Environmentally Friendly and Cost-Effective Office Moves

Many organizations focus on sustainable office furniture and eco-friendly workplaces when creating a new office space. However, few think about how simple and smart actions during office move planning can positively impact the environment and their finances.

For many office moving companies, environmental impact is not a big priority and very few focus on sustainable office moves. Office movers have long bragged about using boxes made of recycled cardboard and bio-diesel fuel. But their practices do little to impact corporate green initiatives and, in most cases, it is just a marketing gimmick. Most semi-trucks do not run on biodiesel and while using recyclable boxes is a good step, it is the bare minimum of potential sustainability practices. The decisions made during move planning can have a huge impact on the environmental aspects of a move.

Surplus Technology Equipment

Technology, including computers, servers and phones, contain toxins that are not environmentally friendly such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic and beryllium. Many of these end up in landfills or shipped to developing countries with unregulated environmental standards. These chemicals can get into waterways or gasses generated when these items are burned in landfills create excess greenhouse gases (GHG), which damage the environment.

When managing surplus IT assets, work with a company that provides an e-Stewards certified solution. E-Stewards certification is endorsed by major environmental groups, including Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resource Defense Council. To ensure your equipment is cleared of data, work with an office moving company that offers a NAID AAA Certified solution to ensure compliance with important regulatory requirements.

Surplus Office Furniture

Each year, roughly 16 million tons of office furniture and equipment is landfilled across North America as companies relocate and renovate—much of it still safe and usable. Organizations renovating or moving offices often create excess furniture because companies purchase new furniture to fit their updated space. Office moving companies often do not realize they need to proactively plan how to handle surplus office furniture. Lack of planning can be expensive and most times the furniture ends up as waste in a dump. When you work with a company that has proactive, upfront surplus office furniture planning solutions you can help protect the environment and reduce costs.

In an effort to go green, there is a big market for refurbished furniture. Nothing is more sustainable than giving office furniture new life, and a great office furniture company can help. If your furniture is not able to be resold, partner with a company that is active in the community and can help find charitable organizations who accept donated office furniture and supplies. It’s a great way to help both the environment and those in need.

Another option is to recycle old furniture rather than taking it to a landfill. Many of the materials in office furniture are completely recyclable and should never go into dumpsters and landfills. In fact, you can generate significant rebates on recycling proceeds to offset some or all the cost of removal. For example, just 200 cubicles can produce as much as $15,000 in metal recycle rebates. Not only is recycling the right thing to do for the environment, but you can also save a lot of money.

When removing surplus office furniture and office equipment, work with a partner who understands that there are more sustainable solutions than donating cardboard boxes.
Contact us today to talk about how to best plan a more environmentally friendly business move.