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It’s been a miserable summer so far, but if recent years are anything to go by we could be in for a warm September.

For office workers who don’t have the luxury of air conditioning this is a mixed blessing. But even those who enjoy temperature-controlled working environments may have to get used to warmer offices, as the British Council of Offices recommends raising working temperatures from 22 to 24 degrees centigrade. On pages 14 and 15 we publish a few tips on how to stay cool when the mercury rises. As always, the key message is to plan ahead: taking steps to reduce office temperatures may not be a priority today, but hopefully next year you will be thankful you took them.

James Goulding, Editor

04 Agenda

Developments in sustainability, from carbon counters to nappy recycling

10 Green Printers

Which printing technologies generate the least waste?

14 How to Stay Cool

Top Tips for cooler offices

Editor

James Goulding 01962 771862 [email protected]

Advertising Director

EthanWhite 01474 824711 [email protected]

Publishing Director

Neil Trim 07803 087229 dd 01737 249408 [email protected]

Sustainable Times is a supplement of Business Info Magazine. It is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 4 New Cottages, Green Farm Lane, Shorne, Kent DA12 3HQ. Tel: 01474 824711. Email: [email protected]

No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2009 Kingswood Media Ltd. The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate within internationally recognized standards.

The paper is made from Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation.

17 Environmental Standards

The most important standards for PC purchasers

18 Green IT

Gartner’s Top Tips for implementing green IT

20 What’s New Our round-up of the best new green products

22 Telecommuting

Cisco releases the results of its own remote working programme

CONTENTS

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2

Sweden brought us Abba and IKEA…

…but they have since set the benchmark for all things des to be setting the standard for going green too.

The Swedish Environmental Council acts as the Secretariat for the EPD System which provides comparable information for consumers on the environmental performance of any product or service. RH Chairs has an EPD certification and guess what, it’s Swedish too .

RH Chairs have EPD certifications for their RH Ambio, RH Extend and RH Logic 400 (pictured) chairs and which means all three top-end office chairs meet strict environmental standards. It also means that their chairs are 100% recyclable and have met stringent ‘green’ criteria relating to the manufacturing and production processes.

The recession means consumers are understandably concerned about cost but what comes out of an economic downturn is an understanding that a focus on the environment will essentially drive the economy and drive out cost. RH Chairs’ customer base has grown rapidly due to superior ergonomic design, environmental awareness and credentials, the ethos of building movement into sitting and a chance to significantly reduce absenteeism. The average employee took seven sick days in 2007, costing the UK economy £13.2billion. Two of those seven

days were attributed to back pain and repetitive strain injury which equals a cost of approximately £3.7billion per year to the UK economy. We owe it to our staff and economy to reduce these figures. RH have created a range of office chairs that encourage movement whilst sitting which improves posture, breathing and oxygenation of the blood – all of which significantly reduce the risk of injury and have been proven to reduce absenteeism and improve wellness and productivity.

All this and a chance to brand your own chairs; RH have designed and manufactured chairs in honour of the Ashes Series (pictured) and is working with one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, motorcycle manufacturers and retail outlets. So when you think about buying a product, take into consideration the design and what the wider benefits and environmental impacts are and not just the price tag.

Jorgen Josefsson,Country Manager UK at RH Chairs.

www.rhcha

To try an RH Chair before you buy visit: www.rhchairs.co.uk

Or call: +44 (0)208 6839930