C 11–2 Tips Checklist on (Management) Site Amenities

Introduction
Use the following tips as suggestions:
C 11–2–1 Use of sustainable energy sources and providers for site
Check the type of electricity and it production method. Make sure you take "green energy" that comes from renewable energy sources and is certified by a recognized certification body (See link list below).

Applicable / Feasible?

Consider using and/or installing (small) combined heat and power units for gaseous, liquid and solid fuels. This will help to make your location more decentralized with environmentally-friendly generated energy. Make use of such installations with other businesses and/or your partners in the area. This will help to optimise and distribute the load of such a system.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 11–2–2 Biodiversity-friendly site furnishing (floor coverings, furniture, lighting)
Make sure that when you use floor coverings such as parquet, laminate and linoleum that you avoid materials with harmful substances - especially when finishing the floor. Such substances can reduce the recyclability of the floor coverings.

Applicable / Feasible?

Make sure when you select textile coverings that they are free of softeners, formaldehyde or other volatile substances.

Applicable / Feasible?

When using wall coverings, be sure to select ones made mostly from waste paper in an environmentally-friendly manufacturing process. They should also not contain formaldehyde or other harmful substances.

Applicable / Feasible?

Be sure to use interior paints with official environmental labels (e.g. natureplus, Blue Angel, Eco-Label, TÜV eco-label, etc.)

Applicable / Feasible?

Be sure to purchase furniture that is simple to repair and recyclable.

Applicable / Feasible?

When purchasing office furniture, be sure that it has gone through an environmentally-friendly manufacturing process, to ensure that it does not contain harmful substances.

Applicable / Feasible?

Be sure to check the origin of wood in your wooden furniture, wooden components for office furniture, parquet flooring, wall and ceiling paneling, windows and door frames. When possible use local wood sorts and woods from certified sustainable processing plants.

Applicable / Feasible?

Concerning other components of you office furniture, be sure that leather, textiles and cushioning materials have been manufactured environmentally-friendly and sustainably.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 11–2–3 Minimisation of indirect biodiversity impacts through environmentally friendly, efficient and technical equipping
Before purchasing new control units / devices, check to see if the equipment you already have can be retrofitted to suit your needs.

Applicable / Feasible?

Make sure you equipment is as energy efficient as possible through technical means (e.g. lightings, PCs, printers, copy machines, kitchen appliances, etc. - they should be equipped with standby functions). With this you will help contribute to climate protection and help preserve biodiversity. Many energy efficient products have environmental labels.

Applicable / Feasible?

Be sure to take as resource conserving and recyclable technical site equipment as possible. Careful and economical use of resources has great benefits for biodiversity.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 11–2–4 Purchase of biodiversity-friendly consumable materials (office supplies, stationary, etc.)
Reduce your paper consumption by using digital means as well as double sided printing.

Applicable / Feasible?

Equip your offices with environmentally labeled, resource efficient and recyclable products (e.g. stationary, paper, printer accessories, package and letter scales, calculators, etc.)

Applicable / Feasible?

When purchasing cleaning supplies (e.g. for the kitchen, toilet, etc.), be sure to get products that are biodegradable. Such products are labeled with eco-labels.

Applicable / Feasible?

C 11–2–5 Purchase of foodstuffs (coffee, tea, cafeteria food, etc.)
When purchasing foodstuffs, check for ecological production means. This will help ensure that no pesticides were used and should ensure that the least amount of energy was used (less than conventional methods) to make it. There are many eco-labels out there to help you make your selections.

Applicable / Feasible?

Try to use not only local product, but also the seasonal products from the area.

Applicable / Feasible?

Be especially careful with seafood and other fish products to ensure that the processing and fishing methods are sustainable and are careful to not damage the aquatic ecosystems (i.e.. are biodiversity-friendly) and avoid endangered species. Also for these products many eco-labels are available to guide your purchase decisions.

Applicable / Feasible?

Additional Tips
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Helpful Links and Organisations for Detailed Checklist C 11-2

www.aoel.org

The Association of Organic Food Producers (Assoziation ökologischer Lebensmittelhersteller - AoeL) is a coming together from within the food industry of processing companies that produce organic food.

www.beschaffung-info.de

The information service for environmentally sound procurement offers information on procurement all types of good for offices.

www.bioland.de
www.bio-siegel.de
www.demeter.de
www.naturland.de

The Eco-labels Bio-Labels Bioland (www.bioland.de ) Bio- Siegel (www.bio-siegel.de ), Demeter (www.demeter.de) and Naturland (www.naturland.de) are the most widely recognised labels for ecological grown foodstuffs (and other products).

www.blauer-engel.de

The Blue Angel labels products of all kinds (paper, office supplies, electric devices, furniture, etc.), which have been manufactured in a more resource-efficient and environmentally-friendly manner than other similar products.
Their home page offers tips, test standards, background info and product info as well as brochures with tips on many environmentally-friendly office supplies.

www.climatesaverscomputing.org

Businesses such as Microsoft, Google, HP, Intel and eBay have begun the Climate Savers Smart Computing initiative with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). You will find information and guides on energy saving tips, product catalogs on energy-efficient PCs, Laptops, Servers and many other devices.

www.eco-label.com

European Eco-Label
The EU eco label is awarded to many different kinds of products that have a lower impact on the environment than other comparable products.


www.ecotopten.de

The EcoTopTen campaign offers regular product recommendations in ten areas regarding ecological and quality aspects, as well as price-performance ratios.
(In German only)

www.eco-world.de

The Eco-World-Portal offers continually updated addresses and product tips for sustainable business and consumer information for businesses and offices. (In German only)

www.eu-energystar.org/de
www.eu-label.de
www.energielabel.de
www.tuv.com/de

The energy labels EnergyStar (www.eu-energystar.org/de), EU-Label (www.eu-label.de), GED-Label (Gemeinschaft Energielabel Deutschland) (www.energielabel.de) and TÜV ECO-Kreis-Label (www.tuv.com/de ) all label electronic devices that are particularly energy efficient and are made of resource sparing materials.

www.energyoffice.org

The Energyoffice website offers tips on device efficiency and energy saving methods for the office.

www.ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/consumerconfidence/
logo-labelling_de

The EU-Label for Organic Farming is awarded to products and foodstuffs that are produced according to the EU organic farming Regulation. Such products have the "Organic Farming" label.

www.ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp

The European Commission's directive Green public procurement (GPP) was developed for public services but does have a number of useful suggestions and information on environmentally-friendly procurement methods that can be used by the general public as well.

www.transfair.org

Products with the Fairtrade Seal offer consumers peace of mind to know that farmers and farmhands are receiving a fair price for their products and they are living under fair conditions. They offer no products that are produced with child and/or forced labour.

www.fsc-deutschland.de
www.pefc.de

The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-Labels as well as the  PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)-Label  are award to products in the paper and wood industry that completely or at least partially use wood from sustainable harvesting practices.

www.gut-ev.de

The GUT-Symbol labels environmentally and user-friendly carpets that have been checked for harmful substances, odors and pollution. The testing standard is based on many environmental factors, among which are the keeping water and air clean during the production process.

www.initiative-papier.de

The Initiative for Sustainable Use of Paper advises businesses, authorities and consumers. They also actively campaign for the sustainable use of paper.

www.itk-beschaffung.de

The website for procurement of information and communications technology (ICT) is operated by the German Umweltbundesamt and the Procurement office of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior . You will find countless guides and exact tips on purchasing PCs, laptops, and many other ITC products.

www.label-online.de

The Label-online.de information system is run by the Verbraucher Initiative e.V. and the Bundesverband kritischer Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher. It provides information about German consumer labors for products of all kinds.   

www.msc.org

The seal of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is used for fish products. It aims to help stabilise global fish stocks by working together with fishery experts and environmental organizations to develop standards for sustainable fisheries.

www.naturtextil.com

The textile standard Nature Textile IVN certified BEST is currently the standard with the highest realisable requirements for ecological textiles. BEST was designed based on the 1990 textile regulation developed by the International Association Natural Textile Industry (IVN) and ensure the entire supply chain involved in textile manufacturing is ecologically and socially responsible.

www.oekocontrol.com

The Eco Control Seal has been created for furniture and cushion material. They test for wood from sustainable forestry practices and raw fibre that is free from pesticides, herbicides and other harmful materials. (In German only)

www.oekoportal.de

The ecological search machine Ecoportal is a business directory / web directory for all your ecological needs. They also provide "eco-news" from various sources.

www.ok-power.de
www.gruenerstromlabel.org

The eco-energy labels ok-power label from EnergieVision e.V. and the Grüner Strom Label e.V. (GSL) (green electricity label) offer independent certification for eco electricity products. (In German only)

www.svanen.nu/eng

The Nordic Ecolabel provides testing for environmental compatibility, quality and health aspects for 66 various product groups on products coming from Scandinavian countries.

www.tcodevelopment.de

There are a number of TCO Certified labels that offer certification for IT and Office supply products, which are particularly user-friendly, ergonomic and environmentally-friendly.

www.umweltvertraegliche-bueroprodukte.de

This website from B.A.U.M. e.V. offers examples and an overview on environmentally-friendly office products. (In German only)

How the Checklists work

With the checklists' various fields of action you will be able to assess your company's situation.  For each field of action, there is a quick check along with multiple other detailed checklists.  Fill in the relevant checklists one after the other.  At the end you can print out and send or email us the completed questionnaire.

Note:

The entries are meant to aid you in your self-evaluation and will not be saved or used by us or any other third party organisation.

 

 

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