The project is an office space for Standard Chartered Poland employees located on the top floors of an office complex in Poland, The Warsaw HUB at Rondo Daszyńskiego. It comprises almost 7,000 sq.m. of modern, functional and safe workspace for a team consisting of over 1,200 employees. The space includes modern office spaces, a cafeteria that can be used for carrying out events, and a terrace.
The diverse range of initiatives introduced by Standard Chartered Poland to date, have enabled us to minimise the amount of produced waste, significantly increase our recycling rate, and drive and enhance the ESG awareness amongst our employees, as well as incorporate the zero-waste & no single use plastic practices into collaboration with our existing vendors and suppliers.
Our innovative zero waste practices and policies include:
• Changed from food in single use packaging at meetings to serving in bain-maries
• Integrated waste management training into the onboarding process for new team members
• Office supplies vendor takes back cardboard boxes for deliveries
• Stationery reuse and recycle
• Paper towel recycle
• Purchase of compostable items e.g. teabags, napkins, and food containers
• Portfolio-wide no Single Use Plastics policy
• Upcycling coffee grounds into notepads, coffee cups, and flower pots
This has resulted in Standard Chartered Poland greatly improving our recycling rate (by 10%) compared to baseline general rate recorded in 2022 (84% for recycled waste & 16% for non-recycled waste). This was possible thanks to the continuous engagement of our colleagues who follow the waste management guidelines which are provided during their onboarding and cyclical refresher workshops. There is also engagement of our employees in the environmental related volunteering initiatives such as litter picks or forest clearing actives, which benefit the local community. Both Standard Chartered Poland and its employees and subcontractors are extremely proud to achieve the TRUE Platinum Certification and share the best practices with other organizations that strive to implement any waste reduction practices in their current operations.
"Achieving TRUE Platinum Certification is a way of formally recognizing the efforts Standard Chartered Poland have made to our waste-reduction efforts and enables us with a way to promote our achievements," said Arletta Żardecka-Kozak, Head of Property, Standard Chartered Poland. "Following the TRUE Certification process has meant we are able to have our previous efforts acknowledged, and it has also meant we have had a structured way of improving our waste management at site by making positive changes to meet credit requirements. We have shown Environmental Stewardship by achieving TRUE Certification as it demonstrates our commitment to diverting waste from landfill and adopting sustainable waste management practices. Overall, being TRUE-certified aligns with global sustainability goals, helps protect the environment, and brings tangible benefits to our organization and its stakeholders."