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GreenWorks is dedicated to helping the environment by diverting large quantities of redundant office and educational furniture from landfill with the prime aim of ‘re-use’. As part of the London Re-use Network which is made up of local charities and not for profit organizations that work together to deliver reuse and repair services, GreenWorks collects from very large office blocks to single office suites and provides second hand quality re-use furniture to charities, community and educational groups and small business via the network.

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Green-Works awarded ethical business award

20 April 2010

Brent-based furniture re-use organisation Green-Works has been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, which identifies them as trading for social and environmental purposes

The Social Enterprise Mark is the brand for social enterprises and was launched 1st February, 2010. The Mark identifies businesses which meet defined criteria for social enterprise, and consumers will recognise that businesses displaying the Mark are trading to benefit people and planet.

Green-Works joins other ethical businesses that have been recognised by being awarded the Mark such as the Eden Project, Hill Holt Wood, Bristol Wood Recycling Project and the Co-operative Group South & West.

The Social Enterprise Mark builds off the pilot run by RISE, the voice for South West social enterprise. Government data estimates that there are 62,000 social enterprises across the UK, contributing 24 billion to the economy and employing around 800,000 people.

Recent research found that social enterprises are twice as confident of growth compared to typical small to medium enterprises (SMEs), with 48% of social enterprises saying they are positive about the future as opposed to just 24% of SMEs (The Social Enterprise Coalitions State of Social Enterprise Survey 2009).

Social enterprises are working to make a difference across the UK and beyond, but not enough people know what they are or how they work. The Social Enterprise Mark aims to raise awareness of what social enterprises do in order to get more people to buy from, engage with, start up and work for social enterprises.

Green-Works provides a highly unique furniture reuse programme for surplus office and school furniture, ensuring nothing goes to landfill through reuse, remanufacture and recycling; providing these high quality items to charities, SMEs, Social Enterprises, community groups, School and members of the public.

Now in its 10th year of operation, Green-Works is proud to have diverted over 65,000 tonnes of furniture from landfill, helped over 5,000 organisations reduce their equipment costs and provided training and employment to over 200 people.

Colin Crooks, Green-Works CEO said, Were really proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.Green-Works is absolutely committed to supporting sustainable businesses and consequently helping local communities to thrive and prosper.

Lucy Findlay champion from the Social Enterprise Mark Company (manager of the Mark) advised: We are delighted to award the prestigious Social Enterprise Mark to Green-Works. Social enterprises come in all shapes and forms so it's great to see a vital, local organistion understanding the importance of being part of the wider social enterprise brand

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Green-Works Facts

GreenWorks celebrated its 10th birthday in 2010

We were the first to recognise the scale of the commerical furniutre problem with towards 500,000 tonnes of commercial furniture being dumped in landfill every year by companies

GreenWorks has helped over 5,500 charities and organisations providing low cost furniture

We have donated over 70 jam packed containers of valauable educational and office furniture across the developing world

Our volunteers programme has save the state over £500K in social benefit

We have 4 processing centres across the UK which combined offer over 100,000 sq ft of capacity to deal with unwanted items

GreenWorks was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise - Sustainable Development 2008