Gerwald van der Gijp, Vice President and General Manager of Armor Office Printing, speaking at the event
The remanufacturer attended the Global Compact network’s meeting in Nantes to discuss the circular economy.
The company, on its OWA brand website (French), reported that the meeting was the “finish line” for the Global Compact’s “official relay” across France, and that the Global Compact was launched by the UN to help companies “develop in their approaches to social responsibilities (CSR), with the event on 9 November a conference “at which various organisations presented their actions in terms of [the] circular economy”.
At the meeting, Gerwald van der Gijp, Armor’s Vice President and Managing Director of the Armor Office Printing division, “presented its circular economy approach through the creation of new products and services”, while the meeting itself also looked at “the creation of a guide on sorting paper for office building managers” and “synergies between social inclusion and economy”.
Armor “enjoyed the exchange with other local initiatives”, including CCI Saint Nazaire, Hervé Thermique, Veolia Environmental Centre West and Anjou envy and envy 2E49, with Antoine Hacot, Vice President of the Global Compact “prais[ing] the commitment of the Pays de la Loire in the circular economy:”, stating “I am amazed by the strength of your territory and also by the local SME initiatives, which are for some more advanced than large groups!”
Armor, as “a founding member” of the SME Steering Committee of the Global Compact in France, was represented by van der Gijp as well as Annabelle Guillet, Director of Insurance QSE and Sustainable Development, with van der Gijp intervening at one point in the meeting to “stress the importance of entering a circular economy approach”, and discussed the OWA brand of cartridges and 3D printing.
He stated: “We no longer consider the used cartridges as waste but as raw material to develop new projects. The circular economy allows products that are part of this dynamic [to] tell a story, to have a value that enhances their attractiveness. While price remains an important factor in the purchase decision, it is not the only lever to convince. By now also addressing the CSR directions of our clients, we create new opportunities.”