If you work from home, make the effort to create a little office, even in a bedroom or spare room. You can buy desks that fit flush against the wall when not in use (better for your back and neck). Or use a bamboo laptop stand, which helps keep your bones in alignment, if you have to work at the kitchen table.
If you use plants in your office, know pet-toxic houseplants to avoid (sago palm, lilies etc). And remove if hot-desking with others. Don’t face indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
Go for leather-free swivel chairs, to save cows. IKEA and many other stores sell leather-free alternatives, along with affordable desks made from sustainable wood. Or go to secondhand stores (there are many online) that offer used office furniture, to stop it going to landfill.
You can buy recycled office furniture from Reyooz, to help save on quality items. 80% of office furniture goes to landfill or is burned, when most is in good condition. You can donate unwanted office furniture to CollectEco, which passes it onto good causes.
pretty (feminine) recycled office accessories
Karenzo & Co is a lovely little company, which produces beautiful office accessories in all kinds of colours and styles (mostly ‘pretty pinks’ but there are also some darker paisley designs for less feminine offices). Nearly everything is made from offcuts from the fashion industry, helping to upcycle items from one of the most wasteful industries.
The range includes pen holders, waste bins and file folders, along with notebooks made with recycled paper. The designs are handscreen-printed and finished with plant-based eco dyes and glues. Hedgerow designs are printed on mulberry paper with images of native birds and florals. Moody Hues features dragonflies, ladybirds, bees and butterflies.
office accessories (from recycled newspapers)
These office accessories are all made from recycled newspaper, a great way to use up waste (the horrible smell at landfills is usually due to rotting paper). The pencil holders are also randomly unique, but you can ask for a colour theme and they will try to match it to your office. Handmade by a social enterprise in Sri Lanka, these are perfect to stash all your pens and pencils.
The bowls can be used to stash your keys or anything small that’s likely to get lost. You could even use it as a tip tray for a small shop or cafe. The photo frames are in 2 sizes, with an attached stand to place the photos on portrait or landscape or a flat surface. There is no glass/plastic cover, nor fiddly hooks, just slots to slip photos in.
