its carbon-capture programme, Premier calculates the amount of CO2 generated by the production and distribution of paper.

It then gives customers the opportunity to capture these emissions by contributing towards planting trees at government-accredited sites.

The carbon-capture charge can be as little as 2p per ream of A4; the Woodland Carbon logo may then be used in conjunction with the paper purchased and any associated print jobs.

OFFICEWORKS HELPS RESTORE AUSTRALIA’S NATURAL FORESTS Australian OP reseller Officeworks has pledged to plant two new trees for every one used by its customers, based on the weight of the paper and wood in its office supplies products.

The OP giant has partnered with not-for-profit organisation Greening Australia, which aims to see at least 200,000 native plants established each year in several key locations across the country.

Officeworks Managing Director Mark Ward said: “Given that about 8,000 products in our office supplies range are paper and wood-based, we saw a huge opportunity to empower our customers to shop more sustainably and improve the quality of Australia’s landscapes.”

REGIONAL INITIATIVES...

RESOLUTE OPENS GREENHOUSE COMPLEX Canada-based Resolute Forest Products has begun construction of Quebec’s largest greenhouse complex on land adjacent to its SaintFélicien pulp mill.

The Toundra Greenhouse is a cucumber-growing facility in which Resolute has a 49% stake.

The first part of the four-phase, C$100 million ($82 million) project is complete, but it will

ultimately cover 35 hectares, create 500 jobs and produce 45 million cucumbers a year.

Resolute CEO Richard Garneau explains: “What’s unique about this greenhouse is that 25% of its heating needs comes from heat waste from our Saint-Félicien mill, lowering cucumber production costs and reducing Resolute’s greenhouse gas emissions by an equivalent amount to taking over 2,000 vehicles off the road each year.”

The ultimate goal of the Toundra Greenhouse is to make Quebec a self-sufficient producer of the vegetables it consumes, in the process reducing imports from outside the province.

MONDI INVESTS IN LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE Mondi has a number of ongoing environmental initiatives, including the manufacture of carbonneutral papers and investments in green energy – electricity self-sufficiency at Mondi’s pulp and paper mills has now reached 98%.

In Russia, Mondi Syktyvkar launched a largescale power plant rebuild project to safeguard sustainable heat and energy generation for the mill and the region, and therefore promote future development. “We are the only source of heating and hot water for the district’s 60,000 people,” says the company's Marketing & Sales Director Johannes Klumpp.

In South Africa, Mondi is seeking to increase the recycling rate of water, particularly in drought-stressed areas. In the Merebank region it uses treated waste water from the community to replace seven million cubic metres of potable water annually.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 39

CATEGORY UPDATE n PAPER

ANTI-GREENWASH SUCCESS

A

nti-paper sentiment and misleading greenwash claims are issues the paper sector continues to encounter. Two Sides is an industry initiative set up to promote the sustainability of the graphics communication supply chain and dispel common environmental misconceptions. It has recently reported considerable success in having certain environmental claims made by some of the world’s biggest corporations removed.

Two Sides’ scrutiny of the claims made by more than 600 of the world’s leading corporations showed that a total of 460 of these companies had been using misleading or unsubstantiated environmental statements. To date, 278 of those companies have now removed these inaccurate statements due to pressure from Two Sides.

As Chairman of Two Sides Martyn Eustace explains: “We’re really pleased to be having such a significant effect on some of the world’s largest and most influential organisations. But there’s no room for complacency and still a great deal of work to do with the remaining companies that continue to mislead their customers.”

Internationally, Two Sides teams have been tackling greenwashing in their respective countries and this has yielded positive results, as the following testimonials show: NORTH AMERICA Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides in North America: “Over 88 major corporations have now changed or removed misleading claims made about print and paper to comply with environmental marketing guidelines. Thanks to a better understanding of the sustainability of paper products, phrases such as ‘go green – go paperless’ and ‘save a tree’ are gradually disappearing from the marketplace.”

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Kellie Northwood, Executive Director at Two Sides in Australia/New Zealand: “It’s our responsibility to challenge misinformation. Greenwashing is a threat to our industry and we work hard to ensure companies making misleading claims correct their communications. Of those companies we have contacted 73% have already altered their anti-print messaging and we continue to engage with the rest.”

BRAZIL Fabio Arruda Mortara, Country Manager for Two Sides in Brazil: “The fight against greenwashing is our number one priority. Reaching an agreement with the public sector resulting in the withdrawal of several examples of misleading content on websites or within public declarations was probably our best achievement in 2017.

40 n GREEN THINKING 2017

"Brazil has just become the second largest pulp producer in the world, showing the continued importance of widespread environmental education.”

SOUTH AFRICA Deon Joubert, Executive Director of Two Sides in South Africa: “We continue to engage with corporates and government institutions regarding their environmental messaging. Conventional wisdom linking the use of paper to the destruction of forests remains prevalent and unchallenged. Not only are plantation trees grown to be harvested [...], but these plantations provide commercial and environmental benefits to our world."

COLOMBIA Isabel Riveros, Executive Director of Two Sides in Colombia: “During the first year of the campaign we collaborated with the government to remove any mention of ‘zero paper’ from their National Development Plan.

However, the challenge continues. We must contact every company that is using greenwash and make them understand that paper production can be sustainable.”

“Consumers should not be misled and encouraged to go paperless because of incorrect green marketing” FRANCE Hadrien Cottin, Country Manager at Two Sides in France: “Our research shows clearly that consumer perception on the sustainability of print and paper is negatively influenced by the marketing of digital alternatives. We continue to provide organisations with the facts that show paper-based communications are a sustainable choice.”

UK Jonathan Tame, Country Manager at Two Sides in the UK: “We have an active campaign to research and remove greenwash which has had a very encouraging response.

83% of all companies we have engaged with have agreed to remove misleading messages and in many cases we have helped organisations amend their marketing communication guidelines.”

Eustace concludes: “Consumers should not be misled and encouraged to go paperless because of incorrect green marketing. The environmental and social benefits of paper are being misrepresented by these false messages. Our consumer surveys reveal that the majority of consumers recognise that paper can be a renewable and recyclable product that, if responsibly produced and used, can be a sustainable way to communicate. Forests are a precious and growing resource, and the forest and paper industries are some of their most important guardians.”

ADVERTORIAL n DOUBLE A

BUILT FOR SUSTAINABILITY One company that has unfailingly put sustainability at the core of its entire business is pulp and paper manufacturer Double A

D

ouble A is a leader in environmental, sustainable and community practices with numerous globallyrecognised credentials to its name.

Since the company was founded in 1991 in Thailand, its ethos has been to design a business from the ground up that not only helps protect the environment and gives back to the community, but does so while manufacturing premium grade paper.

With its global reach, Double A has a production capacity of around one million tonnes of writing and copy paper annually.

Double A is a firm believer that environmental practices and economic growth go hand in hand and its entire philosophy is based on the principles of sustainable business development.

To achieve this, Double A focuses on three core pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic responsibilities.

PAPER FROM KHAN-NA (PFKN) A unique Asian solution to sustainable fibre sourcing from paper trees planted on vacant space between rice paddies – known as KHAN-NA – turns cultivating trees for paper into an agricultural resource. The initiative has proven that paper making can be environmentally sustainable, while encouraging community participation and

PREMIER GRADE The Premier Paper Group, the UK’s largest independent paper merchant, is Double A's main stockist. Double A is also available through the Aims Group, EVO Group and SpicersOfficeTeam.

The product assortment includes 70, 75, 80, 90 & 100 gsm weights in

42 n GREEN THINKING 2017

enabling a continuous and secure livelihood for 1.5 million Thai farmers.

The natural hybrid species of fast-growing trees used have been developed by Double A over 25 years of research. The trees have short roots for low water consumption and each tree can be harvested three times.

Double A is a firm believer that environmental practices and economic growth go hand in hand The PFKN programme offers many benefits to the Thai farmers, namely providing a second income without having to change their main crop or clear any cultivated land. In addition, Double A supports its farmers by providing training. It also issues a buy-back contract for the seedlings, which in turn reduces debt risks for the farmers and guarantees future income.

A survey undertaken by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Chulalongkorn University revealed that the PFKN programme made farmers feel socially and economically

both A4 and A3 sizes from the Double A Business, Premium, Colorprint, and Presentation paper range.

High-quality fibre content – 30 million fibres per gram – enables the paper to be used double-sided and it can be stored for long periods due to its acid-free content. The paper is ideal for highspeed machines thanks to its smoothness allowing for good toner transfer, printing sharpness and bright whiteness.

The paper is produced and manufactured at the Alizay pulp and paper mill facility in northern France.

DOUBLE A n

empowered. Double A Paper-Tree farmers typically earn around $1,000 per family after the three-year maturity period. The initiative also helps the preservation of the world’s natural forests, and Double A’s 400 million paper trees eliminate 6.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions on an annual basis.

CRADLE TO GRAVE Double A’s environmentally-friendly milling operations include ‘cradle to the mill gate’ life cycle assessments and internationally-recognised certifications, along with advanced technology to ensure it adheres to sustainable pulp and paper manufacturing.

Waste from the pulp manufacturing process has always been a major environmental concern, but Double A operates a ‘No Waste is Wasted’ policy whereby tree bark, oversized woodchips, lignin and black liquor from the production process becomes biomass fuel. This generates 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the mill. Excess power is subsequently sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to power around 400,000 local households.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT Double A has one of the most efficient water consumptions in the industry, thanks to numerous innovations including its own purpose-built reservoir, named Emerald Lake. It has a capacity of 35 million cubic metres. The reservoir collects rainwater all year round providing 100% of the water requirements for Double A’s mill.

During the washing process, wash press technology is used to squeeze water from wet pulp and reused, enabling the mill to consume around one tenth of the industry average. A state-of-theart biological treatment system for contaminated water known as a ‘bacteria digestion process’ is employed allowing treated water to irrigate the vegetation surrounding the mill, and ensuring that no waste water reaches natural waterways.

ADVERTORIAL

DOUBLE A

CREDENTIALS l

Prime Minister’s Award for Industrial Excellence in Environmental Conservation l ISO 14001 – Environmental Management Standards l ISO 9001 – Quality Management Standards l ISO 14040 Standards – Life Cycle Assessment l ISO 9184 Fibre Furnish Analysis Standards l Asian Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Poverty Alleviation l Thailand Business Council for Sustainable Development – Green Meetings Award l Double A Alizay Mill is an FSC-certified mill

DOUBLE A JOINS PEFC

The world’s largest forest certification system, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), has accepted Double A as an International Stakeholder member.

PEFC applauded Double A’s work with smallholders in Thailand through its Paper from KHAN-NA project and the company’s role in the development of a Thai national forest certification system.

The KHAN-NA agroforestry programme is so unique and innovative that there is currently no suitable framework to attain forest certification.

However, Double A in conjunction with the PEFC, is now developing such a scheme that will include trees outside forest-based agroforestry.

This, in turn, will enable the Thai farmers to access the certified wood market.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 43

CATEGORY UPDATE n FACILITIES

DO NO

HARM The facilities supplies sector is swiftly adopting products and practices that are more eco-friendly. OPI takes a look at what that means specifically for the jan/san and breakroom categories

CLEAN MUST ALSO

BE GREEN The drive for jan/san products that are both effective and kind to the planet is relentless and anyone not on board risks being seen as out of touch

E

nvironmentally-responsible products and practices, once seen as nice-tohaves but not essential, have moved centre stage, so much so that within the facilities sector they’re now regarded as the new normal. Tougher legislation and increasing public visibility of companies’ green policies are strong drivers of a trend that is becoming unstoppable.

But it’s a highly diverse field, with businesses taking quite different approaches as Nick Lomax, VP Emerging Products & Services at US wholesaler SP Richards, explains: “Most organisations and buyers have now instigated some level of environmentally-sound practice.

Today it’s the standard way of doing business, but the category is very specific to an individual company. One person’s idea of being green could be to abandon the use of styrofoam cups, whereas another wants to implement a full composting programme – both environmentally-conscious choices yet ones requiring vastly different solutions.

In the US we also see different states and regional communities taking the topic more or less seriously. As a reseller you need to be versatile to cover all these bases.”

Consumers also demand products that are both green and work effectively, otherwise their credentials may be compromised. As

44 n GREEN THINKING 2017

Joe Davis, Senior Account Executive at P&G Professional, points out: “Our customers want responsible solutions, but they still need quality products that work. If you have to use more product or do the job more often, and the end result is unsatisfactory, are you really being sustainable? When less of a product is needed, less often and there’s a reduction in rework, then there’s a clear environmental benefit in the conservation of chemicals, water and energy.

“Additionally, it’s important that sustainability is taken into account at every stage of the product life cycle – from the selection of raw materials, to manufacturing, packaging, distribution, in-use and disposal. It’s also vital products are not only safe for the environment, but safe for the individuals that use them too.

We see sustainability as both a responsibility and a business opportunity. Reducing our environmental footprint is not only good for the planet, but also good for the company.”

LEGALLY BINDING Julia Vorley, Group Marketing Manager at UK manufacturer HK Wentworth, picks up on the cradle-to-grave theme and sees an increase in demand for products with an environmentallyresponsible attitude to their manufacturing, packaging and contents: ”In our area of business, this is being fuelled by growing awareness of the changes to F-gas legislations, with people gradually realising that environmentallyresponsible options are legally required.”

The impact of legislative changes is also being felt in Italy, reports Donato Colucci, Business Unit Manager at Errebian, one of the country’s leading contract stationers. “The government is forcing all public places to use environmentallyfriendly cleaning products and this means that all vendors now have to come out with

FACILITIES n

CATEGORY UPDATE

GREEN THINKING

THE ONLY WAY

IS GREEN

Ecolabel-approved formulas or see a massive drop in sales. These changes will, quite literally, clean up the market and rid it of a huge mass of cheap, polluting products.”

IS THE PRICE NOW RIGHT? In addition to an often-held perception that eco-friendliness equates to ineffectiveness, a price differential can be another stumbling block that prevents greater uptake of green solutions, according to some suppliers that OPI spoke to.

However, not all agree. Eric Boudet, Procurement Director at French OP reseller Bruneau, says that this is becoming less of an issue. “The price differences between suppliers of conventional and green products are now limited, especially if they are sourced from medium-sized companies that generally offer a superior quality-to-price ratio.”

“If you have to use more product or do the job more often, and the end result is unsatisfactory, are you really being sustainable?”

Whatever the actual differential, Lomax believes consumers feel it’s a price worth paying: “Although environmental beliefs are held by many of the older generation, it’s the millennial cohort that has embraced them more strongly and, using broad strokes, there is a discernible difference in how each generation selects products and the pricing threshold they are willing to accept for the overall good of the planet.”

Times are definitely changing and, like it or not, companies and the facilities suppliers they deal with are having to adopt a greener approach to the products they use and sell. Burying their head in the sand is simply not an option.

The Ashkin Group, based in Los Angeles in the US, is an internationally-recognised consulting firm working to green the professional cleaning industry. Its President Stephen Ashkin has been described as the "father of green cleaning" and the jan/san industry’s leading advocate for sustainability. He’s also the coauthor of the book Green Cleaning for Dummies.

OPI caught up with him following a talk he gave at the Higiexpo 2017 professional cleaning trade show in Brazil in August to get his views on the current state of this market.

OPI: What demand are you seeing for environmentally-responsible cleaning products?

STEPHEN ASHKIN: Over the past decade demand for eco-friendly products has increased across the board, but the call for professional green products has significantly outstripped the growth in the consumer marketplace. The penetration of certified, environmentally-responsible products in the commercial sector now stands at around 30%, while it’s only 3% in the consumer sector.

Product performance and price have all improved to the point where they are fully competitive with their traditional counterparts and green cleaning products are becoming the norm in the commercial sector.

OPI: Who is the core target audience within that commercial sector?

SA: Millennials, like all building occupants, want healthy environments in which to work, study, live and play. However, the way this plays out appears to differ depending on the building’s type and geographical location. It is clear that many Fortune 500 companies, universities, schools, hospitals and others are very interested in green cleaning whereas in some parts of the country, including rural communities, it’s still lagging compared to major metropolitan cities.

That said, with further cost improvements and increased availability, I expect the demand will continue to grow in all parts of the US. Purchasers will realise that although they have many options for cleaning products, it’s the eco-friendly ones that provide a greater margin of safety, coupled with a smaller environmental footprint. As such, they will ultimately choose to go green.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 45

CATEGORY UPDATE n FACILITIES OPI: Do you have any examples of eco-responsible product innovations that are likely to prove popular or influence the market over the next year or so?

SA: I think we will see all kinds of innovations in different product categories. The cleaning chemical sector, covering products such as all-purpose and glass cleaners, for example, will be impacted by new innovative technology that produces cleaning solutions on-site, as the environmental benefits of this are substantial.

Within the paper products sector, there will be rising interest in products made from agricultural waste such as wheat straw or sugar cane residue, together with those produced using renewable resources such as eucalyptus, acacia and bamboo. Plastic liners will also be made with an increasing amount of post-consumer recycled content. Other tools and supplies will pick up on this trend, but additionally will be constructed to be more durable and repairable.

Powered equipment and dispensers, meanwhile, will become more intelligent to help improve their maintenance and performance, and we will continue to see improvements in battery technologies.

OPI: What regulatory changes are most influencing the market?

SA: The big issue driving regulatory changes at the moment is tied to ingredient disclosure and transparency. In the US, many big companies such as Walmart, Target, Wegmans and Albertsons now require full details of the chemical substances used in products, together with states like California and New York too. As such, this is a subject that all chemical companies currently have to pay attention to.

Additionally, a large number of Fortune 500 and publicly-traded businesses now provide sustainability reporting and are consequently asking their suppliers to supply information on the environmental impact of their products as well. This will have a growing effect on the cleaning industry.

OPI: What new initiatives exist to help businesses in this industry?

SA: One of the newest opportunities comes from [worldwide cleaning association] ISSA and its Distributor Efficiency, Analytics and Learning (DEAL) programme. This is designed to help its members operate their buildings and delivery vehicles more efficiently, saving them money and reducing their environmental footprint. The programme dovetails nicely with the demand from larger customers for supply chain reporting and helps distributors differentiate themselves from their competition in what is often thought of as a commodity marketplace.

46 n GREEN THINKING 2017

GREEN MESSAGE IN

A BOTTLE In the breakroom sector a considerable quantity of products are supplied in plastic bottles. Every minute, one million plastic bottles are bought across the world and numbers are predicted to grow another 20% by 2021. Most are made from a type of plastic known commonly known as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is highly recyclable. But a failure to properly collect and recycle them means an ever-growing amount are ending up polluting the environment. Globally, less than half of the bottles bought last year were collected for recycling.

The majority of plastic bottles are used for drinking water, with China responsible for most of the increase in use, driven by rising urbanisation and concerns about groundwater contamination and the quality of tap water. In 2016, Chinese consumers purchased 73.8 billion bottles – nearly a quarter of total global demand – and up 5.4 billion on the previous year.

A SEA OF TROUBLE A substantial quantity of unrecycled bottles end up in the world’s oceans where they contribute to the estimated 5-13 million tonnes of plastic that accumulate there each year. Here, they may eventually be ingested by sea birds, fish and other organisms, with some ultimately finding their way into the human food chain. A recent study reported that plastic was found in a third of UK-caught fish, including cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish.

Major drinks brands produce a vast amount of plastic bottles, with Coca-Cola, for example, estimated to make more than 100 billion every year. These could be made entirely from recycled material. However, many companies choose not to do this, preferring instead the shiny, clear look of bottles that are made from ‘new’ plastic and incorporating only a small amount of recycled PET into their products.

FACILITIES n

DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEMES One initiative to boost recycling rates includes the introduction of deposit return schemes (DRS) – charging a small extra fee on purchase which is refunded when the bottle is returned after use. In countries such as Germany and Sweden where such measures already exist, recycling rates are over 90%.

In Finland, a deposit of 40 cents for a 1.5 litre plastic bottle is added to the price and consumers can return the bottles to specialist bottle banks in supermarkets with a barcode reader, which allows them to collect the money back as they drop off the bottle. Similarly, in Norway, supermarkets often install ‘reverse vending machines’ that scan barcodes and give consumers vouchers against their shopping or make a donation to charity in return for bottles.

Globally, less than half of the bottles bought last year were collected for recycling However, bottle recycling in countries without such schemes lag far behind. In the UK, for example, rates are just 57% and the government is coming under increasing pressure from opposition parties and campaigners to adopt a similar scheme to its European neighbours where the model has been proven to work. Changes are potentially underfoot, with the Scottish, Welsh and UK government all considering introducing a DRS, but legislation is unlikely to be pushed through in a hurry and the fallout from Brexit could also have an impact.

The situation in the US is even worse, with overall plastic bottle recycling at just over 30%, although states such as Oregon and Hawaii have already adopted a DRS and seen rates improve to 50-60%.

In Australia, there appears to be a stark contrast between states that have adopted a scheme and those that haven’t. Locals go as far as to say there's a marked difference in the number of discarded bottles left lying around as you cross state boundaries. South Australia operates the country’s longest-running bottle refund scheme, while New South Wales and Queensland are introducing coordinated schemes in December this year and July 2018 respectively. Western Australia will introduce a DRS in 2018, and it is anticipated that the systems will eventually be harmonised across all states.

Not all agree that a DRS is the way forward.

Recoup, a UK organisation that is admittedly partfunded by manufacturers, says these schemes are a distraction and putting more resources into the infrastructure of kerbside collection is the solution.

Recoup cites the situation in Wales as proof that this works. Here, given increased funding by the Welsh government and backed by legislative support, a more consistent collection scheme is now achieving recycling rates of 75%.

THE

CATEGORY UPDATE

FINAL

STRAW It may not be quite as obvious as other products, but plastic straws are also polluting the planet at a staggering rate. Each day, in the US alone, people use about 500 million straws. Considering the US accounts for just 4.4% of the world’s population, the global number of straws used daily is consequently much higher.

Straws are offered nearly everywhere drinks are sold, but virtually none of them can be recycled because they’re generally made from single-use plastic. This means billions of straws are entering waste streams every day, with many thrown away as litter. And because they are so small and lightweight, a considerable number are picked up by the wind and carried into waterways, eventually making it into the world’s oceans.

Here, they contribute to the huge amount of plastic pollution that annually collects in the seas. Straws are one of the most widely reported plastic items found during beach clean-ups.

Once in the marine environment, they can end up harming animals that mistake them for food, causing choking or blocked digestive tracts.

FINDING ALTERNATIVES Studies have found that 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles ingest plastic, greatly increasing their mortality rates. Also, eventually straws break down into microplastics which are more easily ingested, leach toxins into the water and ultimately blanket the ocean floor.

Several environmental groups have started campaigns such as Last Plastic Straw and Be Straw Free and are working across the globe to eliminate their use. The US-based Lonely Whale Foundation has launched its #StopSucking campaign aimed at convincing individuals and business owners to stop using plastic straws and find a biodegradable or reusable alternative made from paper, bamboo or steel.

A number of bars and restaurants have already announced the immediate or pending non-use of plastic straws, opting instead for no straws at all or biodegradable paper ones. While this no doubt helps, if one or several of the major global restaurant or coffee shop chains did the same, the message would be much more clearly heard.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 47

ADVERTORIAL n SCHNEIDER

A GREENER OFFICE FUTURE Developing a product line made predominantly from bio-based plastics adds another step to Schneider’s sustainability ladder

S

chneider pens are among the top brands in our industry, with environmental credentials that stand up to the toughest scrutiny. Most recently the company has been making the headlines with its award-winning fineliners. These are writing instruments that are ideal for relaxing and also great little helpers in the office – for colourful notes, underlining text, sketching and drawing.

Schneider has developed this essential tool even further. In addition to adding a soft-touch tip at the barrel end of the pen which allows it to be used on screens such as smartphones and tablets, it is also producing the new Line-Up fineliners from bio-based plastics.

This marks another milestone in Schneider’s sustainability journey and means the new product family is not just highly colourful, but also environmentally-sound.

In these times of fracking and other controversial practices, Schneider refuses to use limited resources in manufacturing the fineliner, thereby

48 n GREEN THINKING 2017

conserving oil reserves. The independent German certification organisation DIN CERTCO confirms the amount is 88% bio-based material.

In addition to this bio-based plastic content, the sustainable cultivation method of sugar cane and its use as the main raw material of the product is also certified.

Schneider didn't want to create merely an isolated niche product, but has always had the goal of using bio-based plastics for a whole range of writing instruments. As such, with the use of bio-based plastics in an entire product series, the company has become an active contributor in seeking out alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. The manufacturer also works closely with a range of research institutes and academia, such as the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB) at the University of Hanover.

INNOVATIVE CLICK SYSTEM In addition to the Line-Up fineliner, Schneider has launched its new Link-It product line which also uses bio-plastics in its manufacturing. The Link-It line of pens has two different tips and is available in 16 colours. From romantic-red and silver-grey to Tango-orange and Black Forest-green, the wide variety of combinations is designed to stimulate creativity and give the user a multitude of options.

The standout feature of the product is an innovative click system (see image, right) that combines fineliners (0.4 mm) and fibrepens (1 mm) in one pen. This means users can link any combination of tip sizes and colours together.

This unique, patent-pending click system is cleverly integrated at the end of the

SCHNEIDER n

ADVERTORIAL

CONVENIENT AND ADJUSTABLE Both new Schneider lines – the colourful Line-Up fineliners and the innovative Link-It twin pens – are packaged in a convenient, adjustable pencil case stand. This is available in four versions, either with 4, 8, 16 or 32 (only available for LineUp) different colours. When folded, it easily fits in any school backpack or purse. The case also supports Schneider’s sustainability philosophy as it's made from waste from the manufacturer’s internal plastics processing material.

Both the Line-Up fineliners and the Link-It twin pens combine style, quality, versatility and award-winning innovation with the best of what's available in advanced environmental standards. barrel. The user simply places the two arrows facing each other and ‘clicks’ them into place, immediately 'making' a new pen in a new colour.

Given the large variety of colours and the different writing options, the Link-It line of pens is perfect to be used for creating mandalas and zentangles, currently fashionable in the drawing and paper arts world.

The rubberised ergonomic and threeedged barrel is also ideal for a relaxed writing

With the use of bio-based plastics, [Schneider] has become an active contributor in seeking out alternatives to petroleum-based plastics experience and won't roll off the desk. And as the cap fits neatly on the end of the barrel it can be used comfortably as an individual pen. The slim design also fits perfectly into pupils' pencil cases, either individually or linked.

THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY Founded in 1938, Schneider Schreibgeräte is an international brand of high-quality writing instruments that include ballpoint pens, gel ink pens, fountain pens and cartridge rollers, liquid ink pens, rollerballs and fineliners, markers, highlighters and mechanical pencils.

All Schneider products stand out through their quality, writing comfort, design and suitability for everyday use. The manufacturer carries out all its R&D and production in Germany, thereby guaranteeing outstanding product quality and compliance with the most demanding and rigorous ecological and social standards.

Schneider has taken the issue of sustainability seriously for many years, with environmental responsibility firmly anchored in its vision and goals. Since 1998, the manufacturer has been following its environmental policy in line with the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), the strictest environmental management system in the world. Its EMAS certification has been renewed on a regular basis ever since that time, with Schneider continuously being able to demonstrate its ongoing improvements in environmental performance.

Over the past few years a great deal has been achieved in terms of reducing its carbon emissions. The unique Slider ballpoint pen series with Viscoglide technology, for example, is produced carbon neutrally.

The company has also consistently pursued the aim of avoiding all energy sources that use non-renewable resources or pollute or endanger the environment. The first step towards clean electricity was taken in 1998; its changeover to regenerative power sources was completed in 2010. Schneider also generates its own power both from co-generation and from the solar panel system installed at its factories.

OPI MAGAZINE n WWW.OPI.NET n 49

FINAL WORD n DAVID BAUMGARTEN

LESSONS ON SUSTAINABILITY AND A MEANINGFUL LIFE Hans Baumgarten was an inspiration to both his family and the industry as a whole, says son and Baumgartens EVP David

I

was given the opportunity to pen some thoughts and memories of my father Hans Baumgarten who passed away on 3 September 2017 at the age of 93.

Our family surname Baumgarten is German and means ‘orchard’. Trees naturally compete for light, and my Dad always understood that while his own business was merely like a single tree, he himself was a gardener and that if the whole orchard does not thrive, hungry people will be at the gates.

He knew hunger too. He escaped death in 1939 as a 14-year-old immigrant on the Kindertransport to London. Dad worked in a bakery to support his mother and younger brother. I remember him saying: “Walking home, rubble was everywhere. A chicken ran off and dropped an egg. I ate it there and then.”

STEEPED IN FAITH My Dad had tremendous faith.

Having moved to the US and then landing on the Normandy beaches at the age of just 18, he drove an American general in his jeep towards the front line. “We plummeted down an icy embankment, holding on for dear life. No control.

God reached down, grabbed our little jeep and wedged us sweetly between two trees.

Not a scratch!”

A few years later he met my mother Jean in Washington DC. They moved to Atlanta and ultimately had five children. In 1948, they rebuilt the family business that had originated in Austria many years before.

Dad valued 'connectedness' with all his relationships and always talked about the impact families have on each other.

50 n GREEN THINKING 2017

“Treat people we do business with as family, as if we’ll be taking care of each other for generations.” That principle has stood the test of time – I now work with the grandchildren of my grandfather’s peers!

Some corporations today abuse vendors, employees and the planet for profits.

It’s become the norm. The justification? “It’s just business.”

My Dad wasn’t like that and his people-centricity extended to the planet. As a boy, he would say: “People are not unlike fish in a bowl. We can’t see the water we’re swimming

Hans Baumgarten with a shotdown German plane in World War II

“What [is] happening to the planet simply can’t go on. It’s not nature’s job to have concern for us” in. Unless the caretaker changes it, it gets polluted. Pee and poo suffocate the fish. It’s not pretty.” Quite so. We’re the fish, our planet is the bowl, and unless we take it on ourselves our only caretaker is Mother Nature, altering our biosphere in search of equilibrium. The Anthropocene epoch has begun: people’s unmistakable impact on the planet.

Walking around a global retailer, Dad would say: “This stapler wouldn’t last a year.

The one on your desk is three generations old, cost five times more but lasts 75 times as long.

You do the math!”

And then the questions: “How long until all this stuff hits landfill? Is the wood used from managed forests? What happens to water runoff from deforestation? What happens to local ecosystems and the people on those lands?”

His view was that what was

Hans Baumgarten’s legacy lives on through his children.

His son David became EVP of the business in 2005

happening to the planet simply can’t go on. It’s not nature’s job to have concern for us. There are consequences and they will have an impact on our children’s lives and health.

Some people have a worldview that says there is no inherent meaning in life, so they grab what they can while they can. Others believe there is natural meaning, that they are a part of something greater and that there are seen and unseen consequences with each action.

When I joined the family business in 1996, Dad handed me a book entitled Being God’s Partner and said: “When man loses sight of his maker, choices get muddled. Keep Him in mind in all things and you will be able to sleep at night.”

OFFERING INSPIRATION While he enjoyed telling a good joke or two, when it came to the important stuff, my Dad did not kid around. When I was dealing with cancer as a young man, he said to me: “We will die one day and we don’t know when, so what kinds of relationships will we create in the meantime? And what kind of a world can we inspire together and leave behind?”

I will be forever grateful for my Dad’s wisdom and for letting it sink into both my life and my work. I believe and I hope that he has had the same effect on many other people he came into contact with during his lifetime.