Kleinhardt Our Green Policy

Kleinhardt has made a strong commitment to environmental best practice and the promotion of environmentally friendly policies. We aim to continually improve and proactively identify additional opportunities that will assist the company to be more environmentally responsible.

Through a philosophy of 'rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle' we will:

• Identify, manage and reduce our environmental footprint by:
  • Minimising waste-to-landfill and greenhouse gas emissions by further reducing our consumption of power, water and natural resources.
  • Considering environmental factors in purchasing decisions;
  • Working closely with our employees, clients, suppliers and other stakeholder to continually improve our management of environmental issues.
  • Regularly monitoring and reporting our environmental performance.
  • Incorporating environmental management considerations into our core business plans and management practices.
  • Actively promoting and encouraging the adoption of ecologically sustainable work practices and operations within our organisation, and the general business community.
  • Making this policy available to the business community on Kleinhardt’s website.

Kleinhardt has adopted the following environmental practices:

• Reduced use of Stand by Power. Stand by power is the power used by appliances when they have been switched off using a remote control or even switched off at the appliance. Kleinhardt staff are conscious of the impact that stand by power has on significant greenhouse gases and money, therefore we ensure that computers, printers, stereos, TVs, video players, DVDs, mobile phone chargers and microwaves are turned off at the power point when not in use.

• Installation of Energy Efficient Lights. Staff members are conscious of turning lights off when leaving a room for more than 5 minutes and during closed office hours. Choosing energy efficient globes generally costs more initially, but they last much longer and use much less power than standard incandescent globes, saving money over time.

• Raising Air-conditioning temperatures. Turning up the air conditioner thermostat and raising the temperature can improve efficiency. The higher the temperature the less power it uses. Kleinhardt has adjusted it’s thermostat to around 24 degrees or above as well as turning air conditioners off overnight. Contrary to what some might say, computers, printers and faxes do not need to operate in air conditioned environments.

• Refrigeration and Freezers are amongst the biggest energy users. We keep our refrigeration in good working order by ensuring seals are clean and in good condition to increase efficiency. Additionally it is important to shut the fridge door immediately choices are made and to not overstock the fridge. Cleaning the refrigerator ensures that air can circulate around items and cool air and space isn’t being wasted on items past their used by dates.

• Paper saving and recycling. Kleinhardt reduces its printing by better use of electronic communication. Any printing that is done defaults to double sided print. It also defaults to black and white to reduce use of colour toners. We ensure that waste paper is placed into recycling bins or used as note paper. Additionally we recycle used printer cartridges, old furniture, mobile phones, computers, batteries etc. We also have begun purchase stationary made from recycled products.

• Use environmentally friendly products that are recognised as biodegradable - such as dishwashing detergents, cleaners and insect repellents.

• Reducing use of Transportation. Kleinhardt encourages cycling or walking to work for those who live close, carpooling to work or meeting destinations. Where appropriate we prefer telephone phone conferences rather than travelling. Where possible we walk to appointments and functions.

• Support of Local environmental initiatives. These include Cairns City Council “save water” initiative.

Kleinhardt will be conducting a series of “Go green — learn, do and save” workshops targeting 800 small to medium businesses within the North Queensland and Northern Territory regions. The strategies presented at these workshops will assist businesses to save money while helping the environment.