How the Latest Print Technology Enables a More Sustainable Office

by | Jul 10, 2013

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pond, steve, first choiceIt is estimated that an average employee consumes about ten thousand pages of paper a year in printing. Implementing the latest print technology can have a positive impact on your office’s carbon footprint. By reducing paper usage and using more environmentally sustainable resources, you can help to combat deforestation and global warming.

Managed Print Service A managed print service (MPS) outsources a firm’s print function to an experienced third party. A provider, like Xerox, will design an optimal print system designed to rationalise all aspects of a client’s print network. By formulating a process strategy for fleet and workflow, firms can monitor output more effectively, reducing waste and eradicating poor practices.

Printing output can be analysed at department, team or individual level, allowing departments to allocate costs and improve efficiency. By reducing unnecessary output and wastage, firms can reduce their paper requirements and save energy, leading to carbon improvements.

Xerox estimates that their MPS partnership with British Telecom helped reduce their client’s carbon footprint by 50%. The overall environmental benefit of MPS was estimated to be equivalent to taking 304,000 cars off the road in 2012; enough energy to power 230,000 homes for a year.

Electronic Document Management

Electronic Document Management (EDF) is software that stores documents in a digital format. This reduces the requirement for handling tangible, paper copies; this in effect digitizes filing cabinets and folders of text documentation.

Some of these systems will store images of documents; others include optical character recognition which can translate scanned documents into editable text. EDF can then act as a database, allowing for searching and sorting of documents by key words.

From an environmental perspective, EDF takes pressure off your print function, reducing paper requirements hugely. It also provides firms with spatial advantages, reducing the requirement for filing cabinets and cupboards, minimising floor space and saving energy.

Sustainable Paper

Sustainable paper is sourced from forests which are sustainably managed and not involved in poor environmental practices like mass deforestation. These forests are managed in such a way to maintain long term social, economic and environmental benefits.

Firms within the EU are now required by law to keep a record of exactly how they buy and sell paper, with The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) coming into action from March 3rd.

Recycled paper provides additional environmental benefits, allowing firms to reduce their paper usage further.

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