SME Premier Award 2011
Presented at The Lincoln Centre, London on 15 June 2011 by Sir Stuart Rose.
Paper Round
Walking the Talk – Establishing a Model SME Environmental Management System
Sir Stuart Rose (right) presenting the award to Bill Swan, Managing Director.
Paper Round was founded by Friends of the Earth in 1988, became independent in 2000 and has grown to become London’s leading recycling company. It services 5,500 public and private sector businesses, employs 130 people and has a turnover of £8 million.
Last year, Paper Round decided to undertake a project to look afresh at its own operations to ensure that its environmental performance was truly exceptional. It needed to ensure that it was an example of environmental best practice. In addition, the company wanted to show that business and sustainability are not only compatible, but can also make an organisation more competitive.
The project, led by Managing Director Bill Swan, involved setting up a comprehensive environmental management system (EMS) that looked at all areas of operations and relied on staff behaviour change. The project was successful and the company achieved some impressive results, including a 92% recycling rate, 100% diversion of waste from landfill, reducing office paper usage by 59% and reducing electricity use at its warehouse by 30%. The project engaged staff, helped the company to be more sustainable and saved money. As Paper Round continues to grow, it will uphold best practice environmental standards, particularly when relocating to a larger depot later this year.
The company is proud of its achievements and genuinely feels that it is ‘walking the talk’ when it comes to being ethical. The integral role that the EMS plays in operations demonstrates how sustainability can be the way to do business and adds real value for clients rather than being just a superficial add-on
To find out more about this project, please contact:
To see the Paper Round video click here.