Environmentally Sustainable Office Supplies: A Guide
Environmental awareness is no longer the preserve of the ardent activist: it is something
which is gaining momentum in terms of popularity and importance. With widespread concerns with regard to the extent to which we abuse the planet and increased endeavours to endorse sustainable products and reduce carbon emissions; an environmental corporate conscience is now nothing short of imperative. There a great deal of ways in which a company can make steps to neutralise their carbon emissions and generally improve their energy efficiency and eco-sustainability. One of the simplest and least disruptive or costly means of bringing an organisation up to date in terms of environmental awareness is a simple switch to sustainable office supplies. Recycled paper has been around for a number of years and is even more important than ever. The rainforests have suffered greatly over the decades in order to provide the vast quantity of timber we utilise for all manner of applications: paper need not increase this burden.
Recycled paper is of exactly the same quality as non-recycled paper and due to its increased importance and the level of competition and interest in the market: is no more expensive. Given these factors, there is literally no excuse for not using recycled paper for all applications in your office. However dogmatic that may sound: it is an entirely valid statement.
Sustainable office supplies is now a field which extends far beyond just paper: not only are there now an array of recycled paper and card products such as envelopes, folders and notepads but also a selection of recycled office products which are relatively new developments. From calculators made from recycled plastic and components which run off solar polar, through to pens and pencils manufactured from recycled materials: there is virtually no stationery or office equipment item which isn't available in an environmentally friendly form.
One of the most important breakthroughs in the field of recycled consumables is in the field of printer ink cartridges. There are a huge number of manufacturers who have launched extensive lines of remanufactured cartridges or re-used cartridges. As well as reducing the environmental impact of replacing ink cartridges with brand new alternatives: these ink cartridges are also for the most part considerably cheaper than the standard cartridge alternatives: yet offer an equal level of performance.
In order to try and halt the rapid deterioration of our planet and reduce our drain on the earth's resources, a huge range of different materials are now recycled. In fact, it is highly likely that there are recycled office products available that you'd never even thought possible: for the sake of the environment; I urge you to take a look.