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There are numerous labels, certifications and sustainability claims for office materials and paper. As a buyer, how do you see the wood for the trees? Carefully check exactly what they all mean and how to incorporate circularity into your specifications.
A nice trend: more and more suppliers are turning to 'reversed logistics' where they take back used office supplies - good for closing the loop. Responsible Office, an initiative from Bosta, the trade association for office supplies, is also worth exploring. This non-profit organisation runs a learning network on circularity (ROC) for dealers and manufacturers. They welcome input from buyers.
Circular strategies
- Internal sharing: not everyone needs their own stapler or scissors. Share these items with your colleagues.
- Less material: check what weight class of paper you need for your application.
- Less waste: choose refillable products (such as pens and ink cartridges) instead of disposable ones whenever possible. And avoid consumables such as staplers with staples.
- More recycled: ask suppliers what percentages of recycled material are possible. Use bicycle courier services for smaller deliveries where possible.
- More biobased: give preference to vegetable ink and biobased plastic. For paper: request that non-recycled fibres come from sustainably managed forests.
- Logistics: think about primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, and request environmentally-friendly transport. Have suppliers take back end-of-use products when they come to deliver something.
- Design for longevity: buy refills at the same time as refillable products. Give employees a pen once and then only refills.
- Repair possible: check whether parts that wear out quickly can be easily replaced and whether spare parts are available.
- Design for disassembly): can products be easily taken apart to reuse parts?
- Standardised design: choose standard sizes so you don't have to replace everything if you need to upgrade something.
- Contractual agreements: include take-back and reuse in your agreement and demand transparency on how this is organised.
- Design for recycling: easy disassembly makes it easier to recover raw materials.
- Identify materials: specify that plastic parts have to be marked with the type of plastic. This facilitates recycling into high-end products.
- Take-back and recycling: stipulate take-back and recycling in your contract for products that are not suitable for reuse. Ask how these products are processed. Organise good waste separation in your own company. You are often charged a fee from the collector for high-quality cardboard and paper.
- Less toxic substances: toxic substances make recycling difficult and are harmful for people and the environment. Avoid bleaches, harmful dyes and chemical adhesives whenever possible.
- Compostable: the parts of some products can be composted. This is only useful if parts are actually composted.
Criteria
- Manual for public contracts for sustainable paper products
- Generic criterion for packaging from the Flemish government
- EU GPP website: extensive file on copy paper and graphic paper
- EU Ecolabel manual from the European Commission for the purchase of paper products
- SRPP criteria tool: relevant criteria under the office facilities and services cluster
Sustainability labels
Sustainability labels
- Labelinfo.be: overview of recognised labels for paper products
- Responsible Office: overview of certifications for office materials
Think about it: many manufacturers and suppliers have their own labels or classifications for their products. These are less valuable than those where the criteria have been reviewed by a third party.
