INDUSTRY
IT & Software
COMPANY SIZE
30,000
HEADQUARTERS
San Jose, California
Green Standards and Adobe have worked together since 2012 to decommission furniture and equipment from Adobe’s office spaces across North America. The main objective of the partnership is to achieve the greatest possible community impact through coordinated in-kind donations.
LANDFILL DIVERSION RATE (1,167 TONS)
0%
IN-KIND DONATIONS
$0+
NON-PROFIT BENEFICIARIES
0+
EMPLOYEES WORTH OF FURNITURE
0+
SQUARE FEET OF OFFICES
0+
METRIC TONS OF CO2e EMISSIONS AVOIDED
0
Challenge
While planning its headquarters renovation in 2011, Adobe’s corporate real estate team recognized that liquidating multiple floors of used office furniture would result in an unknown amount of furniture waste. Adobe understood that coordinating a large-scale donation initiative on their own could come with sizable vendor and storage costs, unique project risks, and potential legal liability. The potential for so much waste and the lack of transparency typical of liquidation services urged them to consider a better approach.
Adobe’s corporate real estate team decided that the company’s excess furniture and equipment provided a unique opportunity to further its industry-leading corporate responsibility goals, as well as to engage and assist non-profit organizations serving in its communities.
“Green Standards provides a turnkey approach and we use them to review our inventories and bid out the removal. We also get a report that gives us clear information on the value of the donations and non-profits that received the equipment and furnishings.”
Justina Hyland
Senior Manager of Headquarters Site Operations
Adobe
Solution
Since 2012, Green Standards has provided Adobe with a streamlined approach to donating its excess office assets to community organizations local to its headquarters.
Green Standards takes responsibility for the entire process; from onboarding and managing commercial movers, to engaging eligible local non-profits, coordinating and documenting asset delivery, and providing environmental and community impact reporting.
To bolster Adobe’s existing community investment initiatives, Green Standards connects with Adobe’s Global Giving Team to target specific community partners for donation.
Result
Adobe has deployed Green Standards’ services in locations across North America, including more than 25 office projects in 12 states. With notable projects in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and Virginia, the partnership extends to Canada and Mexico where multiple projects were completed in British Columbia, Ontario and Mexico City.
Overall, these projects have achieved a landfill diversion rate of 99.5 per cent. Of the 1,167 tons of office equipment diverted from landfill, about 50 per cent was recycled, and 35 per cent was donated to more than 125 non-profit organizations.
Asset Distribution
Resale
Donation
Recycling
Relocation
Landfill
Beneficiary Spotlights
Educare Silicon Valley
“This donation makes a huge difference. It’s all about the kids, and this is going to help us better support our kids, and those outside in the local community.”
Lisa Kaufman, Executive Director at Educare of California
“Each year, Adobe tops our list of clients that prioritize giving back above all else. The results have been amazing for the communities in which they operate.”
Richard Beaumont
Vice President, Strategic Accounts
Green Standards
Lawrence Woodmere Academy
“Library spaces should no longer be silent venues, but dynamic centers of idea generation based on information and knowledge acquisition for the purpose of engaging and exchanging creative and innovative ideas. We are grateful for Green Standards and our own crew of dedicated workers who made this transformation happen.”
Brian O’Connell, Headmaster at Lawrence Woodmere Academy
