Our circular economy expert, Paul Fieldhouse, joined a panel discussion at this week’s Facilities Show: “A circular economy approach to FM”.
Being the event that brings the FM supply chain together to look for ways to make the profession more sustainable, it was the perfect place for us to share our thoughts based on 26 years’ experience of giving new life to unwanted assets.
Here are Paul’s top five takeaways from the show.
1) The climate crisis needs a holistic approach. Businesses are increasingly waking up to the need to tackle the climate emergency, thankfully. Things like reducing food waste and single-use plastic are high on the agenda, and important, but to really shift the balance, we need a rounded approach to cutting carbon emissions. The circular economy is key to this.
2) Throwing away surplus assets should be a thing of the past. When we buy shiny new equipment, it’s easy to forget about our old assets but throwing them away isn’t the answer. The circular economy allows us to find new homes for surplus stuff – that could be anything from a commercial kitchen to a vehicle. This not only slashes waste but also reduces the need to manufacture new goods, both great for the environment.
3) The circular economy makes business sense. As well as being the right thing to do, finding new homes for your surplus assets can be profitable. And if you need to buy new things, it’s often more cost effective to purchase second-hand goods. Enough said.
4) Corporate waste is a big pollutant. Not news, but useful context. Each year 2 million office desks and 1.8 million office chairs end up in UK landfill and 2 million tonnes of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), including IT and telecommunications equipment, are thrown out in the UK annually. What a waste!
5) Now is the time to act. The pandemic and other world-events have caused huge changes, creating shortages and delays that mean manufacturers can no longer keep up with demand. Office eating habits are also changing as more people eat remotely and so corporate catering equipment is becoming surplus to requirements. Companies are responding by exploring new options, evidenced by Ramco UK seeing a huge increase in both buyers looking for second-hand equipment and businesses looking to release value from their surplus kit.
Ramco UK has been powering the circular economy for more than a quarter of a century. Since 1996, we’ve been finding new homes for unwanted equipment and work with companies across the facility management sector, including big names like Centrica.
Located in a 120,000 square-foot facility with capacity to take anything from a teaspoon to a dockside crane, we’re on a mission to give new life to surplus assets.
Get in touch to see how we can help you.