• Introduction
• Progress in 2007
• In practice
• Key priorities for 2008

In practice

Greening the office in Sri Lanka

At the beginning of 2007, Eagle Insurance Sri Lanka launched an initiative to develop a more environmentally sound office environment. The project was launched with a company-wide drive towards the efficient use of paper, led by a cross-functional project team.

Several changes were implemented across head office and the regions to minimise printing and paper waste, including:

• setting all printers to default to double-sided printing
• revising the purchasing policy to stipulate that only duplex (double-siding) printers should be bought
• converting most life and general insurance policy documents and quotations to duplex
• sending weekly messages to staff about saving paper
• introducing a session into the induction programme for new staff on using paper efficiently.

The project was a success in terms of both increased employee awareness and direct cuts in the volume of paper purchased. We also recycled 26.5 tonnes of waste paper in 2007. Our intention now is to promote the use of environmentally sound materials in our daily operations. This has already got under way with a project to reduce our use of plastics and other synthetics.

...and in Australia

In 2007, Aviva Australia’s IT and Corporate Services departments conducted a review of printing and photocopying equipment and are now implementing a strategy to replace around 130 older office printers and multi-function devices (MFDs) with around 60 ‘new technology’ office printers and MFDs. The new equipment will be preset to produce double-sided copies – a capability previously not available across all departments.

They also have lower power consumption in both the operational and stand-by modes and use the latest-technology toners which emit less ozone and other harmful chemicals. When the equipment is no longer operational, the manufacturer recycles it and guarantees to re-use up to 98% of the original materials.

Aviva Australia purchases 100% recycled paper for all its MFDs.

Recycling paper at Aviva India

Aviva India collects newspapers and waste office paper for recycling. In 2007, the amount of paper being sent for recycling was 37% higher than in 2006. Employees are also encouraged to use the reverse side of used paper for rough draft printouts and note paper. Some branches sell the used newspapers and use the proceeds to fund local community activities.

New offices for Aviva India

In 2007 Aviva India moved into a new head office. The following measures were taken to make the building more environmentally sound:

• all offices are at the rear of the building to make the most of natural light.
• a water recycling plant is used for wash areas to reduce wastage of water.
• the Operations department and the server room which require power 24/7 have been placed on the same floor for energy conservation.