Supporting processes – examples

Sustainable Procurement and Green IT – Durability and Circular Economy

Environmental and safety perspectives are taken into account in all operational aspects at the IOER, from procurement and consumption to recycling or proper disposal. This concerns office equipment, office and cleaning materials and, of course, the technology used. The IT infrastructure of the IOER must meet the latest requirements. This does not exclude sustainability-oriented procurement. We therefore pay attention to a long life cycle of our technology – high quality, energy-saving, durable, upgradeable. In order to contribute to the conservation of resources, remanufactured technology and virtualization are used in the server area whenever possible. Technology that can no longer be used in the institute is given to staff or associations. Centralized lending means that less technology has to be purchased overall. Energy efficiency is an important criterion when purchasing new servers, computers, monitors and other technical equipment.

Saving resources – from recycled paper to the digital office   

The change to recycled paper was a self-evident step for the IOER many years ago. For this commitment, the IOER received an award from the “Pro Recyclingpapier” initiative. We have also converted our newsletter to an electronic version, which not only saves paper and printing costs, but also reduces the emissions previously caused by postal dispatch. In the case of products manufactured externally in printshops, the printing papers bear the label "Blauer Engel". But this was just the beginning, because the future lies in a digital office that is as paperless as possible. Administrative processes are therefore being digitized step by step. However, this also requires thriftiness. The aim is to use only as many digital resources as necessary.

Sustainable mobility – avoid travel, use environmentally friendly modes of transport

Traveling has a negative effect on the environment. Therefore, every business trip of the IOER is checked for necessity and avoidability. Traveling can often be avoided by using communication technologies – the IOER has invested in appropriate videoconferencing technology. If this is not possible, environmentally friendly modes of transport are the first choice. Flights must serve strategic goals, especially international scientific networking. We are committed to adapting the legal framework to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions from unavoidable flights. We support sustainable mobility on site by providing a job ticket as well as a company bicycle and charging stations for e-bikes.

Accounting of greenhouse gas emissions

Within the pilot project "Climate-neutral research operation" funded by the Leibniz Association, the IOER has set itself the goal of preparing a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint accounting, which takes into account the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Standards (Scope 1/2/3). This allows to analyze all direct and indirect emissions in order to develop strategies and further measures to reduce the GHG footprint. The focus for the institute lies on the supporting processes (see examples above), as far as the direct emissions are already fully reported.