EcoHub: Sip, savor and sustain!

Welcome to MeetDistrict's EcoHub - Here,we seek to further enhance our flexible working spaces as beacons of sustainability together with our Community. By uniting our forces, we can reduce waste, converse resources and foster a culture of sustainability that benefits both our MeetDistrict community and Mother Earth herself. Are you in? Then join our efforts towards creating a greener and more sustainable future for everyone to enjoy!

Brew for a better tommarow

Our Nespresso cups are like paper superheroes! They're made up of 96% paper and have a super-thin wax lining inside, meaning that you can simply toss them into your office's paper bin after you've enjoyed your coffee.

Or even better: dispose them in the special waste bins with the round openings. These cups have a date with an eco-friendly bag and it gets picked up daily. Thanks to Nespresso's sustainable collection programme, they will be properly recycled and made ready for a second life.

Here's how to guarantee their best recycling process:

Make sure the cups have no leftover liquids inside
Don't throw in stirrers, sugar sachets, milk cups or biscuit wrappings
Coffee lids obviously are not allowed in this bin either

Now, you might spot a logo on the cups that says 'Platic inside'. But here's the twist: it's not about the cups being plastic; it's actually a quirky message from Europe.

They're reminding us about something called the Single-Use-Plastics (SUP), Directive, wich basically comes down to 'Don't let these disposables roam in nature'.

So, do the right thing. And dispose of your favourite cups responsibly!

Plant Based Living

Excuse me? You thought we were serving plastic cups? Please.

Our disposable cups from Natureko - the expert in sustainable packaging and disposables - are made of PLA, which is short for Poly Lactic Acid: a super cool material made from sugars and starches found in corn and beets. During a process where lactic acid is extracted, these natural ingredients are slowely transformed into tiny granules.

Now, why are these cups awesome? Well, not only are they strong and see-though-which is pretty neat. They are like total eco-champs as well since they are 100% compostable and entirely safe for consumption.

One thing though! Our PLA cups like to keep it cool. So make sure not to drink anything over 45°C out of them.

And another great feature: PLA cups love the environment. Their production process relaeses 75% less CO2 into the air compared to that of regular plastic cups.

After you've had your delicious drink, don't toss your PLA cup in the PMD bin. Nope - just pop it in the regular waste bin. Why? Because they will slowly turn into compost without leaving any harmfull stuff behind. Don't be fooled by the 'Plastic in Product' thing. Remember what we said about the EU's SUP?

Oh - and if you really want to bring your eco-efforts to a higher level, then use your very own MeetDistrict Dopper to reduce waste like a pro!

Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive

The Single-Use Plastics Directive is a regulation enforced by the European Union (EU) to reduce the impact of certain single-use plastic products on the environment.It aims to curb plastic pollution by setting rules for the design and use of such products.

The directive includes measures like bans on certain single use plastics, such as straws, cutlery, and certain cups, and requires to take actions to reduce the consumption of these items.

It also promotes recycling and raising awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastics. So, when you see the 'Plastic inside' logo, it's a reminder not to throw these disposables in nature but to dispose of them responsibly.

Dine with a difference

Have you ever wondered which sweet things you can actually extract from sugar cane?

You see, there's this remarkable material known as 'bagasse'. Oftentimes, after its sugar is extracted, sugar cane stems discarded or even burned. But there's a smarter solution. When you cut these underestimated stems into smaller bits and turn them into pulp, they can be shaped into the perfect sustainable plate. Which is exactly what our partners at Natureko did. Voilà!

Sugar cane grows super fast, so it's an eco-friendly superstar. And thanks to their high cellulose and fiber content, these plates are tough cookies too. They can take the heat up to 750 Watts, handle oils, stay cool with moisture, and even brave the cold. Talk about versatile!

Here's another one of their magic tricks: after you've enjoyed your meal, these plates transorm into plant-boosting compost. Toss them in the paper recycling bin if they're clean. If not, just put them in the regular trash where they'll natuarally break down. Yep, they're like food for plants and crop, and they're 100% compostable, certified by the EN-13432 standard.

There you have it. A plate that is both eco-friendly and food-friendly too!

Tackle the towel trouble

Did you know that recycling paper hand towels slashes CO2 emissions by an impressive40% compared to the old-school ways of dealing with waste? That's nothing short of fantastic, and a better option by far to burn it or sending it to landfills.

Tork, our partner in recycling, makes sure to give paper hand towels a dazzling transformation! Shaking up the way we think about these towels. They are more than juste waste. In fact, they're about to become some serious eco-stars, just like other paper products.

How exactly, you ask? Well, Tork repurposes those used paper towels into brand new paper hand towels and other awesome tissue products. It's like paper towel reincarnation!

So every time you grab a Tork paper hand towel, you're not just keeping things clean - you're also part of this incredible recycling and recovery jounrey. Let's give these hand towels and our partners at Tork a standing ovation for combining hygiene with eco-friendliness.

Don't forget to play your part! The restroom bins next to the lavatory are for paper towels only. To sustain the recycling process, make sure to refrain tossing any other waste in these special bins.

Green is
the colour!

All electricity used at MeetDistrict is exclusively green and non-nuclear.

MeetDistrict Diegem in particular is a location that is almost solely run on 100% renewable electricity. Moreover, electricity at this location is produced trough an underground magentic field, which is a more sustainable way to generate energy than having to rely on air flows from outside.

For the other locations, preliminary studies have been set up to eventually make the transition to heat pumps instead of natural gas too.

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and is immensely important for your general health.

That is why every day thousands of cubic metres of fresh air are pumped into all MeetDistrict locations, making HVAC its biggest energy guzzler. To keep its environmental impact as small as possible, the systems in place are made optimal use of.

Firstly, by making use of condensation boilers or recycled energy coming from the ring main in MeetDistrict Gent. Secondly, by avoiding excessive energy consumption.

Build Smart, Act Smart

An ideal work environment should not only be visually appealing, but also efficient, healthy and sustainable. At MeetDistrict, we strive to create these ideal workspaces, completely unburdening our users.

Thanks to the integration of customized building software across all our locations, both members and visitors can effortlessly reserve and manage meeting and work facilities through the MeetDistrict application and MemberPortal. This combination of smart infrastructure and strong building management creates a seamless experience, optimally managing energy use and space utilization.

For example, once a meeting ends, the lights are automatically turned off, and if a room is not booked, the presentation screen remains off. These systems allow us to increase energy efficiency while maintaining an optimal user experience.

The continuously monitored and optimized systems give us precise insight into the exact time and amount of energy needed to facilitate a space. This makes it possible to fully automate conditional facilities in the future, further contributing to our sustainability goals.

MeetDistrict is proud to have achieved three important ISO certifications, underscoring our commitment to quality, safety and sustainability: ISO 9001: Quality - This certificate confirms that we meet the highest standards and respect the legal framework for environmental procedures. ISO 45001: Health and Safety - This certificate guarantees that we provide healthy and safe working conditions for our customers and employees. ISO 50001: Energy Management - This certificate shows that we accurately monitor, optimize and minimize our energy consumption as much as possible.

At MeetDistrict, we don't just build smart workplaces, we act smart through technology, efficient energy management and ongoing certification. Together, we create a work environment that is not only good for our Members, but also good for the planet.

Earth Day: our yearly commitment to Mother Earth

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we pay special attention to Earth Day. Earth Day is an initiative form the EARTHDAY.ORG organisation which has been mobilising the world population to protect Mother Earth for over 50 years already, and on 22nd April 2024 we brought their philosophy to MeetDistrict.

At several of our locations we organised various activities for our Members that put the focus on sustainability. During our Sustainability lunch we invited our Members to take part in an inspiring - and delicious - workshop around reducing food waste and cooking plant-based.

In the evening, we organised a sofa talk with several experts on sustainability, followed by the Earth Day Quiz around the same topic. The definite show stopper from this event were our Members of Go Forest, who announced that they would plant a tree for each of the 70 Earth Day attendees at MeetDistrict Gent.

The success of this event has inspired us to make Earth Day an annual commitment. We not only want to engage our Members in sustainable initiatives, but also encourage the broader community to actively contribute to maintaining a healthy planet. For us, it is essential to focus on what matters most: protecting and nurturing the planet we live on. Earth Day offers us an opportunity to make a powerful statement and to work with our members to build a more sustainable future.

Focusing the attention on what matters most: a healty planet to live on.