by Panos Liakopoulos, Logistics Dpt
When it comes to impact on future generations, each is just as significant as the other. Without green and eco-friendly products and practices, the earth will suffer; and without sustainable activities, we may deplete resources.
At Marpoint, from the very beginning, we made a real effort to separate the disposable items, into recycled and non-recycled contents.
Since we use many different items to assemble the final products we supply to our customers all around the globe, one can realize that this is not an easy task.
Eventually, we realized that at the end of the day, we were ending up with many items to dispose of, wasting a lot of time and side materials to achieve our goal of optimum recycling.
What can we do about it and how we can optimize the Ecological Footprint?
What followed was beyond all expectations. The primary task was, to note down all the items that we disposed of, evaluate their purpose, and how we can reuse them. Following this, we had to think out of the box and figure out how to reuse or even modify the remaining items with the minimum energy consumption. Finally, we had to plan an effective and efficient procedure, for disposing of the remaining items without burdening the environment with extra garbage.
Going Green
As a first step, we standardized the packaging solutions for all our products, to provide the best handling, so that they can be transferred by a single person without the necessity of electrical or mechanical media.
Since all the packages are delivered from our premises, we monitored the available space in Vans and Cargo Trucks, and we came up with optimum packaging solutions, to avoid dead spaces during transportation. Apart from this, in every box, we add the dimensions and the weight.
By this, we contribute to less fuel and time waste in the whole delivery cycle.
Conserving resources – Reducing waste – Reducing pollution
When we receive the Racks from our suppliers, we keep aside all the protective materials, and we use them in the final packaging process. If you consider how many Racks, we provide every year you can easily estimate the reduction in plastic and paper waste.
When we receive items from our suppliers, we keep aside the boxes and the protective materials that apply to our standards, for future use.
Keep the zip lock bags. They came in so many sizes and colors and you will be amazed at how helpful they can be. Use them against stretch films and duct tape to packing bundle items. Since you can find them even in A4 Paper Size, use them to organize your documents and protect them from damage. Just use your hole punch and place them in Document Binders or simply place them inside Document Boxes.
Keep the protective polystyrene materials for the next sensitive equipment you want to pack or protect.
Keep the rubber bands for future use. Use them against packing tape. If you think that, this is minor, let us inform you that sometimes we consume them faster than we collect them.
Keep the plastic twist tie wire. Prefer them against tie-wraps. Take advantage of the variation in colors and sizes to organize and attach cables. You don’t need tools to remove them, and you can just move them to another position if you make a mistake.
Evaluate if the dimensions of the box, match the boxes you normally buy. If not, think out of the box and consider modifying it for protection in sensitive items.
Instead of wasting paper, energy, and printer ink, keep the sticker with the serial number attached to the box. In the zip lock bag, you kept aside, place the Serial Number clippings from the boxes of the components that will be installed inside the Rack, Server Room, Vessel Room, Company Office, etc.
Optimize the Rack equipment placement to maximize the airflow and hot/cold air distribution and reduce the Fan’s Thermostat since the Rack will work 24/7/365.
In the end, there is only one safe way to measure your success.
Monitor the number of things you place in the trash bins and how much time/energy you waste to dispose of them.
Since our Green strategy is now standardized, every day we find tiny details that can reduce time and energy waste in every aspect of conducting business and our lives.
Many tiny details add up to a huge change.
Think Smart. Think for the Future. Go Green.
