Every day human activity has an impact on the environment, caused by both our daily personal routines at home and in the streets, and by the effects of our production system. The latter is present in almost all sectors, either through the direct use of a specific environment or its alteration, the use of natural resources, or the emission of CO2. However, every individual and entity has the choice of looking back and erasing their footprints to cover their trail or leaving their imprint for posterity.
The sectors of architecture and design are no exception to this impact. Their imprint may derive from the companies that supply them with materials and products or from the direct modifications of common spaces undertaken by architecture and design firms themselves. How can we offset the environmental side effects of our use of natural resources and our professional activities? In addition to the implementation of a culture of recycling and to the manufacturing of biodegradable products, companies can fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by means of direct actions.
Reforesting in collaboration with NGOs
The non-profit organization Reforesta was created in Madrid (Spain) in 1991. Since its founding, it has enabled many companies in various sectors to fulfil their CSR commitments with the environment. As Reforesta explains, their first project, which started in 1993 and ended a year ago, was with a multinational energy company. This collaboration has brought environmental education to more than 140,000 people. During this time, the entity has been organizing different tailor-made activities for corporations, such as volunteering for companies.
“One of the problems of environmental education is that adults have been left out,” explains Miguel Ángel Ortega, from Reforesta. “Due to the fast pace of life, people simply do not have the time, and they are continuously required to change their habits, which generates resistance,” he says. By means of this partnership, companies find a way of reaching this adult audience, who, during the activities, is educated in how to respect the environment.
Following the request from a company, Reforesta elaborates a proposal which depends, among other factors, on the time of year and the number of participants involved. We have to take into account, for example, that reforestation can only be carried out at the end of autumn and in the winter. On a given date, the company workers participate as volunteers in reforestation and maintenance activities, in the cleaning of natural spaces, or in the construction of ponds for amphibians or shelters for other species. “Besides, if the activities take place on a weekend, we often have the participation of the workers’ families, including their children,” Ortega says.
Companies contribute by covering the cost of the activity and may even pay for the subsequent maintenance of the reforested areas. The organization, which is now working in some 15 locations, explains that the activities include environmental education, as participants learn about the conservation of natural spaces and natural values. “Many companies request our services on several occasions and we can tell there is a need for information and environmental knowledge. Volunteers are surprised by the facts and willing to learn,” Ortega explains.
The organization helps companies finance some of these projects. It also has the initiative “Regala un árbol” (A tree gift), in which companies can offer a gift card as a corporate present for Christmas, for example. For each card that is given, Reforesta will plant a tree.
30,000 pine trees to fight against CO2 emissions
In the field of architecture and product design, COMPAC Surfaces has a deep-rooted culture of CSR aimed at actively contributing to social, economic and environmental improvement. The most outstanding environmental action, in terms of its visibility, is the reforestation program it has in its Abrantes factory, in Portugal. In 2003 the company started to plant trees in the plots where the facilities are located, specifically, in an area of 54 hectares. The aim is to offset the CO2 emissions generated during the shipping of the products, as well as the emissions produced by the supply of raw materials. In 2012 COMPAC continued with the reforestation project, planting up to 30,000 native pine trees in the aforementioned plots.
To this we have to add their responsible use of water, as their factory in Spain has a system for the collection and storage of rainwater for its use in industrial processes. All the water used in the factory is treated in COMPAC’s own wastewater treatment plant and later incorporated into its circuit. To offset its losses in the form of sludge or evaporation, COMPAC does not use water from the public network; it obtains it from underground water resources and rainwater.
As part of its environmental strategy, we can also include its use of clean energies, the energy audits COMPAC Surfaces carries out to improve its efficiency, the use of centralized air conditioning systems instead of individual ones, and the acquisition of low consumption electronic equipment.
