Let’s leave the earth healthier and happier
We believe every generation should inherit a healthier earth than the one before it. To achieve that, we expect more from ourselves than the earth, and give back more than we take with sustainable business practices that minimize our impact on the planet.
What is the VIGBC? The Vancouver Island Green Business Collective (VIGBC) is a regional certification program that recognizes the efforts of local businesses that are reducing their environmental impact. Action checklists are available for offices, spas and salons, restaurants, retailers, and fleets, with businesses being scored based on the number of action points they receive. VIGBC is run by the BC non-profit Synergy Foundation.
Here are a few of our environmental metrics, representing our progress since joining VIGBC in 2019.
How we give back
We work with manufacturers who share our environmental ethos. If you’re working towards LEED® certification or just want to be more earth-friendly, we can help you leave a smaller footprint thanks to eco-friendly office supplies, furniture and more.
When it comes to toner, be sure to Think Monk! Bring your used ink or toner cartridges to any Monk Office store to have them sustainably recycled and save 5% on replacements. Out with the old, in with the new!
Out with the old, in with the new! Stop by any of our retail locations across Vancouver Island to take advantage of our writing instruments recycling program, just locate the designated/marked box in-store or ask a team member directly.
We encourage our customers to return their packaging, from cardboard shipping boxes to empty toner cartridges. Our customers return up to 45,000 cardboard shipping trays every year, which we reuse and recycle, saving the landfill and our planet.
Formed in 2006, our in-house Eco Team includes members from across Monk Office’s departments. They set sustainability objectives for our organization, roll out the initiatives, and track their impact and success.
We believe in life-long learning. We encourage our employees and customers to reduce their impact on the environment via education, from product information and recycling how-tos in our catalogue to company-wide eco-updates and notices.
Partnering with Synergy Enterprises, we release a biennial sustainability report that details how all of our environmental initiatives are performing, including paper, waste reduction, water use, electricity, natural gas, fuel consumption and beyond.