In episode 361, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Michael Amos, managing director at Waste to Wonder Worldwide, where he’s focused on managing office clearances that empower disadvantaged communities. They talk about his recent learning lab presentations during IFMA’s Facility Fusion, where he explained why organizations should consider social enterprises when making procurement decisions to maximize social impact. Amos explains how the ethical reuse of office equipment can have a profound generational impact on disadvantaged communities and why sustainability in the workplace is a core competency for facility management professionals. They then discuss the concept of a “spherical economy” which emphasizes the holistic view of the lifecycle of materials and products.
Agenda
- Concept of “workplace technology for good” and the work of Waste to Wonder Worldwide
- Social impact of procurement decisions and the introduction of the term “spherical economies”
- Advice and action steps for listeners regarding waste redistribution and social impact procurement
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Ethical reuse of office equipment can improve social impact and sustainability
“Over 20 years, what we’ve done is pioneered the ethical reuse of that equipment, so we support schools and charities locally and internationally,” Amos explains.
It’s an approach that not only reduces waste but also extends the life of these items, providing essential resources to disadvantaged communities.
“We’ve equipped over 1500 schools in 44 countries. So, we know the second life of equipment can have a profound generational, life-changing impact for disadvantaged communities, helping young people out of extreme poverty through education.”
How can people in the facility management professionals help? “Whatever products or services you buy, it is a really good idea to have a look at social enterprises in your area to see what products and services can be fulfilled through those organizations because it’s going to extend the ROI of your spend massively in terms of the social impact that it can deliver.”
Takeaway 2: Optimism and ethical decision-making are crucial for workplace innovation and leadership
“If you can make a decision and it’s not going to negatively impact someone, then make that decision,” Amos says, encouraging people to be proactive and initiate positive change. “I think optimism is something that is often overlooked from a leadership point of view.”
He also stresses the importance of understanding the ripple effects of decisions.
“If you’re making a decision and it’s likely to negatively impact someone where you can think again, so I think having, having a sense of right and wrong, a sense of ethics and also an understanding of ripple effects … if you are making your decisions based on this is the path of least resistance in terms of the ethical impact, not necessarily the financial or anything like that, but this is going to hurt the least people and help as many people as possible, then I think you’re typically going to be moving in the right direction.”
Takeaway 3: Social impact procurement can be a powerful tool in achieving corporate sustainability goals
“There is an opportunity for workplace and facilities leaders to use what is their greatest asset, which is their commercial spend, to have a positive impact in the world,” Amos says.
He then explains the broader concept of spherical economies, which encompass both environmental and social impacts: “Spherical economies zoom out, so they look at it holistically. If you’re looking at where the materials are sourced and how they are mined and things like that, it would be the living conditions and the working conditions of the miners, the environmental impact, and that. The impact that’s going to have for communities, where the raw source materials are coming from, the manufacturing process that can cover everything from fair trade and employment rights for factory workers and all those sorts of things,” he says.
His practical advice: “The first is to rethink your waste. If you start from an assumption that you probably can redistribute it rather than you probably can’t, that’s probably more likely. And then the second is the social impact procurement piece. Whatever products or services you buy, it is a really good idea to have a look at social enterprises in your area to see what products and services can be fulfilled through those organizations because it’s going to extend the ROI of your spend massively in terms of the social impact that it can deliver.”
Workplace management insights
- The social impact of procurement decisions can be greatly extended by choosing to redistribute items rather than recycle or dispose of them.
- Spherical economies, an extension of circular economies, focus not only on the materials and their lifecycle but also on the social and environmental impacts of sourcing, manufacturing, and disposal.
- Facility management and workplace leaders can influence positive change by selecting products and services from social enterprises.
- The concept of “waste is the failure to take advantage of an opportunity” drives the mission of Waste to Wonder Worldwide and can inspire proactive decision-making in other areas of business.
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