Sustainability commitment earns EML state title and berth in national CitySwitch awards
A personal injury claims management mutual has been recognised for its work in office sustainability with a state title and a berth in the 2019 CitySwitch national finals.
Last night EML won the CitySwitch New Signatory of the year award in Adelaide.
“We’re very honoured to receive this award and committed as a national organisation to sustainability, limiting our impact wherever possible,” EML National Building Services Manager Roger Stamford said.
Pictured at the CitySwitch awards in Adelaide: Right Honourable Lord Mayor - Sandy Verschoor, EML Building Services Team Leader - Lloyd Backhouse, EMLSA Facilities Co-ordinator - Tristan Hossack, City of Adelaide, Director - Growth, Ian Hill.
The mutual, which helps people return to work after injury, reduced its Adelaide Flinders Street floor space, undertook activity-based work (ABW) fit-out and a range of daily energy saving measures.
The impact of this is equivalent to taking 71 cars off the road in that year.
“We went from five to three floors, to one copier and printer per floor, removed under desk waste bins and short-timed sleep mode functions on all lighting, monitors and laptops when not in use,” Mr Stamford said.
“EML recycles everything that it can, including old cables, donates excess stationery to local public schools and has a minimum 3.5-star rated kitchen appliances.
Every office in Australia must also have a minimum 4.5-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System rating with great public transport access before it’s considered for tenancy.”
Its efforts achieved a 5.5. star energy rating from NABERS.
EML’s King Street Newcastle office is also a finalist in this year’s NSW award for New Signatory of the year with the same fit-out and requirements undertaken.
In 2017 EML won the Victorian and then National New Signatory of the year awards for its fit-out of a new tenancy at Bourke Street Melbourne. That tenancy also achieved a 5.5-star NABERS tenancy rating.
“It would be impossible to undertake this work without the ongoing commitment of the EML leadership and staff,” Mr Stamford said.
“We are so very fortunate to have a team of more than 2,300 who are on board with reducing our collective footprint.”
The NSW state and National winners will be announced at the CitySwitch awards in Sydney on November 20.