Paper Waste
While many companies now boast paperless offices and operations, there are many sectors where printed records are still used and kept in large volumes – the legal and medical professions, for example – and in such professions, data confidentiality is essential.
Under the
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), companies storing, handling and using personal data must demonstrate that records are kept in securely locked locations and destroyed in such a manner that it is impossible to retrieve the information they contain.
Subcontracting this destruction to a professional contractor such as Avena will ensure full GDPR compliance, but it will also ensure the shredded paper is sent to an accredited recycling facility. With the large volumes of paper we shred daily, the downstream recycling process is also more cost-effective and efficient than sorting paper from general recyclable waste.
If you use Avena SECURALL for your confidential paper shredding you will win several times over:
- You will have the peace of mind that you are GDPR-compliant and have protected your clients or your brand.
- You will have the assurance that your paper waste is going to an accredited recycler and being processed in a more efficient, lower-carbon manner.
SECURETECH – Secure Recycling Of Your IT And Media Waste
Science and industry are driving and supplying an ever-increasing demand for new technology. Businesses need to keep investing to stay competitive and people like to be seen with the latest smartphones and other gadgetry. Cutting-edge products become obsolete long before they wear out, and because they are designed for easy, low-cost manufacturing they are often cheaper to replace than to repair.
Waste Electronic & Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Regulations have been introduced to reduce the volume of such products being incinerated or sent to landfill sites. Companies must now ensure that components are recycled where possible; this can range from simple plastic, aluminium and steel casings to valuable minerals and metals used in the electronics. To ensure WEE compliance, companies need to dispose of such equipment through a registered waste contractor.
Avena offers this IT recycling service, but with a difference – a lot of electronic equipment contains data storage components that potentially hold data that may either fall under the
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) or be commercially sensitive. Electronic waste – from a small flash drive to a laptop – sent to Avena for destruction will have all data storage components removed and destroyed to meet GDPR compliance.
If you use Avena for your IT and media destruction the benefits are:
- Any data storage components will be securely destroyed to prevent a GDPR data breach or commercial espionage
- All recyclable materials will be removed and reused to reduce pollution through incineration and landfill
Textile Waste
Textiles also contribute to massive landfill problems globally. Well-meant donations to charity shops and clothing banks are
ending up in India, where the sheer volumes have taken the recycling infrastructure to breaking point.
But security concerns and brand damage also generate from textile waste. Let’s look at two areas where this is happening.
The Fashion Industry
Designer fashion knows that exclusivity is the key to maintaining brand value. For this reason, careful measures are taken to prevent outmoded, substandard or surplus products from reaching the market; this includes the secure destruction both of unfinished fabrics (if they are unique to the brand) and finished garments.
Counterfeiting is also a serious issue –
UK government figures in 2020 showed that the UK economy loses £9 billion and 80,500 jobs every year through counterfeiting and piracy; in the EU, this is €60 billion and 434,000 jobs. Seized counterfeit clothing must be securely destroyed to prevent it from reaching the market.
Personnel Uniforms
A uniform – be it that of a police officer, paramedic, charity worker, nurse, security guard or meter reader – is an instantly recognisable sign of a bonafide emergency worker or company employee. Or is it?
Uniforms once worn by former employees or rendered obsolete by new designs will still be enough to convince most members of the public. And there are, unfortunately, people who choose to pose as members of the emergency services or other organisations for reasons that vary from the delusional to the criminal.
This is why the fashion industry and public sector rely on secure textile destruction companies like Avena to ensure their surplus fashions and obsolete uniforms cannot fall into the wrong hands.
SECUREBRAND also reduces the volume of textile and garment waste that isn’t being recycled; the fibres from this secure destruction process are used to manufacture other products. One example of this is the sound-deadening filling used in acoustic office screens.
If you use Avena for your secure textile and garment destruction, you can be sure that:
- Nobody will be selling your surplus or substandard stock through the back door and devaluing your brand.
- Counterfeited copies of your products won’t lose your exclusivity.
- Public safety and your commercial interests will be protected against imposters.
- All recyclable byproducts will genuinely be recycled.
So as you celebrate Global Recycling Day on Friday, think about how secure destruction in your business or organisation can make a positive difference to the environment.
Find out about Avena’s confidential paper shredding services
Find out about Avena’s IT and media destruction services
Find out about Avena’s textile destruction and recycling services
Arrange a meeting to discuss your secure destruction needs
