OUR POSITION ON SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS AS A WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR
As an importer and distributor in Québec we are a member of EEQ Eco-Entreprise Québec which as of 2013 collects back 100% of the net costs of the municipal curbside recycling services for materials designated by the government: 1) Containers & Packaging, 2) Printed Matter and 3) Newspaper. Due to the products we sell, two of the above categories impact Terkis: Containers, Packaging and Printed Matter. We are responsible for our portion of the costs of recycling services.
We looked to ourselves and asked what could we do better, and then we all rolled up our sleeves and got to work. We recognized that there is a place for an individual, a team, a department and the company as a whole to all make a difference – and everyone does.
In Terkis work environment we are working and will continue to work with our employees to focus on and implement:
- Reducing waste & recycling wherever possible.
- Recycling of office paper, aluminum cans, plastic and glass, cardboard, toner cartridges.
- Organizing Webinars or Tele-Meetings instead of having people drive or fly in to attend.
- Water cooler bottles replaced with municipal water cooler.
- Reusing materials at every opportunity.
- Repairing rather than throwing away where we can.
In our offices and warehouse:
- We have replaced internal printed reports with email and on line versions.
- We email purchase orders to our suppliers.
- We organize truck runs for fuel (and time) efficiency – outbound deliveries to our customers, inbound trucks return with stock we have picked up from our suppliers. This has maximized truck potential, lowering freight costs on product and minimizing our carbon footprint.
- We participated in an Energy Savings Program and with a grant from Hydro Québec, re-roofing material was re-done with a special web material to reduce energy demands for both heating and cooling of the building. Improvement in overall energy efficiency and a lowered maintenance cost has begun to annualize significant savings on our energy bills and has the environmental benefit of a lessened demand on hydroelectric power – a definite win-win project for all.
- We upgraded our HVAC New heating / air-conditioning system with individual station controls allowing for better/tighter controls on different areas of the building. The new system is much more efficient and economical. Another savings in hydroelectric power and energy consumption.
- We plan to implement new lighting ballasts and lights to increase lumens while reducing energy draw – improvement in overall energy efficiency and lowered maintenance cost.
In our sourcing and product development department:
- We review our supplier resources to evaluate their sustainable business programs and/or commitments.
- We source products that come from distributors and manufacturers who operate with sustainable business goals.
- We develop and expand our product lines of sustainable products in order to be able to offer our customers a complete line of alternative “green friendly” products at an affordable price.
- We source products that have a reduced environmental impact because of what they are made of & how they are transported, stored, packaged and disposed.
- We make every effort to maximize all of our inbound freight containers to minimize our carbon footprint.