Here at Benchmark Architects, our new green initiative aims to embed a greener outlook into the heart of the company. We are committing to becoming more sustainable to help tackle climate change, increase biodiversity, and offset carbon emissions. We have made many changes and are keen to share them with you. 

Here are 12 ways how we are being greener in the office…

1. Recycling Bins

Ensuring you have the correct bins in the office will encourage employees to do the right thing and recycle! Think about popping a sign above the bin for ease of use and so everyone knows what can and can’t go in.

2. Bring Nature into The Workplace 

It’s important to incorporate natural elements like lighting and plants. There are loads of benefits to incorporating natural elements into the office including reducing stress and improving general well-being. And there are great benefits for introducing plants, including filtering the air from airborne office pollutants, increasing productivity, and let’s face it, they’re just lovely to look at!

3. Reduce Paper Usage

“In the UK, we use over 9.9 million tonnes of paper each year. It takes 24 trees to make one tonne of paper.”- Recyclingbins.co.uk

We are working very hard to reduce the amount of paper we use, here are some examples of how we are implementing this:

• Taking meeting notes on a phone/laptop/tablet instead of using a notebook.
• Only printing out documents that we need a physical copy of.
• Printing on both sides instead of one, if it’s necessary to print in the first place.
• Proofreading on a computer instead of printing, and using writing software to help find any mistakes that we could be skimming over. (This is also a great time saver!)

4. 100% Recycled Notebooks

We have not yet gone completely paperless when it comes to our notebooks, however, we do use 100% recycled notebooks for our drawings, notes, etc.

5. Eco-friendly Cleaning Products

We use eco-friendly cleaning products in our office that are all naturally derived; non-toxic, paraben-free, and biodegradable. They also smell amazing!

6. Eco-friendly Tea & Coffee

If you have been to Benchmark Architects, you will know that the whole office loves a good cup of tea or coffee, as do many offices I’m sure! So we make sure we only buy eco-friendly and organic tea & coffee. The packaging is a plant-based, fully bio-degradable bio-material; the teabags are unbleached and are completely free of polypropylene. And all the coffee is made with entirely natural processes.

7. Greener Initiatives

We get involved with relevant initiatives to encourage our greener culture, such as tree planting, plastic-free, Veganuary, and beach clean-ups, in addition to contributing to carbon offsetting schemes.

8. Charity Days 

We are partnering with The Forest of Marston Vale to become Corporate Friends of the Forest! Along with other companies, we will help to plant 5 million trees within the forest to create a greener heart of Bedfordshire. We have pledged to plant a tree with every new project in 2023, and we already have a date in the diary to plant them all! We are making this commitment to help tackle climate change, increase biodiversity, and to offset carbon emissions.

We also have a beach clean-up booked with the Marine Conservation Society, where we will spend a few hours litter-picking along a beautiful beach in Bournemouth and help to fight for a cleaner, better-protected, healthier ocean!

9. Reusable Mugs & Bottles

All our offices have mugs, glasses, plates, cutlery, etc for all employees to use throughout the day. Many of our staff also bring in their own reusable water bottles.

10. Car Sharing & Commuting 

Members of our team regularly car share to the office. There are huge benefits to car sharing:

• Sustainability – Your carbon footprint will go down and your planet will thank you.
• It reduces congestion – Car sharing will mean fewer cars on the road.
• It improves air quality – Fewer cars on the roads means less pollution.

Employees can also buy a new bike as our company is part of the cycle-to-work scheme in Milton Keynes.

11. ‘Who Gives A Crap’ Loo Roll

‘Who Gives A Crap’ is a great company that provides high-quality, eco-friendly, and sustainable toilet paper, not only that, but they also donate 50% of their profits to ensure everyone has access to clean water and a toilet within their lifetime.

12. Tote Bags

We have some great eco-friendly tote bags in the office that are perfect for when we have our Monday morning breakfast, they get filled to the brim with delicious breakfast goodies! Our bags are not only a great way to keep the office sustainable, but also a brilliant branding opportunity!

Thanks for taking the time to read all about how we are helping to go greener in the office and hope you find some inspiration to take along to your office!