Office supplier Codex puts sustainability first in new world of work

If you’re reading this at work, there’s only a 50-50 chance you’re sitting at a desk, surrounded by colleagues, in a traditional office space.

Ireland is one of the countries that has most embraced the hybrid working trend. As of 2022, almost half (49.7 per cent) of the Irish working population has the option of working remotely, giving people a better work-life balance while maintaining productivity. We’re used to it now, but the speed of the transformation has been mind-boggling.

For the office supplies sector, Covid changed the game forever. The workplace was already evolving, with digitisation reducing demand for many of the industry’s core products (pens, paper, ink, etc). As post-pandemic workplaces become increasingly fluid and people-friendly, office suppliers today must be more innovative, more inclusive – and more sustainable.

“Sustainability means different things to different organisations,” says Patrick Murphy, chief executive of Codex, Ireland’s largest supplier of workplace products and solutions.

Now is the time for a cohesive, age friendly healthcare system

---

How your legacy gift to Concern Worldwide leaves a better future for some of the world’s poorest families

---

Good governance is critical for effective healthcare investigations

---

Joined-up IT means medics have more time to focus on patient care

---

Sustainability ‘a driving force’

“For us, it means trying to find ways of working that allow us to keep reducing our carbon footprint while also having a positive effect on our community,” he says. “These ideas have always been part of the Codex DNA, but I would say they are now a driving force in the way we think, plan and operate.”

“Our sustainability goals are spearheaded by a dedicated continuous improvement champion along with a dedicated sustainability resource, known in the company as our green team,” he says.

Codex was founded in 1979 by Patrick’s father, Brendan, who spotted a gap in the market for reliable, customer-first office supplies. Today Codex is a team of 90 spread across three locations (its headquarters is in Glasnevin, Dublin) carrying out more than 5,000 deliveries each week.

The company works with some of Ireland’s biggest organisations, supplying office furniture, stationery and supplies to both private (manufacturing, tech, pharma, finance, hospitality) and public (Government bodies, education, health) sectors. Codex also offers advanced consultancy in areas such as ergonomic assessment, furniture allocation and office fit-outs.

“We tend to work with customers that, like ourselves, have a strong focus on sustainability,” says Robbie Norton, head of supply chain at Codex. “Where possible, that means procuring products that are ethically produced and from a sustainable source. All our packaging is 100 per cent recyclable and our delivery service is increasingly green as we look to replace our entire fleet with electric vans by 2026.”

These initiatives are part of a wider plan for Codex to become carbon neutral by 2030, with the company having already reduced its consumption of electricity (by 19 per cent), gas (by 54 per cent) and waste (by 14 per cent) in 2023 compared to 2022. As Norton points out, though: “Any company worth its salt is on a carbon neutrality journey; it’s almost a bare minimum in the current climate”.

Commitment to culture, engagement

Ireland is one of the countries that has embraced hybrid working the most and Codex has been to the forefront of change as early adopters of the altered working patterns with its own staff to compliment work-life balance.

What really sets Codex apart is a single-minded commitment to company culture and employee engagement that has seen the family firm accumulate multiple awards, accreditations and endorsements. If sustainability is also about creating a workplace that attracts a renewable pipeline of talent, Codex has cracked the formula.

“At its heart, Codex is a people business,” says Murphy. “Since I began as Codex CEO in 2019, my primary focus has been on developing a happy, engaged and motivated workforce.

“Our team is what got us through the pandemic and helped us to bounce back even stronger,” he says. “While others struggled to cope with a severely disrupted industry, we recorded our best ever sales year in 2022 with an increase of 225 per cent in our office furniture category alone. That is the result of a great workplace where all elements are working in harmony.”

Indeed, Codex has been an official Great Place to Work and one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces since 2017. The company was named by Deloitte as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies for 2023, and even more recently was a finalist in the employee engagement category at the international Planet Mark Awards, which recognise organisations’ impact in sustainability and carbon reduction.

With potential employees increasingly likely to apply for, and accept jobs from, companies they see as environmentally sustainable, such ringing endorsements bode well for the future of Codex. Murphy agrees but says awards are not why Codex prioritise culture and engagement: “Look after your people, look after the planet and the profits will take care of themselves,” he observes.

The caring side of Codex is brought to life most vividly through its Codex Cares programme which seeks out initiatives that support local communities and reduce the company’s impact on the planet. These include supporting good causes including the Alzheimer’s Society, DCU’s Access to the Workplace scheme and Barretstown, which is Codex’s main charity partner for 2023/24.

“We do all these things because they’re the right thing to do,” says Murphy. “We’re excited to do what we do and we’re trying to create the conditions for a sustainable future for our company, our people and our customers.” Trying – and succeeding.