Here at Arema Connect we are passionate about sustainability and caring for the environment in which we operate. We are delighted to be shortlisted in the Green Awards in the category of Green Medium Sized Organisation of the Year, for 2 consecutive years in a row. Launched in 2008, the Green Awards recognises the extraordinary contribution and commitment that companies make towards growing a greener future in Irish business. In 2020 Arema Connect was awarded the ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management. This further ensures our clients and the wider community of our commitment to environmentally conscious behaviours.
“Arema Connect is an office-based company and in order to reduce paper waste, 4 of our 5 offices are paperless. Our staff are encouraged to view all updates online rather than print and recycling bins are available in each office. We are always open to new ideas on how to reduce our carbon footprint” – Pat Keogh, Managing Director
Some of our green achievements to date –
Elected an Environmental Management Team (EMT) – To manage our objectives this year we nominated an Environmental Management Team (Katie Murphy and Millie Cooper) to support and oversee our efforts to date.
Green Training Programme – Our EMT introduced a training programme to continue educating the team on sustainability, recycling and our green initiatives. Twice per month our team receives a newsletter focusing on different environmental topics which includes tips, facts and suggestions for podcasts and documentaries to allow us to become more educated on important environmental issues. Each month has a different theme associated with it including – Conscious Cup Month, Plasticless Zone and Energy month to name but a few.
Reduction in energy consumption by 5%- Through the implementation of our ISO 14001 Certification, we have seen a huge reduction in both our energy and water usage. To be exact, our energy usage saw a 14.98% reduction over a 12 month period. This has been very rewarding for the whole team. The EMT introduced an End of shift checklist to further reduce energy consumption. This highlights mandatory tasks to be carried out at the end of each shift which ensures all PCs/Laptops are powered off, the radio and printers have been powered off.
Recycling- We believe that recycling is one of the most important aspects when it comes to sustainability and environmentalism. Across each of our 4 office spaces, we have a recycling programme in place. Recycling bins are available to our team throughout each of the workspaces which are clearly distinguishable from the general waste bin with signage. On a monthly basis, a member of the Environmental Management Representative team carries out an audit on the contents of the bin to ensure that recycling protocols are being adhered to. On average we recycle 10-12 (90 Litre) bags per week.
“As environmental issues are more prevalent than ever we have introduced many new environmental initiatives at Arema Connect this year along with becoming ISO 14001 accredited so we are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Green Awards 2021. The Green Awards are a fantastic way to interact with many other organisations that are also proactively working to reduce their carbon footprint.” – Millie Cooper, Marketing Executive
The Virtual awards are due to take place virtually on the 17th of June, hosted by Colm O’Regan. We would like to wish all our fellow nominees the very best of luck. As an organisation, we are looking forward to coming up with new ways to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly over the next 12 months.
