10 Ways You Can Make Your Office More Eco-friendly

Encircled's top 10 things that we've discovered

to easily green up your office space.

Learn more about Encircled.

We recently moved our headquarters to a large, airy, open-concept space in the Junction area of Toronto, Canada, where our factories are all just a short drive away! Moving to a space where we finally had our own kitchen and washroom meant that we needed to source as many ethical and eco-friendly friendly products as we possibly could, not only to furnish the space, but also to help us run Encircled, an environmentally sustainable clothing brand, with as small of an ecological footprint as possible. We thought we’d share with you some of what we’ve discovered with some easy ways to green up your office space too!

1 USE RECYCLED PAPER

100% recycled paper is pretty easy to come by these days and it’s a great way to help green your office if making the conversion to reusable towels isn’t for you. We use paper towel, facial tissues, toilet paper, and FSC certified printer paper all made from recycled materials.

 

2  USE REUSABLE TOWELS

Reusable towels are a great way to reduce waste! We opted for Turkish towels because they’re not only lightweight but also dry quickly.

 

3  TRY MESH TEA-BAGS

If your office is anything like ours then you probably crush a lot of tea. We opted for reusable mesh tea-balls to keep up with our addiction and lessen our waste.

 

4  GET A FRENCH PRESS

With Hale Coffee just below us (yaaas!) we’re always restocking their coffee grounds to put in our French press. The French press is great because it requires no filters (ie. no waste) and it also just makes great coffee.

 

5  USE CORK WHENEVER POSSIBLE 

Our placemats and coasters are made from cork. Cork is a highly sustainable resource that is carefully harvested in areas in the Mediterranean, with none of it going to waste in the process. Cork is biodegradable, durable, and overall just a great natural resource.

 

6 INVEST IN PLANTS

A few months before moving we potted a few (actually more like eleven, but who’s counting?) succulents. We loved how the greenery made our space feel fresh, so we kept going once we finished our move. Indoor plants are great for purifying the air and overall improving your health, plus they just kind of make me happy.

 

7  USE REFILLABLE SOAP

This seems like an easy one but it really goes a long way. Just buy one refillable soap container (preferably glass) and then buy large, bulk refills. You’ll cut down on cost and a lot of plastic waste.

 

8  BUY ONLY RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Rechargeable batteries… need I say more?

 

9  TRY AN ACTIVATED CHARCOAL DEODORIZER

We use an activated charcoal deodorizer in our fridge (instead of baking soda) to help eliminate any weird smells. The one we use (which can be found here) uses coconut husk charcoal to trap smells and keep vegetables fresh longer. Once it’s outlived its shelf life it’s fully compostable and will return back to the soil.

 

10  HAVE A CASUAL DRESS-CODE

My favourite: our casual dress-code! It means no dry-cleaning, which is better for the environment and is super cost-effective. Some of our team’s office favs include the Dressy Sweatpant, Dressy Sweatshirt, Comfy Blouse and our Jogger Set (to name a few!)

 

That’s all we have for our 10 Ways to Green Your Office Space! If you have any other tips or ways you like to keep your office eco-friendly, please share in the comments, we’d love to hear them!

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