Conscious Business of the Week: Green Office Supplies from TheGreenOffice.com

While retail giants like Staples & Walmart now offer green product options, proof sustainability has hit mainstream, limited options & insufficient consumer knowledge leave most businesses & individuals advancing too slowly down the inevitable green road.  The time has come, however, for both to transition from old models of being to more sustainable modes of operation.

The conscious business TheGreenOffice.com has set out to remove just such hurdles.  This noteworthy online retailer offers one of the most comprehensive suites of green office supplies, sustainability education and green consulting under one virtual roof.  Not only have they developed a website that is taking the guess work out of greening, they are yet another lustrous example of how to effectively serve the triple bottom line.

Green Office Supplies & Office Greening Made Easy

After just a quick browse through TheGreenOffice.com site, one may be left questioning why anyone would shop for office supplies anywhere else.  Besides being a beautifully designed, well-organized website, a number of unique elements make it stand out as a site truly committed to easing the way both for its customers and the planet.

TheGreenOffice.com sells close to 35,000 conventional and green office supplies, all 3rd-party pre-screened and ranked for their level of greenness.  Using the labels conventional, green or dark green, customers learn about sustainability while having the freedom to make educated choices on the product most suitable for their needs.  Each product is also clearly labeled if it is recyclable, compostable, processed chlorine free and if meets EPA procurement guidelines.

The decision to sell conventional products was ironically in service of selling more green products and shows the innovation and open-minded thinking running throughout TheGreenOffice.com.  Upon initialing launching a purely green products site, TheGreenOffice team realized that by “shunning” conventional supplies, well-intended shoppers where forced to shop at multiple locations to obtain all their needs.  In fact, by providing all options under one virtual roof, customers were more likely to shop at TheGreenOffice.com and more often than not purchase the greener options.

Another declaration of their environmental stewardship is that none of their products contain PVC/Vinyl.  In response to the growing concerns about PVC’s potential harmful effects to health and environment,  TheGreenOffice.com was the first office supply retailer to remove all items containing these materials.

This action sent a loud message to other large office supply stores and is a huge display of their commitment given how many office supplies contain PVC or vinyl; an effort much worth supporting.

A Step Beyond Green Office Supplies

In house, these guys strive to be as socially and environmentally responsible as possible.  Their core operational activities are centered around stakeholder engagement, green purchasing, carbon mitigation, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, pollution prevention and sustainability reporting.  Now that is commitment to green business!

Greener options are found throughout the website, down to the smallest detail of operations. For example, customers get their products fast and in great eco-fashion through carbon neutral next day delivery. In addition, they offer sustainability consulting, carbon offsetting, eco glossaries and a variety of other online tools, webinars and information for people and businesses ready to take their sustainability efforts to the next level.

Like all profit-based businesses, TheGreenOffice.com also employs the use of holiday driven marketing strategies, however, not surprisingly they use these initiatives to drive much more than profit.  For example, during the 2008 holiday season, TheGreenOffice.com ran a “Funds for Forests” holiday fundraising campaign were up to 7% of their proceeds went to support the Dogwood Alliance’s forest conservation efforts.

It is easy to see that all their actions and services ultimately serve the aim to speed the transition to sustainability in the workplace and on our planet.

Helping others Help the Planet and Themselves

This exemplary conscious business took on the challenge of packaging what they know in a way that appeals to the mainstream and have succeeded with flying colors.  Clearly, their primary motive is to be a model of a successful sustainable business that upholds the triple bottom line.

As Alex Szabo, the founder of TheGreenOffice.com, says with his unyielding conscious business spirit, “We challenge other retailers to do more than just cash in on consumer demand for green products on Earth Day,” he said. “Earth Day is not a holiday, it’s a time to reflect on how we treat our planet and communities. It’s about making lasting changes that will increase our wellness today and in the future.”

And if you need assistance, you can always call on the experts at this pioneering green office supplies retailer to easily show you down the green path.  Visit TheGreenOffice.com now to learn more.

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