Raising Awareness with Sustainable Document Solutions
Despite the print market having been threatened in recent years, due to the rise of digital storage solutions, printing in the workplace remains a crucial part of working life. Sustainable document solutions are the way forward for anyone wanting to implement sustainable programmes and reduce their carbon footprint.
Sustainable document solutions are the way forward for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint, take sustainability and climate change seriously and ensure that businesses on a global scale, are operating in a sustainable and responsible manner. Printing solutions have been vital in keeping everyone safe but and with easing restrictions, climate change will re-take the global focus in our daily conversations.
Printers and MFPs are a resource in the office environment, but with an ongoing climate crisis comes the need for more sustainable and eco-conscious solutions. Customers have become more aware of their personal and corporate environmental impact and are working hard to reduce their carbon footprint. Many businesses are now looking for the most sustainable and reliable printing solutions that balances their operational needs against their environmental impact.
Going paperless with eco-friendly printers and scanners
We live in a world of digital content and technological advancements. We have the tools needed to implement sustainable printing practices within the workplace. However, most businesses and corporate document solutions providers realise that the reality of going paperless is more complicated than just replacing physical copies of documents with digital copies instead.
Paperless offices might still be a concept of the future, but there are small steps a business can take, to reduce their carbon footprint. For those who cannot go paperless yet, can consider applying the 3R approach – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. With those 3Rs in mind, below you will find questions to consider when moving towards sustainable and eco-friendly office:
- How can you introduce eco-conscious printing habits to reduce paper waste?
- What is the right equipment and document management providers to help fulfil your Corporate Social Responsibility goals?
- Are you using recycled materials?
- How can print management software control print volumes and improve print security?
- Are your document solutions going to have a sustainable impact long-term?
So, while paper continues to dominate our business processes, there are ways to reduce, re-use and recycle, making your printing solutions more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective long-term.
Phasing out old print technology and replacing it with new, sustainable document solutions can help make your office more environmentally friendly and help you meet your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals.
Calculating the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
For many businesses, printing can be very costly having a major impact on their operational costs. It is crucial to have a reliable machine which operates smoothly and cost-efficiently. Sustainable document solutions do more than just conserve energy: they can help control costs, increase productivity in the office, reduce material waste and contribute to a larger corporate sustainability strategy.
Updating or replacing old print technology with new, sustainable document solutions is vital for businesses that aim to encourage growth, productivity and raise awareness regarding individual and corporate environmental impact.
Many companies fear that going paperless and investing in sustainable solutions will be costly and have debated as to whether investing in an eco-friendlier office is worth it. However, although developing a sustainable document solution can, at first, be time consuming, it comes with a whole array of benefits and will be cheaper to manage, without having to worry about printing costs, or costs to repair your printer if it goes wrong.
What is TCO?
TCO which stands for Total Cost of Ownership, is a financial estimate intended to inform buyers and owners of the direct and indirect costs of a product or service. Document solutions TCO considers things like the cost of consumables (ink, paper, toner, etc), energy efficiency ratings and maintenance costs to drive greater environmental and social responsibility.
The TCO certification therefore effectively, ties in with eco-friendly options, as it eliminates products that are expensive to run and that produce waste.
Eco-friendly document solutions that deliver
Printers and scanners have been a staple piece of equipment in the office for decades. Sustainable document solutions have, in recent years, moved with the growing demand for sustainable choices. Many businesses are now making the decision to achieve their corporate and environmental objectives for printing and document management by investing in more sustainable business practices.
Some of the most environmentally friendly options in the industry of document solutions are Ricoh, Kyocera and PaperCut – these document solutions providers are all dedicated to meeting business CSR goals and sharing their passion for the shift towards paperless offices.
Ricoh
Ricoh document solutions are also based on the 3R’s concept - Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. By applying this approach to their products, Ricoh provides sustainable printing and scanning solutions which adhere to many international and European Eco label requirements for environmental design.
They have focused on tackling environmental issues by fostering innovation, launching “Ricoh Sustainable Product programme” (RSPP). Thanks to this program, Ricoh has managed to improve their products based on environmental performance, usability, and CSR, designing new devices that are 37% smaller and 65% lighter than previous models.
Recycling and re-using is a key aspect at Ricoh. Through their Asset Management System, they salvage as many reusable components as possible that can be utilized in later stages. Ricoh introduced their GreenLine range, which provides customers with certified pre-owned devices that deliver the same services as brand new products, except they are affordable and eco-friendly. Being conscious about usable materials and prolonging the lifecycle of devices thus reduces the carbon footprint of business operations in the long run.
Kyocera
Kyocera is leading the way towards sustainability with its products that are designed having our planet in mind. For over a quarter of a century, they have been manufacturing environmentally friendly document solutions, such as their ECOSYS range. The benefits of sustainable printers and Multi-Functional Printers are highly valued by many businesses, as they don’t have to compromise on the printing quality.
To reduce waste and improve energy efficiency, the ECOSYS range was designed halogen-free and with in-built Client Tool, utility function that allows users to set a time for the device to switch itself off. It also incorporates a unique technology that lowers the toner’s fixing temperature on the paper. These excellent design features help reduce power consumption and keep you on your path to a more sustainable office environment.
Once purchased, a device chosen using their TCO calculator, Kyocera products will be shipped without Styrofoam packing materials. Packaging and shipping have been constructed in a most efficient way in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
PaperCut
Although paperless offices are still only a dream, reducing paper waste not only reduces organisation costs but also raises awareness for sustainable office practices. Implementing these changes can be difficult, thus PaperCut has made its primary mission to help companies minimise waste and have a smooth transition period when going from paper to paperless.
PaperCut software is designed to help users change their printing habits and develop a more sustainable mentality. It is packed with features that inspire responsible printing such as encouraging duplex printing, implementing reasonable usage quotas and print chargeback policies. The environmental dashboard even goes so far as to display how many trees you have consumed, thus impacting a users’ printing behaviour.
“Our true clients are the trees” - Noah Wiemken, Solutions Architect at PaperCut
See PaperCut’s software solutions here
While printers are here to stay, sustainable document solutions providers are focusing on the growing demand for more eco-friendly options for the workplace. Design changes and operating systems that manufacturers are introducing help companies to reduce their printing costs, and, at the same time, creating environmentally friendly offices.
Our highly-trained team of Print and Scan specialists are here to help guide you to find the perfect document solution for your needs. For more information call 01379 649278 or email documentsolutions@midwich.com
