Companies are often vocal about what they're doing to reduce their environmental impact, but what can we do as individuals? Here are five things you can do as an individual to be kinder to the environment.

1. A Greener Office.
5 things you can do
to be kinder to the environment

2. Why ?
The companies we work for
may be doing everything they
can to minimise their impact
on the environment…

3. Why ?
…but our individual choices
as employees are equally
as important.

4. Why ?
Most of us aren’t really aware
of our impact, or how much
we will feel the effects of
environmental change.

5. Most developed countries have
the money and resources to
protect their people from negative
effects of environmental damage,

6. but some nations, both
developed and developing, are
already suffering from:
Agriculture
loss
Extreme
WeatherDroughtFlood

7. 3 Key Issues
The choices we make at
work are closely related to

8. Waste
Waste is the end-product
of poor use of our finite
natural resources.

9. Water
We use water for everything:
growing our food, making our
clothes, building our technology…
We’re using our reservoirs quicker
than they can be replenished.

10. Energy/
Emissions
Fossil fuels are harmful to the
environment and they’re running
low. Renewable sources are
generally cleaner and can continue
to provide for us.

11. Read on for 5 small ideas that
you can consider to make a
difference in your office:
So, what can we do?

12. Pack lunchyour own1

13. How far has
this travelled?
Were the ingredients
farmed responsibly?
Bringing your lunch to work
allows you to make informed
choices about the food you eat.

14. Cleaning/
Packaging
Preparation
Waste
Disposal
Retail
Ready-prepared food goes through more industrial
processing, which uses more water and energy
while increasing food-miles and emissions.
Farming

15. Farming
Cleaning/
Packaging
Retail Enjoy!
Bring your own lunch and choose locally-produced
ingredients, that contain no poorly-farmed ingredients;
choosing responsibly farmed palm oil is a good example!

16. Palm oil is in absolutely
everything from food and
household products, to
make-up, soaps and
other cosmetics.

17. 1950
Indonesia is currently the
biggest producer of palm
oil, having produced an
estimated 33,000,0001
tons in 2014.
1 United States Department of Agriculture
Radday, M, WWF Germany. 2007. 'Borneo Maps'.

18. This industry is key to
the country’s economy.
The downside, however,
is the mass rainforest
deforestation.
Choose products made with
responsibly sourced palm oil;
save the rainforests and its
endangered inhabitants.
Radday, M, WWF Germany. 2007. 'Borneo Maps'.
2009

19. Go veggie2

20. Producing meat uses a colossal
amount of water and energy. The
greenhouse gas output from the meat
industry is also extremely high.

21. Going meat-free, even if only a couple of days a week,
will significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
1 P. Scarborough et al., Journal of Climate Change
Kg carbon emissions/year1 Kg carbon emissions/year1
Meat-based
diet
Vegetarian
diet
2,065 1,405

22. Kg carbon emissions/year1 Kg carbon emissions/year1
Meat-based
diet
Vegetarian
diet
27 kg carbon2
21.1 kg carbon2
6.9 kg carbon2
1 kg of: =
=
=
2 Environmental Working Group
1 P. Scarborough et al., Journal of Climate Change
2,065 1,405

23. 4,364
1,000
2,500
4,546
1,636
3,400
3,546
13,620
Approximate litres of water to produce1:
Pork (1kg)
Wheat (1kg)
Eggs (x6)
Cheese (1kg)
Soy Beans (1kg)
Rice (1kg)
Chicken (1kg)
Beef (1kg)
Hamburger (x1)
1,200
1 Water Footprint Network

24. Tech wisely3

25. Technology is a very energy intensive
industry, both pre- and post-production.
Vast quantities of water are also used in
the production of our tech.

26. Consider also the rarity or toxicity of component
materials and the short lifespan of our devices,
and we realise the importance of knowing our
options before and after purchase.

27. BEFORE BUYING
Are components
sourced responsibly?
Is an upgrade
really necessary?
Buy second-hand?

28. AFTER LIFESPAN
Can someone
else use it?
Can it be
correctly recycled?

29. Furnish Responsibly4

30. Furniture should last longer, or be
repairable, making it cheaper in
the long run while reducing waste.

31. Buying second hand is often more cost effective, and is
arguably the best way to reduce resource consumption.

32. The benefits of this, however, mean nothing if
you’re shipping it halfway across the world.

33. If second-hand isn’t an option, then prolong the lifespan
of any new furniture. Choose something sustainably
sourced, good quality, repairable, and adaptable.

34. Annually in the UK, more than one billion kilograms of
waste furniture and mattresses are sent to landfill.1
> 1,000,000,000 kg
1 WasteDataFlow (WDF)

35. When choosing furniture, it’s also worth considering
VOCs. VOCs are Carbon-based gases that are given
off by chemicals used to make furniture.
Volatile Organic Compounds

36. Low VOC furniture will increase air quality in the
office environment and will likely be made from more
natural, environmentally friendly materials.

37. Go green5 (literally)

38. Fill your office with plants.
It’s probably one of the easiest
ways to make a difference.

39. Plants filter the air of many pollutants including
VOCs. They also regulate humidity, temperature,
and remove dust from the air.

40. Indoor plants have also been proven to reduce stress,
improve concentration and productivity, and increase
happiness.1
1 Kaplan R. (1992) The psychological benefits of nearby nature
10-15% increase
in productivity

41. Put these 5 things
into practice and you
can make a difference
to your office’s
environmental impact!

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