In the Office

Much of the work involved in screen production is office-based. As with any business there are environmental impacts associated with the day-to-day activities of an office. These are usually energy use, transportation, waste generation in particular electronic waste, and water consumption. Screen production offices are no different. Below are suggestions for improving the sustainability of your office.

Purchasing

Develop a sustainable procurement policy and provide this to suppliers and contractors.
Wherever possible choose reusable and recyclable products over disposable ones.
Favour suppliers and contractors who either know their contribution to climate change (carbon footprint) or are beginning work in this area.
Communicate your concerns to suppliers e.g. if products are over packaged or poorly designed from a sustainability perspective.
Always ensure the products you purchase are from sustainable and ethical resources e.g. paper from sustainably managed forests.
Include environmental criteria in tenders, contracts and specifications e.g. require truck hire companies to regularly maintain vehicles to improve fuel efficiency reduce emissions and reduce oil contamination on location.
Favour products where the product and its packaging have recycled content.
Choose products that have a reputable environmental label or certification.
Ask suppliers about a refill service for consumables to reduce the need for packaging.
Ask suppliers about responsible disposal of their products, particularly for hazardous goods such as batteries and paints. Where no appropriate disposal methods are available return used products to suppliers to indicate the need for change.
Buy Fair Trade for office consumables such as coffee and tea.


Sustainable procurement is about taking into account price, quality environmental impact, ethical and social issues and contribution to the local economy. Many of a company’s environmental impacts are due to the activities of contractors and suppliers. Working with your contractors and suppliers to improve their environmental performance reduces your risks.

What’s in a label? An environmental label identifies the overall environmental preference of a product or service within a specific product/service category based on life-cycle considerations. To be credible, environmental labels are awarded to products and services by an independent certifier within a national or regional eco-labelling programme.
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