A OnePoll survey of 1,000 office workers, commissioned as part of Green Office Week, has revealed that over eighty percent of individuals in the UK would like to see the businesses they work for do more for the environment.
Despite the increasing importance for companies and organisations to adopt green policies, forty percent of office workers would still not rate their company as environmentally-friendly and less than thirty percent feel they are encouraged to implement green practices at work.
Two of the biggest factors holding businesses back are not having anyone specifically allocated to environmental issues (34%) and a lack of specialist green facilities and equipment (33%). Being too busy and lacking the time to be green was also a common complaint with nearly twenty percent of individuals highlighting that it has an impact on their environmental efforts. Despite this, over sixty percent said they would be happier if their workplace was seen to be more environmentally-friendly.
The survey also revealed that small businesses are lagging behind larger organisations when it comes to encouraging green practices. Individuals working at companies with more than 250 employees say they are twice as likely (40%) to be encouraged to be green at work than employees at smaller companies (21%), this is despite the cost-saving and efficiency benefits on offer to businesses adopting greener working practices.
Getting the Green Habit
May 13th – 17th sees the fifth ever Avery Green Office Week, championing environmentally-friendly practices in the workplace. With individuals admitting to a host of green bugbears at work, including needlessly throwing away paper (41%), printing things that do not need to be printed (39%) and leaving electrical devices on standby (22%), Green Office Week aims to encourage and empower individuals across the UK to make small, practical changes to their daily work routine.
Gregg Corbett, Marketing Director at Avery, said: “We’re nearly four times more likely to consider ourselves greener at home than we are at work. This is largely due to the fact that we don’t feel we can make a big enough difference at work, where we often lack the right equipment and encouragement. Green Office Week sets out to change this by demonstrating the power of working together, highlighting the key issues that we can all look to address to make our workplaces more sustainable.”
Green Office Week provides tips and inspiration encouraging office individuals to think about the steps they can take towards creating a more sustainable working environment. The week also highlights some of the innovative solutions that can help us all to be greener at work, such as Avery Recycled Labels and Recycled Dividers, the Avery DTR Eco desktop accessory range and unique BlockOUT™ Labels that allow files, envelopes, and packaging to be re-used rather than thrown away. With most of these products part of the Avery Rewards promotion too, there’s never been a better time to be green!
To find out more and to get involved with Green Office Week 2013, simply register at www.greenofficeweek.eu or follow @greenofficeweek on Twitter.
The top green bugbears
1. Throwing away paper
2. Not putting recycling in the recycling bin
3. Throwing away food packaging
4. Printing out things that don't need to be
5. Leaving the computer switched on overnight
6. Leaving electronic devices on standby
7. Not turning off the lights
8. Not printing double sided
9. Boiling a full kettle
10. Leaving things on charge all day
11. Using plastic cups
12. Not reusing envelopes and parcels
13. Using non-environmentally-friendly products
14. Throwing out printer cartridges
15. Traveling by car too much
Green Office Week aims to empower workers across the UK to change their office practices for the better, helping them to find greener ways of working. Taking place on May 13-17th 2013, the week aims to unite offices around the country, raising awareness of the issues and offering practical help and advice to office workers looking to make a difference. For more information, log onto www.greenofficeweek.eu.
Avery Dennison Office and Consumer Products markets products under the well-known Avery brand name and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of self-adhesive labels and paper products for laser, inkjet and multifunction printers, labelling software, index dividers and a wide range of other products for both consumer and commercial markets. Avery Dennison Office and Consumer Products Europe, a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation, has manufacturing operations in UK and Germany and sales and marketing offices in more than ten countries across Europe. For more information about Avery products, consumers can visit www.avery.eu. Avery and all other Avery brands and product names are trademarks of Avery Dennison Corporation.
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