After the UN unveiled its latest climate goals in the Agenda 2030, telecoms specialist Telavox has reviewed its own practices to gauge how it can operate a more sustainable business.
Telavox’s efforts have culminated in several initiatives, ranging from the large to the small, but all of them have accumulated to bring about tangible change and help the company slash its carbon emissions.
Below are 10 ways that Telavox has shaken up the status quo to become a greener and more sustainable company:
1. No meat, green lunch boxes instead
Telavox has stopped serving meat at any of its company events and is set to trial gamification to encourage less consumption of meat more widely. The principle is that every time a Telavox employee brings a vegetarian lunch box to work, they will receive a straw for a food lottery where free, green lunches at a nearby restaurant are raffled.
2. Cutting down on food waste
Telavox has introduced a “Free Food Station” at its premises. Wherever anyone has any food leftovers, they can be deposited at this point and with the press of a button, an image of the food is shared through Telavox’s free food channel to be advertised to anyone interested in picking it up.
3. The Flowcup
All Telavox co-workers are now offered a free Flowcup, which is an environmentally friendly product to help with period protection. It can be used over and over again for up to five years, meaning that if used continuously by one person, it cuts down on over 10,000 disposal menstrual protection products over one’s lifetime.
4. Less travel and more remote meetings
Telavox has spent a huge amount of time developing the perfect virtual collaboration platform that is able to support chat, phone and video conferences. This is the “Telavox” product and it is used universally within the company itself as well as sold onto clients.
The Telavox platform greatly reduces the need to travel to attend meetings, and saves on time and money spent travelling, as well as cutting carbon emissions as a result.
5. Deedster
Deedster is an app that allows users to create various challenges and invite co-workers to take part. The app comes with a carbon footprint calculator which provides an overview of the user’s impact on the planet through their individual consumption. Through the app, one can compare their own impact to that of their friends and colleagues, or against the Paris Agreement.
Deedster has thus far only been deployed at Telavox in Sweden, but it is looking to implement its usage company wide.
6. Buying office furniture second hand
Using second-hand furniture in good condition to spruce up its office space effectively helps Telavox cuts down on waste.
7. Recycling
Telavox is particularly strict when it comes to recycling, and uses a specific recycling station provided by Swedish firm, Trece.
8. Trains over planes
When it is necessary to travel, Telavox always favours the most environmentally friendly mode of transport, even if it is not the quickest option on offer. Even though the journey is longer, it offers time for commuting workers to get onto their mobile devices and work during the journey.
9. Telavox invests in Trine for climate compensation
Using Trine, Telavox invests into solar energy projects in growing markets. Trine works to facilitate investments in sustainable businesses across the globe, with the ambition of delivering a treble return on investment while making a tangible social and environmental impact.
10. Offering vegan alternatives to dairy products
In Telavox offices, the company has stopped stocking cow’s milk and instead uses oat milk, soy milk and other green options, which its employees have taken to.
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