Search for « sustainable coworking »: you will find photos of houseplants and commitments without a unit of measurement. « Eco-friendly » costs nothing to write; proving it is what costs. Here are the 7 questions to ask any operator before you sign, and, to play fair, our own documented answers.
1. « Do you have a dedicated meter, and do you publish the numbers? »
The ten-second filter. Without the space’s own meter, nothing can be steered; without publication, nothing can be proven to you.
At Zecoworking: dedicated meter read by Enedis, figures published and sourced: 18,240 kWh over the last 12 months, down 9.1%, or 61.9 kWh/m² common areas included. The details are here.
2. « Where do you stand against the tertiary decree? »
An isolated number says nothing; a compared number says everything. A serious operator knows the 2030 office value (107 kWh/m²) and knows where it stands.
At Zecoworking: 42% below the 2030 target, already. Our article on the decree also explains why, in coworking, that obligation stops being yours.
3. « Is your furniture new or reused? »
Fit-out is the industry’s blind spot: entire floors refurnished from new at every rotation. Ask where the chairs and tables come from.
At Zecoworking: 53 Steelcase chairs, 100% refurbished by a Paris-region specialist, reused tables and cabinets. We tell their second life here.
4. « What have you actually done, technically, to consume less? »
Beware of one-word answers (« LEDs »). A real programme is told item by item: ventilation, heating, lighting.
At Zecoworking: dual-flow ventilation with a custom heat-recovery unit (fresh air pre-warmed from -7°C to +7.9°C by the extracted air), per-office air conditioning, 18 presence detectors across 12 lighting zones. The full method.
5. « What products, and which contractors, maintain the space? »
Sobriety also lives in the cleaning contract: certified products, social clauses, how far contractors travel.
At Zecoworking: cleaning entrusted since 2022 to a Puteaux-based company whose contract favours Ecolabel products and commits to the employment-guarantee rules of the French cleaning-industry agreement. Ventilation, furniture, fire safety: all our main contractors are based in the Paris region.
6. « How is waste sorting organised, concretely? »
Not « do we have yellow bins », but: are the local rules displayed, are specific streams (cardboard, batteries, electronics) planned for?
At Zecoworking: sorting follows the city of Courbevoie’s rules, folded cardboard goes out on Wednesdays, dedicated streams for batteries and electrical equipment. The rules are displayed in the shared kitchen, not buried in a PDF.
7. « Can people get to work without a car? »
The first emissions item of any office is the commute of the people who come to it. A virtuous space in a car-only business park loses most of its advantage.
At Zecoworking: bus stops 1 minute away on foot, Esplanade de La Défense 10 minutes, Courbevoie station 12 minutes. We quantified what the commute changes: it is spectacular.
The checklist, to take with you
| Criterion | Proof to demand | Zecoworking |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Dedicated meter + published figures | ✓ 61.9 kWh/m², published |
| Benchmark | Position vs the 2030 decree target | ✓ 42% below |
| Furniture | Share of reuse, supplier | ✓ 53 refurbished chairs |
| Technical | Actions detailed item by item | ✓ heat recovery, detection, zoning |
| Maintenance | Certified products, social clauses | ✓ Ecolabel, local contractors |
| Waste | Rules displayed, dedicated streams | ✓ Courbevoie sorting organised |
| Mobility | Genuine car-free access | ✓ bus 1 min, La Défense 10 min |
Take these 7 questions to every visit, including ours: we answer each one with documents on the table. Book your visit or browse the available offices: proven sustainability is 10 minutes from La Défense.