Meticulous audit process to identify possibilities for reuse
One of the world’s largest online travel reservation platforms was moving its UK offices from Cambridge to Manchester and were looking for support in reusing existing office furniture rather than throwing away and buying new.
Crown Workspace’s sustainable clearance team was requested to audit and action this project.
The Solution
By being involved in the relocation at an early stage, Crown Workspace carried out an extensive audit which helped the client to identify opportunities for internal reuse. Through this rigorous audit process, 1,491 items of furniture, IT and equipment were able to be reused in the Manchester office. This included desks and chairs, meeting room and breakout room furniture, printers, monitors and cabling as well as kitchen equipment such as an oven and fridges. The three living walls were able to be relocated to Manchester as well as the two games tables.
The client requested use of Crown’s storage facilities on a temporary basis until the delivery to Manchester was required. Each item was photographed, with details logged and a barcode administered in order for the clients’ team to search within the database for suitable items in stock, which can be delivered within 24 hours to the Manchester offices.
Aside from the items being reused internally, a further 1,472 pieces of furniture or office equipment which were not needed in the new Manchester offices were identified for resale through Crown’s Office Resale channels. The rebate for these items amounted to £1,500 of savings for the client, from items such as laptops, monitors, PCs, phones and other kitchen equipment as well as meeting room chairs.
Remaining items were streamed into Crown’s Giving Back Project, with the team donating 8 boxes of storage and furniture to Emmaus, a charity which supports homelessness.
A detailed client savings report was provided by Crown to the client, which helps the client with data to support their CSR policy.
Results
The carbon savings through reuse obtained in this project amounted to 157 tonnes of CO2(e), with 3,047 items reused, and 47.22 tonnes diverted from landfill. The carbon saving would be enough to provide 18.9 homes with energy for the year or fully charge 19.1 million smartphones.
Services provided included:
- Sustainable clearance project management
- Expert audit
- IT clearance
- Storage services
- Office Resale
- Donation through the Giving Back Project