Green actions, purchases and communications to protect the planet

The careful treatment of our finite resources is not just a trend but a necessity. National Recycle Week, which begins in Ireland on 1 October, is a chance for everyone to play their role. The theme, „Together, We Recycle“, applauds the continuing recycling effort during the disruption of COVID whilst highlighting the broad range of things to be recycled and waste to be reduced.

Two focus areas are electronics and food waste. Most households have about a hundred electrical products, some of which are gathering dust in drawers. Too often, these devices are just thrown out during a cleaning binge. These products often still contain valuable raw materials that are lost when they aren‘t properly recycled. Food usage awareness means paying attention to your actual food needs and ensures that nothing edible or drinkable spoils in your house or is thrown out.

At Viking, we want to support National Recycle Week in our communications and by deploying our core competencies to help eliminate consumer waste.

Contributing to a circular economy every day

Our long-term commitment to the environment shows in the four ideas at the centre of our company: act sustainably, buy sustainably, sell sustainably, communicate sustainability. When we do this, our customers can lessen their environmental impact whilst focussing on their businesses. Our deliveries reach their addressees quickly and in a climate-neutral way. Sustainable packaging and green products play an important role in our portfolio of goods and services.

As a seller of many electronic devices, we would like to take responsibility for contributing to awareness about electronics recycling. Electronic devices, lighting and batteries simply do not belong to regular waste. We must normalise putting electrical appliances in the correct waste bin or bring them to a shop or recycling centre.

Viking‘s environmental strategy:

Our commitment to sustainability doesn’t end with Recycling Week. We are not only passionate about what we do but also about how we do it. But what does such a sustainability strategy actually entail?

Here are just three examples of the building blocks in our sustainability strategy:

• Bundle orders to reduce CO2 emissions

Our customers regularly ask how they can better consolidate their purchasing processes. We sit down with them to review their purchasing and identify opportunities to consolidate orders. This reduces the number of deliveries and the associated CO2 emissions. These bulk consolidations are easy to do because we can meet the full demand for office supplies, electronic devices, furniture, printing and cleaning, and hygiene products.

• Waste-free ink and toner return system

We’re proud of the customised recycling system we’ve developed for our in-house brand of ink cartridges. All empty inkjet or toner cartridges sent for recycling are reconditioned or disposed of so that no waste is generated. In addition, the toner cartridge packaging boxes are 100% recyclable. This minimises the consumption of natural resources such as oil and new materials.

• Buy green

Of course, there’s more to sustainability than merely the purchasing process. There are the products themselves! In our Eco Shop, you can find more than 2,000 sustainably certified products to help you create a greener office. A better world starts here: https://www.vikingdirect.ie/en/eco-shop