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Waste management
Improving waste management
Across the group we recycle 59% of our waste, a slight decrease on last year’s total, but this is because we now include new businesses and businesses reporting for the first time. For existing business, recycling increased from 61% in 2005 to 73% in 2006. Some of our businesses are still not able to recycle, either because they haven’t got the storage space or because they are in countries that do not yet support recycling.
Our businesses are still making good progress. The binless office concept has been such a success at Norwich Union and Aviva head office that other businesses are now trying it out. As a result, Morley increased its recycling figures in 2006 and Aviva Australia piloted the binless office concept on one of its head office floors. The pilot was a success with over 86% of respondents believing it was a good idea. It will be rolled out to all head office staff in 2007.
Zero emissions are on the up
Aviva France has maintained its near 100% recycling rate. This was helped by the continued use of dual bins for each desk which allowed it to sort paper and cardboard desk waste. An external recycling company manages and treats company waste – separating waste into canteen waste, neon, battery, paper and cardboards, pallets, etc In addition, the use of recycled printer cartridges is being tested in the business with the intention of implementation across the company.
AutoWindscreen, the only UK windscreen replacement company to manufacture windscreens, produce 250,000 windscreens per year and recycled 7,018 tonnes of glass in 2006. But, to avoid unnecessary replacements when a simple repair would stop the damage spreading, they encourage drivers to repair any stone chips as soon as the damage is done. Forty damaged windscreens would fill a skip, but the equivalent waste from windscreen repairs would fit in the palm of your hand.
In India, Aviva has found several ways to improve waste management. Apart from collecting newspapers for recycling, they sent around 880 used printer cartridges back to the supplier, so they can eventually be turned into items like pens and clips. They also ask contractors doing interior work to turn waste wood into furniture items which can be donated to places like schools for underprivileged children.
For the third consecutive year, Aviva head office received the City of London’s Platinum award in its Clean City Awards for its responsible waste management practices. Also, for the first time, Morley received the same prestigious Platinum award in the same scheme.
Paper use
Paper is a big part of our business and, although paper consumption increased to 8,132 tonnes in 2006 from 7,809 tonnes in 2005, we are constantly looking for ways to use less – and to use paper with recycled content.
In France, our life insurance business is changing the way it does business to cut paper out all together. The ‘starification’ scheme, or paperless office, now allows business to be done online instead. The sales force get most of their information via an intranet portal. They communicate with customers via e-mail and transfers and payments are done online as well. It seems to be a success all round – it has not only cut out paper and faxes, but it is more accurate and efficient and will be extended to other parts of the business during the year.
In Australia, Aviva achieved its target of reducing paper use per person to below 10,000 pages, cutting it to 9,568 in 2006. Many of our businesses, including those in Spain, the Czech Republic and Poland, find that the easiest way to cut down on paper is to encourage double-sided printing. Some offices, such as Delta Lloyd in Germany and the Netherlands and Aviva’s head office, have set their printers to double-sided printing as standard.
Where we still use paper, we try to make sure it includes recycled content. In 2006 our use of recycled paper went up by 46%. Recycled photocopier paper is used in both Australia and the UK, while Italy uses recycled paper for all its product literature.
