How to Futureproof Your Office with Sustainability

Furniture

The furniture in your office is one of the key components to a successful design. If you are considering moving office or replacing some furniture in your current one, you should think about what materials you want to include in your design, how they are sourced and how they are manufactured.

There are an increasing number of furniture suppliers who are shaping the future of offices with unique eco-friendly designs.

Interface produce carpet tiles that are made from recycled fibres and bioplastics, creating longer-lasting solutions with a lower environmental impact during production.

Danish furniture design company, Mater, have recently released their Ocean Collection, which uses discarded fishing nets as the primary material to make durable chairs and tables. In fact, most of their products are made from sustainable woods, recycled plastics (even your old yoghurt pots) and aluminium.

Gabriel, the EU’s leading supplier of furniture fabrics, designs many products with the EU Ecolabel. These are fabrics that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their lifecycle – from production to recycling.

Waste

It’s easy to disregard how your waste is disposed but setting up a proper distribution system can be one of the key steps to becoming a sustainability leader.

If you are the sole company residing in your building then you will control what your options are for recycling and waste. If you are in a shared building then you may need to ask your building management how your waste is disposed of. Creating a colour scheme for your bins or more recycling points throughout your office can quickly reduce your carbon footprint.

Lighting

It is now possible for companies to integrate sensor-rich networks with their smart lighting systems. This approach to lighting control provides them with a huge range of benefits. If you’re a business that wants to make important decisions based on accurate space utilisation data, are conscious of your carbon footprint or want to create a better working environment, then this could be your next investment.

Implementing smart lighting as part of your sustainability strategy is one of the best action points for the future of your business. You can save money with a closer analysis of your energy use by adjusting the settings according to the data collected on patterns of use.

Plants

Biophilia is an integral part of any office design. In 2019, it has become one of the most popular workplace trends, improving both wellbeing and mental health. In fact, more plants can increase wellbeing in the workplace by 13%. Having a selection of plants and greenery on display in your offices can give an outward impression of sustainable and greener thinking.

Consideration towards employees’ wellbeing is essential if you hope to attract the best talent and retain them as part of your team. Job seekers are far more likely to choose a workplace that has a pleasing, more natural aesthetic amid the more artificial desk environment.

In addition to this, plants act as natural air purifiers, filtering out pollutants as they photosynthesise. A cleaner air flow around the office can also improve health and wellbeing – a simple solution for creating a happy team.