It’s 22 April, which means that Earth Day is upon us. Organised around the theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, individuals, organisations and businesses are stimulated to act for a better future with renewable energy and clean electricity. At Cygnific, we’re working hard on being more sustainable and eco-friendlier. That’s why this day is also marked on are calendars. Since actions speak louder than words, let’s dive into what we’re already doing to make the world a better place and how we’re celebrating this important day for mother earth.
Light it up
Because we offer customer service 24/7, our offices are also open around the clock. But as you can imagine, the occupancy rate is much lower in the evening, night and during the weekends. That’s why the lights are only on for the designated floors to work on during these quieter shifts. In addition, we have mostly LED lighting throughout our buildings. LED lighting generally lasts longer than other types of lighting, uses less power and is made with fewer harmful substances.
Don't delay what you can do today
As of 2024 there is a ban on the free supply of disposable plastic cups and food packaging for single use consumption in the Netherlands. Once this was decided in 2022, we didn’t want to wait and started right away. In May 2022, we replaced all disposable cups with sustainable ceramic mugs. And that’s not all! In November that same year, we introduced waste separation. We separate organic waste, paper, PMD, general waste and glass which is then recycled by Milieu Service Nederland. Bottles and tin cans that have a deposit are collected in a separate bin as well. At the end of each year, we donate the proceeds from the deposits to charity.
Our office of the future
At Cygnific, we can all play a role in creating a more sustainable environment, but someone who has made a large impact is our Manager General Affairs, Merel Homan. During our Amsterdam office renovation in 2023, she has gone to great lengths to handle the process as sustainable as possible.
Reflecting on this project, Merel mentions:
“We have really done our best, both when choosing new materials and furniture and when disposing of old materials. We also asked our suppliers and advisors for help. For example, our old carpet was returned to the supplier as part of craddle to craddle, and the same goes for the old planters. Furniture that could no longer be used was not simply thrown away, but we sold it, or it was taken apart, so that some materials could be reused. A beautiful example of a new product are the sound absorbers above the pantries which are made of reused material“.
The future starts now
We celebrate Earth Day by organising an ‘around the office clean-up’ in Amsterdam and Enschede. Our caterer in Amsterdam also hosts a ‘meatless day’ and the lights will go out between 14.00 and 15.00. In our Curaçao office we’re introducing waste separation for the day and investigate the long-term possibilities of waste separation for this office in cooperation with Curacao Clean Up.
Of course, we’re also looking ahead, and our green-hearted colleague Merel Homan has a beautiful dream for the future:
“My position enables me and my team to execute facility matters and events as sustainably as possible and to challenge other departments to do the same. In doing so, we look at quick wins, but we certainly do not shy away from difficult challenges. Sometimes changes go frustratingly slow, but then I think it is important to persevere. I hope that sustainability becomes one of our values. That it is something that everyone thinks about from their own motivation, acts on and challenges each other in. In other words, a clear ESG policy, in which we make clear choices and go for them.”
