2022 has been the year of renewing or building new office spaces for FUJIFILM in Europe with constructions in Germany, Spain and now also in the UK. In October 2022, Fujifilm officially opened ‘Fujifilm House’, our new UK headquarters in Bedford, which boasts more than 30,000 square feet of attractive working space, built with sustainability in mind.
Since 1983 Fujifilm UK’s operation shave been located on Bedford and only a short distance from the old building, the new one was constructed. However, there is one significant difference compared to the old building: SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainability considerations were integral to the new building’s design and the new site’s excellent BREEAM environmental rating underlines this point.
Protecting wildlife habitats
We have worked together with the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire to keep the environment around its UK HQ site as habitable as possible for wildlife. For instance, by installing permeable slabs in the Fujifilm House car park, we are able to nurture worms residing in the ground, prevent flooding and help maintain the water table.
Energy efficiencies
The site features 80 rooftop solar panels which are able to generate up to 63,000 kW of electricity annually, saving an impressive 29 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Additionally, the new building accommodates 16 charging points for colleagues and visitors to use to anticipate the shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
Waste management
A waste sorting system, comprised of bins with different colored lids, enables rubbish to be sorted into different categories, making it easier to recycle. Steering away from single-use plastic cups on-site has encouraged the take-up of reusable cups.
Naturally clean
Fujifilm has also taken steps to keep the UK headquarters clean and tidy, in an eco-friendly manner. For example, toilets are flushed with water obtained by a rainwater collection and storage system, and toilet paper is made from completely recycled material. Even the toilet roll dispensers are made from recycled Tetra Pak packaging. In addition, the cleaning agent, which is made from biodegradable materials, is sold as tablets which can be added to water to form a liquid soap.
These are all just examples of actions taken in our new building. There is much more to discover on site. As you can see, the new ‘FUJIFILM House’ in the UK integrated sustainability at its heart.