The Field Lab is currently the home of 3 companies, active in advertising. In this sector, the creativity and the innovation are important aspects and the fact of staying in an ecological space has often invited them to be eco-innovative. Built with certified, less impactful materials, with a water recuperation system for internal use, gathering its power by geotermal heat and photovoltaic panels, this building is one of the best examples of eco-efficiency in Brussels.
Passive building? Yes. But passive personnel ? No ! The employees of The Field Lab are also part of the environmental effort. They drive cars with low fuel consumption. The sorting of recyclable waste is also advanced. To take the recycling to the next level, we have taken a new step into eco innovation. We have been able to identify some materials that were previously destined for destruction. The UCM has pointed out a firm to us that is transforming pseudo waste into new resources. This is why REstore is currently reusing our used plexiglass parts to give them a new life as lamps. One of them is even in the office of Christophe Muguerza, in order to serve as a symbol for the enlightened spirit of our building.
This initiative is the proof that it is already possible for SME’s in Belgium to change the linear vision of material use into a more sustainable way of working where materials are reused. This perspective, together with the ambition to reduce the consumption of primary materials and energy, is called circular economics. It is not only the aim to reduce the impact, but also the costs linked to the production of the products or services. This concept has already been approved by several SME’s, creating opportunities for SME’s in terms of employment. The companies in The Field Lab will keep striving for it, will you?
Why do you think it is important today to circularise our economy ?
It’s all a question of common sense, our personal lives also have an impactoon the environment. This impact is even bigger when we think about the company activities. Therefore we need to take our responsibility as a company to work on the perspective of a progressive reduction of environmental impact.
How does the waste recovery work by the partner restore ? how is the flow done and is it one a regular basis ?
We try to limit the waste flow, but unfortunately we are unable the yearly production of 4 pallets of used Plexiglass, which is about 2 ton of material. When we reach a volumen of 1 or 2 pallets, we call REstore in order for them to take away the material.
How did this affect the way of working in a positive way ?
The economic effect is neutral. Our flows are those of an SME and can not be compared to the ones with an industrial activity. But we are extremely happy about the fact that we have found a way to substainable reuse of our waste. It is also a strong message for the image of our company and our communication. And ofcourse the extra positive point being that REstore can create objects with it.
Do you plan to invest in this way of working ?
We are currently looking into the possibility to start with a similar approach for our paper waste.
What can we do to accelerate these dynamics in brussels ?
In terms of impact reduction, I think that a lot of good ideas are already being put into place in a lot of companies. But in order to develop them a bit further, they often lack the time to look into it. An extra boost can definitely make a big difference. I think that focusing on initiatives like the UCM can be a helping hand to these companies, without affecting the dynamics of the company itself. I think that a database with companies taking back used material would be very useful for SME’s in order to get started more easily with circular economics.
