Water, Waste and Recycling

Many efforts have been put in place at IFC to minimize our use of water and the amount of waste we generate. We have achieved significant reductions from increasing the efficiency of our office buildings. For example, in our Washington, DC office, we have installed low-flow faucet devices in our bathrooms and locker facilities, reducing the water flow out of each faucet by 75 percent.

We also minimize our waste through procurement decisions. For example, our Belarus office made a commitment to not purchase any printer toners since this was one of their largest waste streams. Instead, 100 percent of their toners are refilled and remanufactured on an as-needed basis.

In addition, we have programs focused on changing staff behavior to help us achieve corporate-level waste and water reductions. For example, we provide a "green" mug to all new staff globally and have incentive programs set up in some offices to encourage the use of reusable dishware over disposables.

In our largest office in Washington, DC, IFC has recycling facilities throughout our office so staff can actively recycle paper, cardboard, glass/plastic/aluminum bottles and cans, printer and toner cartridges, batteries, mobile phones, pagers and PDAs, and "techno-trash", which includes CDs, diskettes, DVDs, hard drives, cables, cords. We also have china in our cafeteria to minimize the use of disposables, and offer filtered water as an alternative to disposable bottled water.

There are many regional differences in our recycling programs depending on what local authorities and municipalities support. From our most recent country office data collection, paper is recycled in 78 percent of country offices that have a recycling program, and 19 percent of offices recycle toner cartridges.

Spotlight: Cairo - Engaging 10 Multinationals on Footprint

On Tuesday April 22, 2008, IFC Cairo celebrated Earth Day with the first in a series of community development initiatives planned by the Middle East and North Africa Department of IFC’s (CME) Community Development Group.* IFC Cairo Achievements from Earth Day at Nile City Towers: engagement with at least 10 of the key multinationals resident at Nile City; distribution of about 330 flyers of the "10 Easy Things To do..."(on recycled APE paper); distribution of about 100 cloth shopping bags with the IFC Footprint Logo; collection of 28 completed questionnaires on "What Can You Commit to Reduce Your Footprint," paper waste reduction in the office was the one activity to which people in the towers would be most committed. As a result of this event, the management of the Nile City Towers asked IFC for support to put together a "footprint" program for the entire building, which will initially focus on office waste recycling and raising awareness. *CME Act Now, a community development interest group, comprises IFC Investment and Advisory staff from Cairo and other offices in the region. The group's objective is to engage positively with IFC's local communities in the MENA region, while promoting integration between CME country offices.

Spotlight: Health and Education Dept, DC - Implementing footprint activities

Each staff turns off their computer monitors and printers each night. All department network printers and copiers are shut off each night by staff. Most staff now use green mugs. Ceramic cups are provided to staff so they do not use plastic, paper or Styrofoam. Coffee Services are requested with china, not plastic serving ware. In our community, staff volunteered at Capital Area Food Bank when closed for move; some staff volunteer at Miriam’s kitchen; and the department replaced the staff Christmas exchange gifts by participating in the Angel Tree, buying gifts for underprivileged children.

Spotlight: Recycling with social benefits in Buenos Aires and DC

The Sao Paulo office has been reducing its footprint for years with the help of Maria Jose Tavares Lira, an Office Aide, who for many years has dedicated herself to collecting paper from the office garbage bins and submitting it to the recycling unit at the building. Maria took the initiative in reducing IFC's footprint by dedicating herself anonymously and voluntarily, with little instruction or staff awareness. She also initiated training with three of her colleagues of the cleaning company to separate and recycle paper and plastic cups, and to maintain a file with the quantity of paper separated everyday, which has been on the rise as the office continues to grow. Maria Lira and her team recycled 746 Kg of paper the first year (2000). By April 2008, they had recycled 17,967 Kg of paper. The office recognized Maria for her footprint efforts with an award.