At the end of June, the time had come: after more than 40 years, Consor moved from its offices in Ottikerstrasse to its new location: Wengistrasse 7 in District 4. Our new office building was recently renovated to make it more energy-efficient and is currently being fitted with a photovoltaic system on the roof, so that the conditions here are ideal for low energy consumption.
We took this move as an opportunity to review how we as a company can operate even more sustainably and improve processes in terms of environmental protection. We received valuable input from Dr. Pamela Ravasio, SME Sustainability and expert in the field of sustainability – many thanks at this point.
Sustainability
Consor has already come a long way in terms of sustainability in procurement, but it was important to us to keep our CO2 emissions as low as possible during the move and to become even better when it comes to disposal and recycling.
This started with the furniture: we were able to buy height-adjustable desks from our previous tenants. In addition to the ergonomic benefits for our employees, this meant that we did not have to have new desks produced. This alone has already enabled us to save a lot of CO2. But what to do with our desks and the furniture we no longer need? In the last few months, we have actually been able to sell almost everything to new owners via online platforms. We didn’t get rich doing this and it was a considerable effort, but we think it’s worth it: because this way, these desks, mobile pedestals and cabinets continue to be used, which also saves CO2.
Recycling
All of our discarded electrical appliances, such as old screens, computers and laptops, were either sold or given to a specialist upcycling or recycling center.
We carried out the physical move with a small, local company to keep travel distances to a minimum. We rented the moving boxes instead of buying them – they were returned to the moving company and will hopefully be used for many more moves.
When tendering for the cleaning of our 620m2 office space, we explicitly asked for ISO certification for the use of ecological cleaning agents and fair working conditions. This “nudging” of service providers helps to encourage companies to operate more sustainably in the medium term. In the end, we also opted for the cleaning company that was the only one to have all the certifications – even if it was slightly more expensive than its competitors.
As the city of Zurich unfortunately does not yet have a comprehensive concept for recycling recyclable materials at companies, we have also been looking for a solution here. And we came across Mr. Green: The Swiss company offers a very convenient service for companies and private individuals to collect and pick up a wide range of recyclable materials, making a decisive contribution to a circular economy. To avoid plastic waste, we at Consor have been using Recircle boxes for years, which are now being used even more frequently by our employees in the vibrant Kreis 4 district.
Filtered, with and without sparkling water
We have also changed our drinking water supply in the new office: At the old location, we still had regular supplies of sparkling and mineral water. Thanks to a new tap in the kitchen, our employees now have the option of obtaining the best Zurich tap water, filtered, sparkling or still, directly from the tap. This also saves on journeys and the energy required to clean and recycle glass bottles.
Overall, we are very satisfied with the result: The employees are happy to have height-adjustable desks throughout in a state-of-the-art office, the old furniture is being reused and we have been able to improve in terms of recycling and cleaning.
We are pleased to be able to make a small contribution to sustainability and hope to inspire other companies and private individuals.
Our new entrance area invites you to linger and chat at the coffee machines
Thanks to height-adjustable desks and central ventilation in the building, it is always comfortable to work
Of course, some of our furniture was also moved to the new location – like this meeting table and bar stools for dynamic meetings
