6 ways Proctors are making our office more eco-friendly

Making our office eco-friendly

As the effects of climate change continue widespread concern, and eco-friendly efforts gain momentum, at Proctors we maintain our strong belief in the importance of providing a sustainable work environment, for the habitat, for economic benefits, and for our employee’s well-being.

According to a study by the University of Queensland in Australia, working in an environmentally-friendly business not only improves your environmental impact but it can also help boost employee morale, productivity and creativity. And as we all know a happy employee = better work!

So, what are the greener habits Proctors have adopted and how can your business make conscious steps to create a healthy and eco-friendly office?

Introduce more plants

Not only do studies show that having more living plants in your office boost creativity and productivity by 15 percent, they have also found significant reductions in stress among workers when plants were introduced into their workspace. Plants are known to purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing energy in a process called photosynthesis when you combine it with water and light it – yeah, SCIENCE.

At the Proctors office, we feature living walls which are not only visually delightful if we do say so ourselves, but also work as a contributor to the air purification.

Embrace the sunshine with solar panels

Having solar panels will dramatically reduce, if not eliminate your electricity bill – so embrace solar power!

With oil prices increasing by the day and its adverse effects devastating the environment, Proctors had roof solar panels installed which produce an incredible 30,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per year, reducing the building’s carbon footprint by 15,000 kg of CO2.

Following an office renovation, many features of the Proctors building’s past history have been retained and recycled, to celebrate its character and pay tribute to the heritage of the Easton area. We are also the first business in Bristol and second in the country to have coated our building in CristalACTiV, which innovatively sucks in Co2 and reduces pollution in the surrounding atmosphere.

Electric company car policy

Protecting the planet is something that’s very important to us here at Proctors. With an electric company car policy, not only are we trying to reduce on air pollution from exhaust emissions but we also provide plug-in cars which cost substantially less than an equivalent petrol or diesel models.

Switch to glass milk bottles

In the mission to tackle plastic pollution and cut down on plastic packaging, we recently made the switch from plastic milk bottles to glass bottles.

The average glass milk bottle in the UK has about 35% recycled glass in it, which is a reminder that the more glass we all recycle, the more recycled glass gets used, and the more energy is saved!

Sourcing locally

When you buy from local vendors, not only are you cutting down on transporting fuel emissions, but you are also supporting local businesses. Proctors offers Friday fridge drink and weekly foodie pop ups from local businesses around Easton including Thali Cafe, Pipal Tree and NAE Deluxe in our café.

Supporting local businesses is an important step towards sustainable business practices, something our Business Development + Marketing Director, Ollie James strongly believes in, “I believe that in order to make a positive change with your clients and colleagues, you need to have a sustainable business yourself. In terms of running your business, you look at your profitability, the people and the planet. If you have a sustainable business, you give yourself a platform from which to launch powerful programmes that can start to affect change."

Cycle to work scheme

A cycle to work scheme won’t cost you money; it will save you money. A report by the European Cyclists' Federation showed that cycling to work instead of driving saves at least 250g of CO2 per mile. So with more our employees choosing to cycle to work, this means less congestion, less air pollution, and less noise pollution - hat trick!

Conclusion

Creating a sustainable office and doing your bit for the environment doesn't have to be complicated or costly, so why not start enforcing some greener habits today!

If you have any queries about the content above, contact us at marketing@proctors.co.uk for a no-obligation discussion - we would be happy to help!