De Clercq Office Group Completes Spring Cleaning Project

Dan De Clercq, founder/CEO of the office furniture company De Clercq Office Group (also known as “dog.”), practices his environmental concerns through his life and work.  He drives a Smart Car and his firm, with offices in Rowayton and Hamden, sponsored a spring cleaning project for its architectural design clients to reduce waste and promote green living.

“We were in the process of putting our office’s resource library online and getting rid of hard copy brochures and catalogs – you can get up to your neck in catalogs,” said Mr. De Clercq. “Agnes Balik, who maintains the library, suggested inviting our design clients to join us in cleaning house,” said Mr. De Clercq. “That’s how our Earth Day 2012 Spring Sample Cleaning project was born.”              

His firm delivered ten 50-gallon buckets, made from recycled material, to participating clients in Fairfield and New Haven Counties the Monday after Earth Day. Clients filled the buckets with unused items, such as wood, laminate and fabric samples, tile and rug samples, and brochures and catalogs.  De Clercq picked up the filled buckets and took them to the Danbury warehouse, where the contents were sorted for eventual disposition. “We were careful to take the most gas-efficient routes for delivery and pick-up of the bins,” noted Ms. Balik.                                                                              

De Clercq first checked with manufacturers to see if they wanted any of the old catalogs or samples.  A truck-load of items was then donated to Norwalk Community College’s (NCC) Interior Design Program, where students will use the materials for presentations.  Any remaining items will be sent to recycling stations in Norwalk and Danbury.                                                                     

Professor Jacek Bigosinksi, who heads the NCC Interior Design Program, says that “having this material donated means that our students won’t have to buy sample kits, which can cost a couple hundred dollars. These donations provide a great way for them to learn about working with colors, finishes, fabrics, woods, carpets and wall treatments.”                                                                             

The De Clercq Office Group’s general interest as a firm is to reduce waste and, ultimately, to save furniture from the landfill, according to Mr. De Clercq, who added that the spring cleaning project is a natural extension of that goal.  “Fortunately, the office furniture industry has already embraced the notion of sustainability,” said Mr. De Clercq. “We source furniture brands, such as Knoll, that are aligned with third-party sustainability organizations, such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Green Seal, and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).”                                            

De Clercq is currently marketing a Decommissioning Service for corporate clients who need to dispose of leftover furniture.  “We first try to sell it for clients, and next we offer to donate it to charities on their behalf,” said Mr. De Clercq. “As a last resort, we disassemble it at our warehouse and recycle its components.”  Other companies provide this kind of service, but Mr. De Clercq believes his is the only office furniture business that does so.                                                                                 

In the past nine months De Clercq Office Group has sent to scrap metal yards – thereby saving from landfills – 10,200 pounds of light iron and 1,086 pounds of aluminum.  And this service is only in its early phase.