Case study: Global GreenTag International ecoBiz
Global GreenTag International is a globally recognised provider of certification systems for green products and materials. The company, whose office is located and headquartered in Brisbane, currently has more than 16,000 products under certification in over 22 countries, which are used in buildings and offices throughout Australia and the world.
Global GreenTag CertTM assesses and ranks products through leading Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based product ecolabelling and rating schemes. It also provides third party assessed product declaration programs, including an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a Product Health Declaration (PHD) and a Modern Slavery Declaration (MSD).
Since joining the ecoBiz program in 2015, this ecoBiz Star Partner has reduced their water use intensity by 27%, and energy use intensity by 58% and have implemented measures to reduce their waste.
Key initiatives to reduce energy use
Part of the energy used by the Global GreenTag International office comes from its solar panels. Electronic equipment has been set to go into sleep mode or turn off when not in use. Staff have also established the habit of turning off lights when they are not needed.
To further reduce its carbon footprint, the company encourages staff to use public transport and allows them to work from home or schedule hours to miss the peak traffic.
Key initiative to reduce water use
Educating staff about ways to save water in the kitchen and amenities makes a big difference in water consumption for an office like Global GreenTag International. For example, staff clean dishes in a basin of water rather than using running water.
Key initiatives to reduce waste
ecoBiz noted that Global GreenTag International has demonstrated a strong commitment to effective waste management. It has a sustainable procurement policy to reduce waste and initiatives in place to divert waste from landfill by:
- Installing signage to help staff members and visitors to sort waste.
- Recycling soft plastics via RedCycle and batteries via Battery World.
- Food scraps and coffee grounds are composted.
- An employee reuses the office shredded paper as mulch in their garden.
- Using various TerraCycle programs to recycle office items.
- Filtered water is available to avoid using single-use plastic water bottles.
"Thanks to ecoBiz, Global GreenTag has enjoyed walking the talk by keeping track of our footprint as a business, and GreenTag staff (all with unique callings for creating a more sustainable and energy efficient world to live and work in) have taken the challenge over the years with great interest."
Mary-Lou Kelly, Global GreenTag’s Managing Director.