Ergolain is announcing April as Sustainability Month
The full application of sustainability standards is the new business model for modern businesses. The Ergolain Group announces April as Sustainability Month and encourages companies to embark on a sustainability journey now and to actively adapt green guidelines in their day-to-day operations.
With more than 23 years of experience in setting up offices in Lithuania and abroad and developing HORECA projects, the Ergolain Group has taken a major step towards sustainable business and has identified sustainability as one of its strategic areas in 2022. An ambitious goal has been set to grow the basket of sustainable products by 3% and to double the number of environmentally friendly office projects. This year, the company also launched an internal sustainability project, which will offer initiatives and solutions on how the company can achieve its sustainability goals and apply more environmentally friendly solutions in its day-to-day operations.
Green spaces from Ergolain projects
A broader approach
It is important to understand that sustainability-based activities have a much broader context. First of all, business needs to be organized on the basis of ESG (environmental, social, governance) factors. What does this mean in practice? In order to work sustainably, companies should not only take into account the use of environmentally friendly materials in production, waste sorting and recycling, but also create decent working conditions for employees, pay socially equitable remuneration, develop professional skills, and choose business partners responsibly, as well as apply the principles of sustainable management on a daily basis: transparent management, efficient planning, standardized processes, etc.
"In order to choose a truly sustainable product, it is worth looking at the wider context."
Gintarė Mockutė, Sustainability Project Manager of the Ergolain Group, draws attention to the growing public perception that sustainability in business simply means that a company offer office furniture made from recycled materials. She emphasizes that to choose a truly sustainable product, it is worth looking at the broader context and analyzing in detail how the business works.
"When choosing a business partner, it is important to take into account the company's internal policy, social responsibility, employee rights, product longevity, how the product will be delivered to the customer, or whether the product can be sorted and recycled later. That is why we do not include suppliers that do not meet ESG standards in the list, and our company's experts can always answer all questions about the origin of the product” explains G. Mockutė.
Sustainable furniture examples
Green future
International practice shows that companies, based on the principles of sustainable operations in their daily activities, calculate higher profits, ensure customer loyalty, reduce operational risk and increase the value and awareness of their own brand.
A study by sustainability consultancy Cone found that 98 percent companies applying sustainability standards reported calculating direct benefits in sales and marketing. 60 percent 53 percent of respondents said they had a positive impact on the company’s reputation. - higher profitability, 30%. - lower costs, 30%. - increased production.
"Sustainability is the language of the future business that needs to be learned today, as it may be too late tomorrow."
Vilma Bružienė, the head of the Ergolain group of companies, emphasizes that sustainability is the language of the business of the future, which must be learned today, because it may be too late tomorrow. During the Lithuanian Business Forum Vilma read a report on how to integrate the company's sustainability principles into companies' strategies.
She shares the business practice that customers of the Ergolain Group are already choosing because the company can offer a rich basket of sustainable products, helping to find sustainable ways to equip and accommodate green spaces.
Ergolain always offers its customers sustainable alternatives to conventional office furniture. Instead of a regular chair, you can try a chair with fewer details that will be easy to recycle later. Or choose the Be Green table created by the designers of our furniture factory, which leaves only 5.97 percent scrap after the production, which usually is about 20%. Finally, we remind customers that sometimes quality furniture only needs to be renewed, a few details need to be replaced. The furniture will perform its function perfectly, and the customer will have contributed to the conservation of natural resources, ”says V. Bružienė about the possibilities of sustainability when making everyday choices.
Sustainably implemented projects
Ergolain is announcing April Sustainability Month and is urging companies to take a close look at their business processes and try to take the first steps in sustainability. You can start with small things. For example, dispose of trash bins under each desk, install multiple sorting containers in the office instead, drink and treat your guests with filtered tap water instead of buying water in plastic bottles, commute to the office at least a few times a week on foot, by bike or by public transport.
Article published at 15min.lt
