Anyone who has relocated has likely had to make the tough decision of what to bring and what to leave. Factors involved include the length of the assignment, cost of moving or replacing goods, and personal needs or desires. Another factor is sustainability.
Discard and donate programs (DDPs) are one way to keep costs down during the moving process, as well as decrease impact on the environment and alleviate employee stress.
Less Is More
Bridget Ritchie, chief revenue officer at Home Sweet Home and member of the WERC Sustainability Advisory Council, says that as a Discard and Donate provider, her company measures the boxes and packing material saved due to less items being packed up and put on the truck. “From that, we measure trees saved,” she says. “For every one tree saved, we plant three trees on behalf of the client.”
Home Sweet Home also measures the fuel saved due to less weight being on the moving truck. “We equate and report these savings into the positive [carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)] impact in metrics tons,” Ritchie says. “In 2023, our clients had a collective positive CO2e impact of 2,673 metric tons through having discard and donate in their policy and a strong initiative by the client to support the program's utilization. This included a positive tree impact (saved and planted) of over 25,000 trees.”
Chris Lagerman, head of global sales at WHR Global, says that from a relocation management company’s (RMC’s) perspective, DDPs offer multiple benefits. They help streamline the relocation process by reducing the amount of goods that need to be packed and transported, which reduces moving costs and logistical complexity. Additionally, some donations might be tax-deductible, providing financial benefits to transferees. The programs also align with corporate social responsibility goals, thus enhancing the RMC’s reputation and appeal to clients who place importance on sustainability.
Stress Management
Lagerman says DDPs alleviate stress for the transferee by simplifying the moving process. “Deciding what to do with unwanted items can be overwhelming. Having a structured discard/donate program provides an easy and environmentally friendly solution,” he says. “It also helps transferees feel good about contributing to charitable causes.”
Ritchie says the program boosts the employee experience through the pre-move assistance they receive when prepping a home for sale or for the movers. “The burden of having to get the home decluttered prior to taking pictures for the listing, as well as the burden of getting the home ready for the moving crew to arrive and perform efficiently, is alleviated. The professional organizer we send in assists with downsizing and decluttering of the home prior to the listing and the move,” she says. “The assistance of our professional organizers is a huge help to the employee and kicks off their mobility experience in a positive manner.”
Local Community Benefits
Ritchie says that her company donates anything that is in donatable condition to a local charity or organization in need. In 2023, Home Sweet Home donated over 9 million pounds of goods to local communities.
Aside from standard donations of items to charities, the company has donated pianos to churches, pool tables to youth groups, pet care items to pet shelters, and exercise equipment to firehouses. “We have even directly assisted local families in need; one example is a family whose home was destroyed by a fire,” Ritchie recalls. “Our goal with what we remove from homes is to keep as much as we can out of landfills,” she says.
Trends and Changing Attitudes
Lagerman has noted a growing trend toward minimalism and sustainability. “More transferees are becoming conscious of their environmental footprint and prefer to donate or responsibly discard items rather than simply throw them away,” he says. “This trend is driven by increased environmental awareness and the desire to support community causes.” Lagerman says that social media and public awareness campaigns have played a role in promoting these changes.
Ritchie has also noticed an increase in corporations’ desires to implement DDPs to improve the employee experience, while also helping companies meet environmental sustainability goals in a measurable and reportable way. “We have [also] noticed an increase in employee engagement, as more and more people want to contribute to a more sustainable planet for their children,” Ritchie says. “We are constantly evolving and growing to align with this shift in companies and employees and their adoption and utilization of this program.”
Quality Control and Other Challenges
It’s important to note that not just anything can be donated. An important part of a program’s quality control is balancing standards with the need to limit waste. Home Sweet Home has been in business for 20 years and has a network of over 1,100 professional organizers throughout the 13 countries in which it operates. “Once it has been determined by the trained and experienced organizer, or by the charity itself, that the item is not acceptable for donation, our partners work within local community guidelines, disposal companies, and recycling organizations for proper disposal or recycling of items,” she says. “Less than 15% of items end up in a landfill.”
Lagerman also points to quality control as something organizations must keep an eye on. “Ensuring that donated items meet the standards of receiving organizations can be challenging, necessitating proper screening and sorting processes,” he says.
Other challenges Lagerman highlights include logistical coordination. Ensuring timely pickup and delivery of items can be complex, especially in busy urban areas or remote locations. Transferee reluctance is also a challenge, as some may be hesitant to part with belongings due to sentimental value or perceived worth, thus “requiring sensitive handling and effective communication.”
What RMCs Can Do to Promote Sustainability Beyond DDPs
For Lagerman, DDPs are part of a wider effort to promote sustainability within the mobility industry. He offers advice for the integration of sustainability by RMCs, including:
- Developing comprehensive green policies and stressing sustainability as a core component of services.
- Offering green relocation packages, for example by providing eco-friendly packing materials, energy-efficient transportation options, and carbon offset programs.
- Educating transferees about the environmental impact of their moves and promoting sustainable practices.
- Using technology to streamline discard/donate processes and track sustainability metrics to demonstrate impact.
Perks and Buy-in for DDPs
Discard and donate programs are a great way to boost your company’s green creds. By donating goods to local communities, not only are cost savings achieved through fewer shipped items, but less paper and cardboard are used in packing those items and less fuel used in transporting them. Plus, those donated goods could do local communities a lot of good.
For these efforts to be a success, there must be buy-in from top to bottom. “This program is most effective when the employee understands how it aligns with the corporation’s goals, whether they are cost savings or environmental sustainability,” Ritchie says. “It is key to success when that is driven by the corporation, supported by the relocation management company, and understood by the employee.”