GREEN THINKING
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Banner publishes green catalogue
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UK business supplies reseller Banner – part of the EVO Group – has launched its first B Green catalogue, aimed at helping companies and public sector organisations across the country meet their sustainability targets. The new publication includes a wide range of sustainable products in categories from cleaning and catering to office supplies and printers. Banner says a “critical” component of the catalogue is a guide which helps users understand the different product sustainability accreditations. Those covered include Blue Angel, Carbon Neutral, Energy Star, Fairtrade, EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan and the Rainforest Alliance. Banner CSR and Social Values Manager Julie Hadley said: “Everyone knows the supply chain plays a huge role in an organisation’s sustainability. In drawing together products with sustainable credentials and putting them side by side, we hope customers can make easier comparisons and better choices. However, we are fully aware that the burning question of ‘which is better?’ remains unanswered.” ‘Be Green’ is a tagline that has long been associated with Office Depot; its contract business in the UK is now owned by Banner rival OT Group. It’s probably not a coincidence that Banner – which bought the Staples UK book of business last year – has come up with something that sounds identical, although the word ‘Be’ has been replaced with the letter B in a style that matches its logo.
Integra launches environmental portal
UK dealer group Integra Business Solutions has launched a carbon footprint calculation portal to help its members measure and report on their carbon emissions. The Green Initiative portal has been set up in partnership with Compare Your Footprint. It provides dealers with a dashboard, together with scope guidance and support, to take them through the process – from collating and recording data to calculation and benchmarking. According to the group, the portal, once populated with the relevant data, will provide all the information members need to analyse areas for improvement and reduction. It can also act as a data repository for companies working towards certifications such as B-Corp and ISO. Integra’s reasoning behind the initiative is the UK’s target of achieving net zero by 2050 and the increasing pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon footprints – with the ability to measure emissions being regarded as an important first step
Sustainability focus for Interaction
European purchasing group Interaction is raising its game on environmental and social matters, Managing Director Jan Van Belleghem has told OPI. Van Belleghem highlighted recent acquisitions by three Interaction members: PBS Holding (buying Staples Solutions’ global accounts business), EVO (the Staples UK contract book of business) and Wulff (Staples Finland). He said these deals had greatly increased the Q-Connect brand owner’s exposure to large, multinational clients across Europe. Sustainability is a top priority for them and a key component of tenders. This has led to Interaction expanding the sustainability initiatives it already had in place, such as reducing the amount of plastics used in products and packaging. At the start of 2022, the group became Jan Van a member of environmental and social Belleghem monitoring NGO Amfori. This has so far resulted in 40 Q-Connect suppliers undergoing audits under Amfori’s Business Social Compliance Initiative platform. It includes areas such as factory working conditions, fair remuneration and child labour. Interaction is also monitoring environmental aspects of its supply chain via Amfori’s Business Environmental Performance Initiative self-assessment tool. This takes a holistic view of carbon footprints through a life cycle analysis methodology that supports outcomes from the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Another area Van Belleghem wants to develop is Interaction’s charitable support. From 2023, the group will be involved in World Bicycle Relief. This is a charity that helps girls and women in low-income rural areas around the globe to become more mobile, enabling them to go to school and work. Van Belleghem himself is a keen cyclist and mountain biker, so the choice of charity seems a natural one. Interaction has brought all its efforts together in a new social and environmental responsibility charter which has already been approved by the organisation’s board. It is now being distributed to other Interaction stakeholders and should be made public shortly.
