Technology | Environment | Community
OUR APPROACH,
ACTION AND VALUES
We use a step-by-step approach to sustainability that aims to establish a sustainable environmental and socially supporting ecosystem for technology products and services.
Our team have undertaken this:
Via the implementation of cardboard packaging, aligning with the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines;
Developing a first-of-its-kind education resource, Closing The E-Loop, that addresses the e-waste crisis by providing a range of sustainable solutions that can enable change at home, work and school; and
Implemented a portfolio of cables using third-party certified recycled plastic, which reduces the use of virgin fossil-fuels that are typically used in the creation of plastic due to our use of this valuable secondary raw material.
Find out more about our Sustainably Connected cables with Loop-E!
PACKAGING: IN NUMBERS
We assess our data over >5 years of history in order to ensure accuracy about our sustainable transition that commenced in 2020. By gathering, sharing and utilising this statistical information, and by collaborating with our manufacturing teams in multiple ways, we aim to know and understand the materials we use for packaging to the highest possible level.
We also focus on the cost of inaction. A prime example is our forecasting tool that looks at the amount of plastic that would have been placed into the environment had we not redesigned packaging and phased out lines such as plastic blister packs.
A unique insight is that the quantity of plastic diverted from landfill for 2023 is forecast to be the weight of 7 adult male Asian elephants, or 20 midsized cars! Knowing this impact, we are motivated to design for sustainability and make positive change where we can.
> 50 TONNES
of plastic diverted from landfill in our Officeworks retail and Klik B2B portfolios.
We have used zero plastic consumer packaging since implementing the Australasian Recycling Label on these packaging lines in 2022.
> 30 TONNES
of plastic forecast to be diverted from landfill in 2023, in our retail and Klik ranges.
We have used less plastic than cardboard since 2020. Had we not changed approach, we would still be using more plastic than cardboard in 2023!
> 5 TONNES
of our B2B polybag range will transition from conventional plastic to certified 100% recycled material, in collaboration with Grounded Packaging.
Delivering a circular packaging solution.
avg. weight:: of a male adult Asian elephant is 4 tonnes; of a midsized car is 1.5 tonnes.
forecast calculated from January 2020 to December 2022 to capture increased sales due to the pandemic, and removes anomalies and outliers to provide reliable estimates.
PACKAGING CHOICES
We are committed to reducing packaging waste, highlighted by our active membership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and the inclusion of the Australasian Recycling Label on our packaging, which was rolled out into retail stores from the second half of 2022.
Additionally we aim to provide information to our consumers about the recyclability of our packaging. In this way each individual can make an informed choice that can provide positive benefits for the environment.
SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF RECYCLED CARDBOARD?
Paper and cardboard can be recycled and reused up to eight times. We work with our manufacturing teams and their material suppliers to utilise recycled cardboard instead of virgin material for retail and business to business boxes as well as for our tertiary shipping cartons.
We also encourage the use of the Forest Stewardship Scheme and similar certification standards to help ensure that the plantation forests, where the paper material is often sourced, are best practice.
According to our supply chain assessment metrics and focus, recycled cardboard has been utilised in > 90% of occasions since our intentional transition to more sustainable practices in 2020. Our aim is to increase this percentage to a total use of recycled cardboard.
A MATERIAL SHIFT
HOW CAN DESIGNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY ASSIST IN CHANGING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR?
Our retail packaging has transitioned from the use of single-use plastic, such as blister packs, to recycled cardboard.
This means that designs such as blister packs will no longer be seen on retail shelves for our lines, which is a big shift in retail stores where once having more see through packaging material was seen as valuable.
We have also changed our plastic sealer stickers to paper tape, thus addressing the issue we term as 'last mile' plastic. Our team are really proud of the fact that our retail packaging will no longer contain plastic.
CO-BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE INK
HOW DOES A TRANSITON TO PLANT-BASED INK MAKE IMPACT?
Through discussions with our international manufacturing teams we learnt that we could collaborate on a forward-thinking approach to packaging. Namely, by using plant-based ink, often made from soy, the recyclability of the recycled cardboard we use for our packaging can be enhanced e.g., compared to using UV Inks and Coating.
Our team has chosen to utilise these methods in all possible cases, currently on > 95% of our range. This is an investment for us and one that we are moving toward as an ongoing opportunity to implement greater quantities of this natural product where possible.
We also love the co-benefit of this situation: by using plant-based ink, instead of fossil fuel derived, we are taking action that promotes industry desire to shift away from using traditional fuel sources to sustainable alternatives.
OUR 5 PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY
We developed our Sustainability Pillars as overarching framework topics. They are immediate focus areas that provide tangible goals, with cross-cutting themes between pillars in many of our day-to-day activities.
This approach enables environmental and community targets to be achieved in the short term and form the foundation of our progress.
Find out more in our Resources section below and on our Giving Back page.
RESOURCES
Being transparent about our actions is important to us because it can enable others to use the information that we have learnt to provide benefits to the environment and communities in a like-minded way. Learn more from the attached reports.
TECHNOLOGY | ENVIRONMENT | COMMUNITY
For us, it is about accountability to People, Planet and Business