Case Study: Enbridge
Beginning in spring of 2013, Green Standards and Enbridge, the North American leader in the safe and reliable delivery of energy, embarked on a two-year project to responsibly decommission several floors at its head office in Calgary.
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304
TONNES DIVERTED FROM LANDFILL
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156,480
DOLLARS OF IN-KIND DONATION
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987
METRIC TONS OF GHG OFFSET
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The Objective
After entering into a new building lease, Enbridge launched a comprehensive plan to modernize its office space. The existing furniture and equipment from nearly a dozen of its floors had to be decommissioned.
To ensure that none of its office furniture and equipment was unnecessarily sent to the landfill, Enbridge sought an effective alternative to liquidation and disposal that would deliver on its commitment to protecting the environment as well as its project budget and timeline.
The Challenge
Enbridge’s project team needed a solution that would maximize landfill diversion, fit within the projected renovation schedule, engage and manage multiple stakeholders, and ensure on-site safety and accountability.
“The decommission is the first step in the renovation of the floor – staying on schedule from the start is critical,” said John Hanlon, Project Manager at Enbridge. “But we also didn’t want to risk sending thousands of items to the landfill without first exploring our options.”
Enbridge also required in-depth reporting to benchmark the environmental and social performance of the project, including landfill diversion metrics, item-by-item tracking, and estimates of the fair market value of in-kind donations and C02e offsets.
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When corporations like Enbridge choose to do better, they’re performing a dual service to the environment and to those poorly resourced organizations that are central to so many of our communities.
Jonathan Milnes
Vice President, Global Accounts
Green Standards
The Solution
To meet the tight schedule without delaying the renovation or incurring additional storage and double-handling fees, Green Standards planned where each item would go prior to the removal of the assets.
Green Standards identified items suitable for resale, local donation, or recycling, and found interested parties through its international network of buyers, non-profits and recycling facilities. The commercial move vendor then simply followed the redistribution plan with oversight from Green Standards’ project managers.
The timeline for each phase was met or exceeded, allowing the renovation to move forward uninterrupted while ensuring that products and materials were being redistributed effectively and responsibly.
“Green Standards made the process simple, ensured we met our timelines and virtually eliminated the potential for waste. Perhaps most importantly, they were capable of facilitating the donation of goods to many local non-profits to the benefit of our community.”
John Hanlon
Senior Project Manager
Enbridge
Asset Distribution (%)
- Resale
- Donation
- Recycling
- Landfill
More than 4,000 items, including workstations, tables, desks, seating, whiteboards, and supplies, valued at $156,480, were donated to community organizations including local schools like Christine Meikle School and Foothills Academy, as well as community service providers like the Chestermere Food Bank.
“We had a new, larger space and very few things to make it functional,” said Mardi Oel, President at the Chestermere Food Bank, whose organization received fire extinguishers, file cabinets, guest chairs and tables. “It likely would have taken a year or more to furnish it, plus more effort and money than we could really afford. Now we can open our doors proudly and get back to helping those in need.”
