Environmental awareness and sustainable behaviour is the responsibility of every individual and if company employees do not believe in such an ethos, a corporate sustainability programme can easily fail, says Craig Brunsden, executive director at IT infrastructure and software distributor, AxizWorkgroup. “Many corporates undertake to institute various activities that are aimed at reducing the impact on our environment, but it is within the remit of every person in that organisation to really drive those activities from something as simple as putting discarded paper in the recycling bin to turning off lights and monitors when departing for the day.”
In addition to individual activities, AxizWorkGroup has adopted the concept of the four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and respect. Within this framework the projects undertaken include the fitment of energy saving lighting and centrally controlled air-conditioning for lower energy consumption, the roll-out of low-consumption LCD monitors and computers, the implementation of duplex printing and cartridge-recycle drop boxes and a company-wide recycling programme and depot. As part of the recycling programme, each employee is required to empty their own refuse bin to ensure the correct allocation of rubbish to recycling bins.
“Through a partnership with AppleGreen Recycling we have established a recycling depot at our head office. In excess of five tons of paper/cardboard, plastic, glass and cans are processed through the depot each month which ultimately goes to offsetting our carbon footprint,” continues Brunsden. 12 tons of plastic has been collected and recycled at AxizWorkgroup over the past year. For every ton of plastic that is recycled, the equivalent of two people’s energy use for one year is saved and almost 1000 litres of oil. Nearly 1000 trees have been saved from felling through the recycling of over 60 tons of paper and cardboard.
The last e-Waste assessment in South Africa, conducted in 2008, states that the amount of e-waste stored at that time in the 358 participating middle-class households could fill two-thirds of a 20-foot shipping container. One would hate to guess how that has increased in the years since the survey. “Once again, the commitment to our current environmental plight is as important for individuals as it is for corporates and organisations operating in this country.” The e-Waste Association of South Africa will be hosting an e-Waste drop of day in Gauteng on 19 November, see www.ewasa.org/news for more.
The AxizWorkGroup also supports the ‘trees-for-bikes’ project initiated by Qhubeka and the Wildlands Trust. The project helps with the upliftment of communities and nurtures a respect for the environment through the growing and planting of trees by children in return for a bicycle.
“Through the initiatives and every-day activities we promote as a company, the individuals and the whole, AxizWorkGroup, pledge respect to the environment we live and work in and we will continue to look for innovative and meaningful ways to help reduce our footprint,” concludes Brunsden.
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