Refurbished Modular Office Furniture – an Economical and Carbon-Light Practice by Liberté, Facilitated by Réseau Bureatique
| Region(s) | Québec, Canada |
|---|---|
| In domains | Environmental Regeneration, Office Furnishings, Reduced Toxicity, Reduction of Greenhouse Gases, Reuse of Materials |
| Participants | Liberté |
Liberté was founded in 1928 and began producing cream cheese and cottage cheese in it’s first location on the corner of St-Urban and Duluth, in downtown Montreal. In 1964, the company moved to Brossard, just off the island of Montreal, and grew it’s production to include yogourt. Having established it’s brand and reputation in Quebec, Liberté now offers over 100 products including various types of yogurts, kefir, cheeses, sour cream and tofu which are distributed throughout Canada and the United States.
In 2008, due to a lack of space in the former office space, Liberté had decided to move offices. They were moving from Candiac, Quebec to St Hubert, and the new offices were going to require new furnishings. While the new building is not LEED certified, much effort was put into greening the space, including a refrigeration system that uses the natural cold of Quebec winters, and office refurbished furnishings. The former office furnishings had been custom made and were not going to be transferable, in addition, more work stations were going to needed. They were looking for something that was standardized and modifiable. They settled on refurbished modular office furniture from Réseau bureautique, a decision that saved them significant expenses (40% less than buying new), and significantly reduced their overall carbon footprint.
At first, Liberté was thinking of buying new modular office furnishings for their new office space. They even looked at lower end desks and dividers, but found the disadvantage of that sort of solution was that there was no accompanying system plan that would allow for internet networks and the like. In addition, there would be no guarantee of the longer-term availability of the models chosen, and over time the office could end up looking pretty hodge-podge. It was decided that the higher-end furnishings were needed, perhaps even refurbished higher-end furnishings.
Liberté solicited 3 submissions from companies offering modular office furniture. They needed 28 workstations. Two of the companies offered new modular furniture, and one, Réseau bureautique, offered refurbished modular office furniture. The Coordinator of Sustainable Development at Liberté had heard the President of Réseau bureautique speak about their products at a conference on sustainability, which is why they were included in the request for submissions.
Liberté made the clear choice of going with the refurbished furnishings from Réseau bureautique. The decision was based on the cost, which came in at 40% less than buying new when the product quality and look were next to indistinguishable. The fact that this choice meant they saved 12 tons of greenhouse gas emission was a bonus.
Réseau bureautique came in with various layout plans; their products were very flexible and standardized, facilitating potential future changes and additions. Logistically, the Réseau bureautique solution worked very efficiently. The whole move was done over a weekend, and the offices had to be fully operational on the Monday morning. Réseau bureautique furnishings were pre-installed, and made that quick transition possible.
Liberté was offered a choice of materials with which the refurbished furnishings would be covered. The options included 100% post-fiber recycled fabrics. The ecological fabrics were priced at the same cost as the non-ecological fabrics, again, making the more environmental choice that much easier.
Liberté has since bought 4 new workstations and will soon be ready to buy more. They don’t even consider other suppliers anymore.
The whole move was done over a weekend, and the offices had to be fully operational on the Monday morning. Réseau bureautique furnishings were pre-installed, and made that quick transition possible. Réseau bureautique came in with various layout plans, their products were very flexible and standardized, facilitating potential future changes and additions. Logistically, the Réseau bureautique solution worked very efficiently for the open space office area.
For the closed office spaces, there were not a lot of options in the refurbished office furniture, so in the end, 10 additional desks were purchased new for the closed office spaces at Liberté. This was nonetheless made easy by the fact that the same supplier, Réseau Bureautique also supplied Liberté with new, made-in-Quebec desks.
In the case of Liberté, there was no psychological barrier to buying refurbished furniture. The cost savings spoke very loudly, and the quality of the Réseau bureautique offering was as good as new.
The choice of buying refurbished modular office furniture from Réseau bureatique reslted in cost savings equal to 40% less than that which would have been spent on the equivalent furnishings from companies that offer new products.
Liberté now has a certificate from Réseau Bureautique that hangs in the front entrance of the office building attesting to the amount of carbon saved as a result of their decision to purchase refurbished over new. Employees are proud of the decision, and visitors are shown the certificate. This choice is also now mentioned in presentations on the company and the measures it has taken to become more sustainable.
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