Environment protection

We at Azurtem are also dismayed by the state of our planet. We have therefore progressively taken a number of measures to limit the environmental impact of our activities.

We recognize that everything is far from perfect; we still have significant progress to make and many habits to change/abandon. What matters most to us is being aware of these challenges and consistently attempting to move in the right direction.

1) Refuse

Internal measures

We are keen to unsubscribe from mailing lists and other electronic solicitations that aren't relevant to us, in order to help reduce the volume of unnecessary e-mail/spam circulating online.

We request that our suppliers send us invoices in digital format to minimize paper usage and our reliance on postal services.

The recycled paper we use for printing is produced using an eco-friendly process powered by green energy, generating minimal waste and without use of chlorinated substances. This paper qualifies as being produced using 100% Biomass Energy.

We avoid buying individual items, preferring to buy them in bulk e.g. 36x rolls of adhesive tape, 1000x document pouches, ...

While away on business trips, I prefer to prepare my own (vegan) meals, rather than eat out at local restaurants.

Shipments

We do not purchase non-recyclable packaging materials such as bubble wrap or polystyrene packing chips.

We avoid, as much as possible, the presence of plastics in the preparation of our shipments.

We use recyclable adhesive tape made from recycled kraft paper and natural rubber, and our packages are padded using salvaged paper and cardboard. The outer document pouch placed on our parcels, containing the delivery slip, is made of recyclable crystal paper.

The black polypropylene strap used to secure our parcels is made from recycled plastic derived from manufacturing offcuts (98% of the offcuts are recycled).

Infomaniak

Our e-commerce site is hosted by Infomaniak, an eco-conscious company certified by the MyClimate foundation for the past ten years.

Infomaniak funds projects aimed at reducing CO² emissions and has held ISO 14001 and 50001 certifications since 2015.

Their new “D4” data centre operates without air conditioning and will supply heating to up to 6,000 households and hot water to up to 20,000 homes [video presentation: 1.15 min].

2) Reduce

We generate very little waste, and what little we do produce goes into the yellow (recyclables) bin.

We keep our printing to a minimum, using only recycled and recyclable paper.

We have abandoned business cards and leaflets, in favour of digital communications and limit our use of postal services.

We strive to eliminate “empty spaces” in our parcels by reducing box sizes or by creating custom-fit parcels. We experiment innovative approaches to reduce traditional packaging materials by using empty roll cores and/or folded cardboard as alternatives.

During our training sessions we provide digital course materials to participants in place of printed manuals. This provides us with the flexibility to update the manuals at any time.

Since Mikrotik is based in Riga, we systematically check/validate any faulty device received to avoid potentially unnecessary returns, a lengthy wait time for the customer and, of course, an avoidable cost.

3) Reuse

We avoid discarding items that can still be used or recycled such as furniture, consumables or printed sheets (with a blank reverse side), etc, ....

We reuse the cardboard boxes we receive with the delivery of our goods, and we collect others from the supermarkets in our neighborhood. We regularly collect paper padding from one of the businesses at the foot of our building. When we need it, we go around the neighborhood to collect pallets directly off the street or from local stores.

In fact, we don't buy any cardboard or padding material, because we salvage what's no longer of use to others.

We're also experimenting with a worm-composter to nourish our potted plants using the resulting nutrient-rich compost.

Whenever feasible, we prefer to reuse non-eco-friendly packaging materials rather than throw them away.