Our Good Actions give you and your colleagues the opportunity to live a conscious, sustainable life and reduce carbon emissions at work and at home.
Incorporating sustainability updates in company-wide meetings will keep your teams updated and inspire others to stand in for sustainable action. Updates can include everything from your new waste sorting solution to product updates aimed at cleaning up your product life cycle.
Updates can include anything from a new waste separation solution to product updates aimed at improving the lifecycle of your products.
The world should know about the sustainable actions you are implementing. Share on social media, your newsletter, or your website!
Feel free to use the templates below.
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Unser Ziel bei [Name des Unternehmens] ist es, unsere Mitarbeitenden zu motivieren, Nachhaltigkeit von innen heraus zu fördern . Aus diesem Grund haben wir uns mit FutureBens zusammengetan. Durch FutureBens profitieren unsere Mitarbeiter nun von exklusiven Konditionen für nachhaltige und zukunftsorientierte Produkte und Dienstleistungen, wie Tomorrow, FlixTrain und etepetete.
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At [company name], our goal is to engage employees, build sustainability from within, and add purpose to our work and daily life. That's why we are partnering up with FutureBens. Through FutureBens, our employees now benefit from exclusive conditions for sustainable and future-oriented products and services, such as Tomorrow, FlixTrain, and etepetete.
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The majority of employees, according to this survey by Forsa and Porsche Consulting, would like the topic of sustainability to play an even greater role in their daily work. Around a third of those surveyed currently see no opportunity at all to actively promote sustainability in their own company.
Let’s change that for the better and create Green Teams comprised of individuals dedicated to creating a more sustainable company.
Recommendations:
- Find a dedicated leader
- Recruit members from key groups (finance, purchasing,...) to facilitate project implementation.
- Set up quarterly or monthly meetings
- Encourage ownership of projects with measurable goals
Sharing is caring - so don’t hesitate to let us know your favorite sustainable tip. Reach out to: ps@futurebens.co. We will discuss this internally and let you know if we will add your tip to this list.
Cooking class, gardening, or community cleanup? Round up your team, be it for a few hours or a whole day, and carry out teambuilding activities together that do good.
Extra points for those who roll up their sleeves and set up a volunteer day at a local charity. Advice on planning corporate volunteering days can be provided by UPJ. UPJ is a network of committed companies and nonprofit middle organizations in Germany. It focuses on projects that contribute to solving social problems through links between companies, nonprofit organizations and public administrations.
Get together with some drinks, (vegan) snacks and teammates for an evening of learning and sharing about sustainable issues.
Here is our list of recommended documentaries on sustainability and regeneration. Have fun!
Netflix:
Youtube:
Embedding sustainable culture through recruiting and onboarding is an effective way to increase awareness in your company right from the beginning. One-third of employees would even not apply to their company today due to a lack of sustainability efforts. So promoting your sustainable efforts in the recruiting process will also be handy in today's talent shortage.
- Show your values: Be clear in what core values your company is pursuing and standing for.
- Assign responsibilities: Define individual goals and assign them to the appropriate employee.
- Reconfirm expectations: In some regards, the field of sustainability can change very rapidly (think of new laws for example that are just getting established). Make sure employees stay on track.
- Communicate results: Sustainability goals are not always as tangible and measurable as other metrics. Nevertheless, communicate your successes (and failures) with your teams
The office is the perfect place to facilitate the transition towards healthy and sustainable dietary behavior for lunch or snacks.
Take a look at our partners.
Pick a local trail to explore, gather your coworkers, and enjoy an energizing day out in nature. Not only awesome for physical and mental health but also helps team members to communicate with each other and develop trust.
Find safe routes here:
Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/
With the right bank account, you send a clear signal for a responsible approach to money. Fair consumption doesn't just start with buying coffee or clothes, but also with your everyday financial transactions. Through strict social-ecological investment criteria, you can be sure that your money is invested exclusively in the interest of the environment, people, and nature.
Our partners for sustainable banking:
Our partner for sustainable investments:
Covid taught us well how to shift business travel to the online world. This brings not only time but also monetary advantages for those involved. Our environment thanks to us for every journey not made by car or plane.
Developing a business travel policy is a commitment and helps employees determine their travel habits.
Let's also talk about vacations: Sustainable tourism is about not having a negative impact on nature and the population at the destination. Those who travel sustainably impact the environment as little as possible and do not try to (negatively) change the culture at the destination, but rather adapt.
Easy-to-implement recommendations:
Even on days off, you can do your part to educate those around you about the impact our actions have on our planet. Feel free to use the templates below for your Out Of Office message.
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Hello, Thank you for the message. I'm currently unavailable and will get back to you as soon as possible. In urgent cases, please contact (...).
Thanks and have a nice day!
P.S.: Did you know that sending an email emits on average 4 g of CO2? Feel free to delete!
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Hallo, vielen Dank für die Nachricht! Ich bin aktuell nicht erreichbar und werde mich baldmöglichst zurückmelden. In dringenden Fällen bitte an·(…) wenden. Vielen Dank und einen schönen Tag!
P.S.: Did you know that sending an e-mail causes an average of 4 g CO2?
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We live in a digital world. This applies to our professional lives as well as to our private lives. News, apps, and various programs fill our computers and smartphones. The cloud is also well filled, we store our data - better safe than sorry - often without checking if it is not already there.
How you can save energy:
Companies have the capacity to give, and Pledge 1% is here to help map out a timeline and giving plan that aligns with your values and larger business goals.
Pledge 1% is a global movement that encourages and empowers companies of all sizes and stages to donate 1% of their staff time, product, profit, and/or equity to ANY charity of their choosing. Already thousands of companies around the world have taken the pledge, and dozens of VCs, incubators and conferences have joined to push the movement forward. Join!
Sustainability in the workplace starts with your own values. Benefits aren't always immediately apparent but will be essential in the long run. Fostering a culture of sustainability ensures employees are feeling a greater sense of purpose and more eagerness and dedication to growing with the business. Sustainability can take on many forms. For us, it also includes social inclusiveness, diversity and poverty reduction, resource efficiency, environmental protection, and climate change. Continue reading about our vision of sustainability: click here.
In September 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations adopted a Plan for a Better Future for that sets out a path to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set the direction and clearly define the world we aspire to - they apply to all nations and leave no one behind.
If your company is struggling to define its role in pulling off SDGs, there are a few steps you can take to get started. Try surveying your employees and customers to see what’s most important to them. If you still need some guidance starting, go through this list by the UN and get inspired.
Given the increasing importance of accurately tracking and reducing greenhouse gas (THG) emissions to prevent the worse effects of climate change, this topic is highly relevant.
But which method and tools to use? To help companies make the best-informed decisions, Plan A has designed a comprehensive infographic.
Important: Emissions are grouped into Scopes.
Scope 1: includes the direct release of climate-damaging gases in the own company.
Scope 2: includes the indirect release of climate-damaging gases by energy suppliers.
Scope 3: includes the indirect release of climate-damaging gases in the upstream and downstream supply chain.
Scope 1 and 2 are crucial, and covering significant Scope 3 emissions is a major step in tackling climate change.
Searching for a partner in measuring your carbon footprint? Have a look at climatepartner.
The different means of transport you take for coming to work certainly have a high influence on your carbon footprint.
CO2 emissions for a 10 km journey:
- Walk or bike to work - 0g
- E-bike - 50g
- Public transport - 837g
- Car - 2000g
The most sustainable commute is certainly the one that doesn't happen in the first place. That doesn't mean that you now have to change your job but rather that you should work from home more often if possible.
Waste separation means that different types of waste are collected and recycled separately. In Germany, waste separation starts directly with the consumer. This means that every household has to sort its waste itself and throw it into different bins and containers. Much of the waste in Germany is recycled and composted, which conserves resources and protects the environment.
Only certain waste may be thrown into each garbage can:
Have you had your coffee today?
Coffee is one of the most popular hot drinks. According to current data from the Statista Consumer Market, the average Person in Germany drinks 450 cups of coffee a year. (That’s more than the average consumption of beer!)Sadly, Coffee is the beverage that causes our eco-balance to skyrocket. Have a look down below at our coffee menu.
Ecological problems
Social problems
Can't I just buy "fair-trade", "rainforest alliance" or "utz"?
Each organization takes a slightly different approach within the "fair trade" model. Thus, "fair trade" is above all a matter of definition. The differences are in the details and sometimes serious. Our tip: Form your own opinion. Many label organizations strive for transparency and publish annual reports and studies that measure their impact on local farmers.
Our valued coffee partners:inside:
No:e coffee drinker:in?
Tea Partner:inside:
Responsible use of your technical devices can save a lot: Charging capacity, runtimes, resources and also money.
Recommendations:
- Unplug your device when it is fully charged
- Keep the screen as dark as possible. The same goes for the keyboard backlight.
- Turn off Bluetooth when you don't need it. The laptop's constant search for pairable devices consumes a lot of power.
- Bye Bye Standby: Avoid leaving your laptop in standby mode for too long. Turning it off overnight or when not in use for four hours is usually beneficial.
- Close unneeded browser tabs or unneeded programs in the background
- Disable the screen saver: The graphics card, processor and monitor needed to play the screen saver consume a lot of power - sometimes as much as a movie. And this even though nobody is looking!
The most important tip for saving energy on office lighting during the workday is to turn off the lights as soon as you leave a room. In addition, lamps should only burn when they are necessary for work. Energy-saving lamps in the office are another measure that contributes to sustainability.
There are also technical solutions that can help reduce a company's ecological footprint. In corridors and rooms that are rarely entered, for example, motion detectors are a good option. Intelligent lighting technology is a good way to adapt the building lighting. This can not only be controlled from anywhere: Digitally, a schedule can be created according to which the lights go out after work.
When it gets cold in the winter, we are used to simply turning up the radiators. And it's already cozy and warm. Probably very few people think about where the heat comes from. But if climate policy goals are to be achieved, something has to happen, especially when it comes to heating. According to the Federal Environment Agency, heating accounts for almost 75 percent of energy consumption for living.
What can be done to reduce this?
- Airing rooms regularly instead of tilting windows and setting thermostats to an even temperature.
- Think about energy renovations, such as insulating the building so that less heating is needed in the winter. Despite the initial investment, such measures can save money in the long run. Many of these investment measures are also supported by KfW as part of the German government's climate package.
- Intelligent heating: The task of a modern and intelligent heating system is, on the one hand, to ensure the desired room temperature at any outside temperature and in any room and, on the other hand, to regulate energy consumption sensibly. This means that the heating system recognizes and knows when heating is needed and when it is not, and thus uses energy efficiently.
Some people think they know what sustainability is and are tired of hearing about it. Yet the topic of sustainability has so many faces, exciting facts and visions, and will ultimately determine the future for all generations to come.
Knowledge is power, which is why we have selected some excellent books on the subject of sustainability that educate, inspire, give tips for everyday life and are sometimes so exciting that you don't want to put them down!
"The story of bees"
Maja Lunde's novel is a plea for a more sustainable life. "The Story of the Bees" shows us through three individual fates how important the little animals are for our lives, indeed for our survival. A moving and lasting novel.
"Zero Waste Kitchen'' (german only)
With the help of creativity, passion and intuition, Sophia Hoffmann has turned her love of cooking into a profession and has been a successful author, food consultant and gastro presenter for years. Appreciating food is not only a central part of her daily work, but also the basis of her new cookbook ZERO WASTE KÜCHE.
P.S.: Printing books consumes resources. The best thing to do is go to your local library and borrow the books. Or organize a book swap party with your friends. If the book you want isn't available to borrow or swap, you have the option to buy it digitally. Each digital book downloaded subsequently improves the reader's carbon footprint compared to a traditional printed book.
Very often, the cleaning products we use are anything but environmentally friendly. From large amounts of packaging waste to high water consumption and pollutants that can enter the groundwater - the topic of "sustainability" should therefore also be a high priority for our cleaning products.
An alternative is everdrop.
Detergents, cleaning tabs, dishwasher tabs. With everdrop products, packaging waste and other environmental impacts such as CO2 can be easily reduced.
Most electrical appliances are not sustainable: much of the raw materials come from countries with poor working conditions and low environmental standards. Just as it is now commonplace to rent cars, bicycles and e-scooters, this model is also becoming increasingly popular in the field of electronics.
The idea behind it: By renting and returning, the life of the equipment is extended according to the principle of the sharing economy and unnecessary purchases are avoided.
Companies like Grover have a clear vision to help people live more affordable lives with flexible access to technology. Grover offers a selection of over 3,000 products such as smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles and smart home devices. Currently, people in Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and the U.S. can rent technology, use it for as long as they want, and then return it - contributing to a healthier planet.
Old, broken or seemingly useless items don't always have to be thrown away right away. Before you throw something in the trash, consider whether upcycling could be an alternative.
What is upcycling?
You add value to discarded products by using them for purposes other than what they were originally intended for.
Examples:
In general, it makes sense to use products and equipment as long as possible to save resources. Upcycling helps to extend the life cycle of a product or give it a new life cycle. This helps to conserve resources and thus also to protect nature and the climate.
What goes around comes around...
We know that the consumption of raw materials is too high in consideration of the ecological limits. Ensuring sustainable production and consumption patterns and reducing the demand for resources is, therefore, one of the global sustainability goals. The circular economy, based on the sharing, renting and recycling of resources, is one way of reusing resources for as long as possible. Choosing products designed to last, that can be repaired and focusing on using them as long as possible will be beneficial in the long run.
What can each of us do to make this happen?
- Since money makes the world go round, the power of the conscious consumer lies in actively saying yes to environmentally friendly, ethical offerings, thus pushing industry to produce according to these principles to ultimately reduce their negative impact.
- Manufacturing companies have a responsibility to meet this demand. Products must be durable and repairable while protecting public health and the environment throughout their life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to final disposal.
Earth Hour is a regular, large-scale climate and environmental protection campaign launched by WWF. The idea behind it is quite simple: once a year, millions of people around the world turn off the lights for one hour. Many thousands of cities also join in and wrap their most famous buildings in darkness. The aim is to set a joint example for environmental and climate protection. This is where the name Earth Hour comes from.
Earth Hour 2023 will take place from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the
Saturday, 25 March(Central European Time)
Earth Hour 2022 results: https://www.wwf.eu/campaigns/earth_hour/
After a successful emissions analysis, the next step is to set clear goals to take effective and cost-efficient action to reduce emissions: With our "Office Tips" we have presented some measures that can be considered to reduce emissions in your company.
Determine the goals and create a roadmap on how to achieve these goals. This way you can define and follow your ideal path to improve your environmental footprint and achieve carbon neutrality.
Having trouble creating that roadmap? Support is offered by companies like climatepartners.
Of course, it's best not to use paper. But if something needs to be printed, choose yourprint paper wisely. We can all take action to protect the world's forests by ensuring that the paper we use is 100% recycled or FSC certified, for example.
Bananas from India, pineapples from Brazil and apples from Germany - all year round.
Many of the products we consume cannot even be grown and harvested in Germany. Various storage methods ensure that many products are still available long after harvesting, but storage in cold stores, for example, also pollutes the environment.
Seasonal and regional products also have certain health benefits. With long transport routes or long storage times, fruits are harvested long before they are ripe, which means that important nutrients are lost and the taste also suffers.
As always, it's not important that we do everything right, but that we try to move together in the right direction. Maybe you'll buy your vegetables and fruit at a local farmers' market in the future?
And another thing: A significant part of our agricultural harvest is left in the field, simply because it doesn't look perfect. Together with a network of farmers, etepetete rescues these fruits and vegetables and delivers them directly to your door.
Doing without plastic completely in everyday life is almost impossible. However, it is possible to drastically reduce plastic consumption if you keep a few things in mind:
Reusable instead of disposable bottles
Only reusable bottles do not become waste and can be reused. Reusable packaging can be recognized by the 'reusable' logo affixed to the product or the "Blue Angel" eco-label.
Reusable cups instead of coffee-to-go cups
Disposable cups quickly end up in the trash. Their production requires valuable resources such as wood and plastic, as well as water and energy. Reusable cups as an alternative are much more environmentally friendly. Even though customer cups are sometimes not accepted due to hygiene measures, many cafés offer reusable cups.
Bring bag instead of plastic bag
Plastic bags are the epitome of a waste of resources and have long since become obsolete. In German supermarkets, plastic shopping bags, with the exception of very lightweight so-called "shirt bags," will be banned from 2022. Reusable fruit and vegetable nets are a good alternative to thin plastic bags, which will continue to be permitted for hygienic reasons.
Avoid microplastic particles and liquid polymers in cosmetics
Solid microplastic particles and liquid or water-soluble polymers are hidden in many products. However, there is no universally valid definition of microplastics - so even the label "microplastic-free" from companies does not always have the same meaning. Products that bear the Blue Angel are characterized by the fact that they pollute water bodies only to a small extent and also limit packaging waste. Certified natural cosmetics are also a safe alternative.
Waste free shopping
Supermarkets and discount stores: Here, as a customer, you often have little opportunity to buy unpackaged food. If possible, support "unpackaged" stores or visit farmers' markets in your area. There are also online retailers that deliver food without packaging.
Repairs are worthwhile: From an ecological point of view, it almost always pays to repair a product instead of buying a new one.
- You can perform smaller repairs yourself with the help of the manufacturer's manuals. Various online portals like"Kaputt.de" or "iFixit" offer repair solutions, instructions and even repair videos.
- For major repairs, you should get several estimates. Independent repair stores are sometimes cheaper than the manufacturer's customer service. All repair companies are liable for a defect-free repair in accordance with the law on contracts for work and services (§§ 631 ff. BGB).
- Repair cafés offer a cost-effective alternative. These are voluntary repair initiatives where repairs are carried out jointly under expert guidance. As a rule, there is no liability for defects in the repairs carried out in repair cafés.
- The pressure on manufacturing companies is increasing, also in view of the extended legal situation. The Parliament adopted its demands on a European Commission proposal on the "right to repair" planned for 2022 by 509 votes to 3, with 13 abstentions. MEPs agreed that an effective right to repair should take into account the entire product life cycle, including product design, basic ethical principles of production, standardization, consumer information, including reparability labeling, and public procurement.
The term carbon footprint stands for the measurement of greenhouse gases that have an impact on the climate. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is released, for example, when organic substances such as fossil oil, coal or wood are burned. The reason for this is simple to explain: Organic materials contain carbon (C), and combustion processes usually involve oxygen (O2). Together, this results in CO2. Carbon dioxide stores heat on our planet much like a greenhouse stores heat, causing global temperatures to rise (among other side effects). The smaller our CO2 footprint, the better.
Whether it's energy, products or office supplies, an assessment of policies and actions related to people, politics, the environment and animals will help you find the right supplier(s) who share your beliefs and vision.
Good to know: The legal position on sustainable procurement continues to expand. Here are two examples:
Supply Chain Sourcing Commitments Act (LkSG):
The law was passed by the German Bundestag in June 2021 and will come into force from January 1, 2023 for companies based in Germany with at least 3,000 employees. From January 1, 2024, companies with at least 1,000 employees in Germany will also be included. The law aims to improve the international human rights situation by setting requirements for responsible supply chain management. The law requires companies to conduct appropriate human rights and environmental due diligence in their supply chains. Due diligence requirements for companies include: Identification of risks, mitigation measures, enabling complaints, recognition of responsibility, reporting, and impact of the Supply Chain Act on small and medium enterprises.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD):
In April 2021, the EU Commission presented the draft of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The CSRD on non-financial reporting is to apply to companies from January 1, 2024 for the 2023 financial year. According to the draft, there will be far-reaching changes in the scope and nature of corporate sustainability reporting, and the existing rules on non-financial reporting will be significantly expanded.
CO₂ offsetting is primarily understood as "payments to finance greenhouse gas-reducing investments (e.g. wind turbines in developing countries)", which can be made by both private individuals and companies. The aim of these measures is to sustainably reduce global CO₂ emissions and offset the CO₂ pollution "caused" by the company itself.
What are the types of climate protection projects? The most common types of projects include:
You can find a guide to sustainable balancing here.
Data is growing exponentially. Currently, about 1 to 2 percent of the world's electricity is used to power data centers. However, the impact goes beyond just power. Indeed, data management can impact another important resource: Water. According to a U.S. government report, on average, a data center uses about 1.8 liters of water for every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, primarily for air conditioning. In addition, thousands of servers and other hardware components are disposed of each year.
Educate yourself about your server suppliers and switch to those that take environmentally friendly measures. Water and power efficient cooling systems, hardware components that are used longer and recycled at the end of their life, and the use of green power are ways data centers can save resources.
The most important point to lowering the emissions caused by your energy use is to lower your energy consumption. Smart lighting, unplugging appliances, and using email and data responsibly are the first steps to help, as we explained in our office tips.
The second step is to opt for green energy. The term green energy refers to electricity generated from environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. This is done in distinction to conventionally generated electricity from nuclear energy and fossil fuels, such as primarily coal, oil and natural gas. The main benefit of a green electricity tariff, in addition to the direct reduction of CO2 emissions, is the promotion of investment in renewable technologies.
Our partner for green energy: Lichtblick.
The final step is to offset the emissions that are caused but cannot be reduced.