As some of you may have heard… We have moved! We’re just round the corner in a bigger and better warehouse (Unit 4 Chapman Park Industrial Estate, NW10 2DY). So now have more space for our ever-expanding catalogue of lighting equipment and our growing team. You know us, we like to do things differently, that’s why our recent move was an eco-move and here’s how we did it.

Everyone loves new stuff right!?

It’s an exciting time for the business and a great opportunity to re-think our space. We could have gone out and bought a whole load of shiny new office equipment. But, that’s just not our thing.

At Green Kit we have done our best to be smart about our new start, thinking sustainably about reducing waste and making our budget stretch. It would have been very easy to buy everything new from websites like Amazon – lots of choice, competitive prices, quick delivery. But what about those hidden costs – packaging, delivery miles, stuff you don’t really need that you buy anyway. That’s why we wanted to do it differently.

Here are some of the ways we made our eco-move.

Eco-move tip 1 – Buy second-hand

Are you expanding and need more desk space? Do you have more space and need extra storage? Or does your workspace just need a refresh?

We managed to meet all these needs using second hand office furniture websites. So we avoided sending perfectly good furniture to landfill. And, as a bonus we saved a load of money on some fancy furniture that still has plenty of life in it.

Here’s where we found some great stuff for our eco-move:

• Reyooz  – our new boardroom table was a steal!
• Wantdontwant – very fancy furniture at great prices
• LOF Office Furniture – used but not by us so it feels like new
• Recycled Business Furniture – does what it says in the title
• Ebay – a bit of a pick and mix but always worth a look
• Carpet Tile Wholesale – we bought end of line tiles, but they also have a great choice of recycled flooring

 Eco move tip 2 – refurb and recycle

This leads nicely in to our second tip. Just because you don’t want it doesn’t mean somebody else won’t! So donate your old furniture to charity or, if you need some £, many of the above companies also buy stuff second-hand.

Old technology, particularly old phones and laptops contain lots of reusable parts as well as dangerous chemicals. Which is why we used iWaste to clear out all our unwanted tech. Everything from broken cables to ancient laptops and old toasters can be collected and sustainably disposed of.

Eco move tip 3 – add an extra layer

We love our warehouse, but it is way bigger than the old one and bigger spaces are much harder to heat. Low energy heaters are good for keeping your feet warm when you are sitting at a desk but if you’re loading kit all day that’s not the best way to stay toasty. While we wait for our new eco-friendly heating and cooling system to be installed, we have started a layers basket, inspired by our eco-ally Greta. We all donate any old jumpers and fleeces to the united front against the cold. Greta and your granny would be proud 😊 The team also recommend their Greenkit beanies for keeping your ears warm!

Eco move tip 4: make 2023 the year of eco-habits 

A new chapter, a fresh start, perhaps now is the right time to start committing to eco-friendly solutions to everyday office life. We’re always trying to reduce our plastic waste.  So here’s a reminder of a few companies who can help with that:

who gives a crap – For your toilet roll, tissues and kitchen roll ‘who gives a crap’ is a funky recycled alternative to the plastic wrapped supermarket versions. Each roll is wrapped and sent to your door in 100% recyclable packaging. So not only do you not have to leave the house, but the cost of bulk ordering works out cheaper per sheet than the average pack of loo rolls. Oh, and did I mention that 50% of the profits go to helping build toilets for those in need? No brainer.

Splosh – For your cleaning supplies, buy refillable bottles for all of your needs at Splosh. Simply dilute their concentrated cleaning products with water. So, your products last longer and fewer plastic spray bottles end up in landfill. Then collect up all the empty pouches of cleaning product and sending them back to Splosh to be reused!

It was a busy eco-move, and we still have lots of changes we would like to make.  These include including installing solar film to the windows and planning to install solar panels. That’s why we had a really useful free energy audit from Groundwork  before Christmas, which showed that we are on the right track. It’s also great that the new landlord is committed to making the whole estate a more environmentally friendly place to work. Please do come and visit us in our new home. We’d be happy to make you a delicious cup of bean-to-cup coffee from Odd Coffee – a great company giving surplus coffee beans and slightly bashed coffee pods a new lease of life!