The Co-operative Bank
Co-operative Bank Wellington
The crew at the Co-operative Bank really do believe in their company mantra "It's our mission to do right by people".
It was 2018 when Jasim from the Co-op Bank first reached out to us. She had a small but very passionate group of Green Teamers who wanted to take their waste minimisation practices to the next level.
When we first arrived on-site, their appetite for change was obvious. They'd set up waste separation systems, but couldn't figure out how to get people to use them properly - they'd had hit a wall they just couldn't breakthrough. They needed a little boost on the behaviour change front and a full sweep of their systems.
This is where we came in. One of the first things we try to do use a combination of data and observation to understand where the organisation stands. What have they done? What can they do to improve? What do they want to do? and how can we help them get there?
Through the review of their systems, we quickly learnt that even with the best intentions, the cleaners we're just piling everything into landfill anyway (this disconnect is more common than you think).
We also found that they had no paper recycling available. This presented even bigger problems as staff (who were keen to do the right thing) were putting things like cereal boxes in their secure paper bin - which in turn, cost the company more money.
Long-story-short, we understood their predicament and we knew how to help them.
Here's what happened next:
We got the show on the road with an all-staff igniter talk (understanding the 'why' is just as important as understanding the 'how'), which resulted in more people joining the Green Team.
We implemented Method Bin recycling systems, complete with detailed signage.
Jasmin and her loyal Green Teamers felt empowered to engage with the Facilities Manager which allowed us to work with the cleaners to introduce a system that worked for them.
These changes saw a 20 per cent reduction of waste to landfill and an increase of 26 per cent in recycling.
But it didn't stop there....
Alistar bin man - created the video to show staff how to use the new systems.
Rolled out systems across the national offices
Ran campaign against single-use coffee cups. Bought reusable coffee cups for staff
Went one step further and took a trip to the tip to see how waste is managed in Wellington
Went from a C to an A - signalling an appetite for change
Calculating their carbon
Staff survey result..
When asked "how good are you at minimising waste in the workplace" as a part of the reassessment, staff indicated a 20 per cent increase in overall confidence (most jumping from 4 to 6 out of 10).