INDUSTRY
Internet, Telecommunications
COMPANY SIZE
78,000
HEADQUARTERS
Vancouver, British Columbia
Green Standards and TELUS, Canada’s fastest growing telecommunications provider, have worked together since 2012 to decommission office spaces across the country, including spaces in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
LANDFILL DIVERSION RATE (1387.8 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
As part of an ongoing strategy to reduce the environmental impact of its real-estate portfolio, TELUS sought a partner that could reliably redistribute surplus office furniture and equipment produced as a result of new developments, relocations, renovations or other workplace transitions across its real estate portfolio.
As many companies do, TELUS tested different approaches to managing excess office assets in different regions. The results were less than optimal. Each project came with a unique set of challenges and risks, distinct local markets and vendors, and required more internal effort than anticipated.
Project sizes varied, from small branch locations to full floors of its corporate offices, making it especially difficult to introduce the same process across its real estate portfolio nationally while maintaining predictable results.
“By clearing our workspaces, coordinating the donations to our partners, and providing reporting on the overall landfill diversion, we are able to provide measurable results to multiple areas of our business from a single service.”
Mary Verissimo
Director of Real Estate Services
TELUS
Solution
Green Standards introduced TELUS to its managed program of office asset resale, recycling and in-kind donation in 2012.
Green Standards took responsibility for vendor onboarding and management, engaging resellers, recyclers and local non-profits, coordinating and documenting asset delivery, and providing environmental and community impact reporting.
TELUS’ Corporate Real Estate team simply engaged Green Standards to achieve its goals across all of its offices. TELUS was also able to recommend community partners for donation, further aligning Green Standards’ work with the broader corporate social responsibility goals for which the company is known.
Result
Since 2012, TELUS and Green Standards have collaborated on dozens of office decommissions in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Mississauga, London, Hamilton, Montreal and Halifax, with more planned in 2022.
Our work together has been recognized by the 2016 REMMY Awards, an annual awards program presented by CoreNet Global Canadian Chapter as a way of recognizing and honouring leadership excellence, innovation and sustainable design and social responsibility in corporate real estate and workplace management projects.
Asset Distribution
Resale
Donation
Recycling
Relocation
Landfill
Beneficiary Spotlight
The in-kind donations, valued at over $450,000, benefited more than 100 organizations including Parasports Quebec, the Salvation Army, Place Cartier and Pearson Educational Foundation.
“Thank you so much for this donation, It’s going a long way towards helping our students at our campuses.”
Myriam Rabbat, director of Place Cartier Adult Education Centre
In the media
“TELUS can engage us for any office location, and expect the same quality of service, environmental performance, and project metrics. Anywhere in the world.”
Trevor Langdon
President
Green Standards
