At Hiamedia Inc., environmental sustainability is a priority because “it's the right thing to do.”
Skye Little, owner of the Sudbury-based design, print, and sign company, said his personal views on the subject extend to his approach at work.
When Little was growing up in Whitefish, west of Sudbury, he remembers watching the local landfill rapidly fill up before closing completely when he was an adult.
It nailed the concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle” into the budding entrepreneur. It's a philosophy that he applies to all aspects of his life and work.
He said he takes care to prioritize them in that order too, reducing and reusing, before resorting to recycling with the leftovers.
Not only is it the right thing to do most of the time, said Little, it typically pays off financially.
Little uses an old Blackberry phone despite being offered regular upgrades. He doesn't see the point in wasting a functional phone that will just produce more waste.
He drives his cars until they no longer work, not worrying about the next new fad until he needs to.
At Hiamedia, Little reduces the company's impact by using innovative technologies.
They've invested in geothermal heating that, he said, translates one dollar of electricity into seven dollars of heat. It saves the company money and he anticipates their investment will pay for itself within seven years.
A novel and unique to Hiamedia sign design allows for the removal and reuse of coroplast (corrugated plastic) signs so each piece of plastic gets twice the use it normally would.
Their fleet of company cars are small, fuel-efficient Hondas. Little said their longevity ensures minimal turnover.
Another addition to their tool box allows them to reduce their ink and paper use to help facilitate recycling. Their direct-to-substrate printer means they don't have to apply stickers to the finished product, which can still be recycled after its use.
Their penchant for recycling is a task that's driven completely by “doing the right thing” and not finances, Little said. The time to divide and sort recycling does cost the company a little, but he believes it's worth it.
“We sit with our employees, and the feeling over time is that it is meaningful,” said Little.
He estimates 70 percent of their waste has been diverted from the landfills by their recycling strategies.
Hiamedia has had even more help with their environmental initiatives since they've joined Green Economy North, and were one of the first members to sign on when the Sudbury social enterprise group launched last spring.
Green Economy North helps local businesses set and meet sustainability targets. They are part of an eight-member provincial network called Sustainability CoLab that totals 160 participants which has collectively saved over 29,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions since 2010.
The group, which held its inaugural business forum Nov. 29 in Sudbury, has grown to 10 members; the most recent being Wahnapitae First Nation and Glencore's Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations.
The forum focused on the competitive advantages of sustainability.
The keynote speaker was Frances Edmonds, the director of environmental programs for HP Canada.
Edmonds and panelists at the forum said other benefits to sustainable practices that they've seen include an engaged workforce, a positive image of the company and decreased costs like Little has seen.
Edmonds said Little's application of personal values to his company is a logical step.
“It makes sense to bring your personal beliefs and passion to work,” she said. “They make the most sense when they're combined.”
