The Zero Waste Office: Is it Possible?

Published April 09, 2008

Zero waste. Zero emissions. Zero everything.

It's one of the latest, and ultimate, environmental concepts. Reduction goals can change again and again, but there's nothing below zero (unless you consider the growing trend of companies and products being carbon-negative or climate-positive -- but let's get to zero first).

Large corporations like Wal-Mart and AAMCO have declared ambitious zero waste goals, so it should be possible for an office to get there, too, right? It depends on what you're looking at.

There are enough products, technologies, processes and organizations in place to make it possible, in a sense, to have a zero waste office (which for our purposes means no waste and zero greenhouse gas emissions). Zero waste in the purest sense just isn't possible yet, but by utilizing what is available, an office can get pretty close.

"At this time zero waste is more of a journey than something that can be achieved," said Larry Chalfan of the Zero Waste Alliance, a non-profit consortium of educational, government, business and other groups. "Too much of the things we need simply aren't ready for us to truly be zero waste. That said, a lot can be done, and many organizations make the goal 'zero waste to landfill' and then further define it to mean over 90 percent of waste being diverted into reuse or recycling."

Before taking up a zero waste program, an office should conduct an audit of what it's using and tossing out. Initially, abide by the first word of the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra. Cut down on the things you're using instead of switching wholesale to eco-friendly alternatives. Encourage employees to print less and you're saving paper, energy, ink, toner and time. The money saved through reductions could help offset the added costs of some green products or fund other green initiatives. You'll also need someone dedicated to the goal, or a zero-waste committee, to oversee the project -- figuring out where recyclables and compostables will go, researching renewable energy projects and other tasks.

Where you can't use less, use smarter. Recycled paper. Refillable pens, pencils and ink cartridges. Reusable, biodegradable or compostable plates, cups and utensils. CFL bulbs. Rechargeable batteries. Solar-powered calculators. There has been a boom in eco-friendly products across all industries, and there's no shortage of products with at least some green aspect. The major office supply chains are adding green products to their catalogs, and at the other end, eco-friendly office supply stores are selling conventional products, too.

Greening the Cube: Planet-Friendly Office Supplies

TheGreenOffice.com is one of many green online stores, but has one of the most extensive and informative catalogs. It was founded in 2005 and labels each product with its green credentials: recycled content, biodegradable, compostable, reduced chemical content and third party certification such as Energy Star and Green Seal. The store also has conventional items where green options don't exist with the intention of providing one place for shoppers to go, and letting customers support a green business even when what they are buying isn't so green.

"The office products industry has very few products that are designed from cradle to cradle," said Alex Szabo, founder and CEO of the TheGreenOffice.com. "Today we encourage people to make the best decisions they can."

The company grew out of Szabo's work as a sustainability consultant. One of his first recommendations for businesses is to set up a green purchasing policy, but he couldn't find a one-stop solution for green office items. "We're working to really speed the transition to sustainability in the workplace," he said, but it won't happen through retail sales alone. "Manufacturers, designers, really need to take into account the full lifecycle," he said. And that can be pushed along with encouragement from customers.

Although San Francisco-based Waldeck's also has an online store, it's had a physical retail presence for over 50 years and started focusing on green products four years ago. Owner Clifford Waldeck had served on environmental boards and commissions and said he wanted to practice in his business what he was preaching outside of it. Waldeck's downtown San Francisco store is in the middle of towering offices -- just the place green products belong, Waldeck said. "Having a retail presence brings the green message hands-on to the consumer," he said. But retail stores with an overarching green focus are few and far between. Although there has been much investment in the clean tech industry, Waldeck wishes there was investment in green retail.

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The Zero Waste Office: Is it Possible?