Many of the smaller businesses I have worked with over the years have struggled to get office paper recycled as they just don’t produce enough waste to make a collection service worthwhile – a catch 22 position for a company wanting to improve its environmental performance.

Well, this week I have been talking to stationery supplier Office Team who will collect your white and coloured paper for £1 a sack when they make their deliveries. The waste paper goes back into the very paper mill that produces their eco-team brand of recycled paper, so if you buy that you could very well be using the same fibres you sent them previously.

Not only is this a genuinely closed loop, but it also maximises the use of the delivery vehicles as ‘waste’ collection vehicles are not required to pick up the paper, so it is a very efficient use of transport to boot. They also use reuseable/recyclable packing which they take back.

This is an excellent example of how a business is using the environmental agenda to find competitive advantage over the rest of the sector. And a great solution for office based companies to boot.