Environmental sustainability centres on our responsibility to future generations to reduce our carbon footprint today, says Prakash Naidoo, product manager and marketing manager of the Wide Format Printing Systems division of Oc'e South Africa.
Sustainability is, by nature, about the future. It is about business practices that balance the interests of people, the planet and profitability. Fortunately the movement to "go green" is finally reaching critical mass. Environmentally conscious companies are initiating efforts to balance what is good for business with what is good for the planet. And customers are challenging manufacturers to find better ways to protect and preserve resources.
Environmental sustainability is increasingly impacting large-format printing and the trends within the industry. Thankfully, there are strategies and actions businesses can take to ensure they are working with sustainable technology providers. For many companies in this sector, sustainability has just recently become part of their corporate mission. For others, environmental sustainability is an opportunity to "green-wash" their products and brands. For a rare few, it has been a part of their DNA for years.
As sustainability becomes a criterion for working or not working with a potential vendor, the challenge many companies face is determining whether that provider is truly sustainable. Whether you're in a reprographics shop or a corporate engineering/architectural print environment, it can be tough to separate reality from the exaggerated. Fortunately, there are certain markers to look for when you're seeking sustainable business partners. Look for a history of sustainable practices, a commitment to recycling, efforts to give parts and products a second life, energy efficient engineering, a forward-looking approach to waste and emissions handling, compliance with sustainability regulations, and any awards that recognise the company for environmentally responsible business practices.
Re-use and recycle
While it isn't the only component of sustainability, recycling is an essential pillar of a wider programme of sustainable business practices. While many companies continue to send used machines to landfills, because their focus is selling equipment today, truly sustainable companies create products with components that can be recycled. They support recycling in their manufacturing and routine business practices, along with a remanufacturing process. Recovering parts and materials for re-use or recycling reduces consumption of new materials and parts. It also eliminates the waste inherent in the manufacture of new materials.
When looking for a vendor committed to re-use and recycling, ask them these questions:
* Do you have a remanufacturing policy?
* Are products and component materials engineered to be re-used in new systems?
* How are machines handled at the end of their economic lives?
* Are components reclaimed, recycled, or remanufactured ? or are they sent to a landfill?
* Do components stay in play ? or are they discarded as waste?
Environmental stewardship
Of course, there's more to sustainability than recycling. Increasingly, it's a matter of how a company does business. When it comes to production printing and document management hardware, you want a company with a record of implementing sustainable business practices. Does the company meet stringent standards for quality and environmental responsibility through procedures that minimise energy consumption, emissions, and waste? What about logistics ? moving parts or equipment from A to B? Has the company adapted its processes to support a sustainable environmental program? Is it powering truck fleets with alternative fuels like biodiesel? Is it using carbon-neutral biomass fuels to power its production plants? What about emissions? Is it working to reduce or eliminate them?
The use of energy is another important environmental indicator considering the greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning natural gas and other fuels. Sustainable companies use green or renewable energy sources for heating, cooling, and production, and/or are studying ways to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.
As for the product you're considering, if you want to determine if it's energy-efficient, look for the familiar Energy Star logo. Energy Star is a programme created to help businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Any product that bears the Energy Star logo has met stringent guidelines for energy efficiency. Not every company will be able to respond in the affirmative on all counts ? but look for an overarching pattern of eco-friendly business practices.
Waste handling and emissions
Waste handling and emissions are top-of-mind concerns for sustainability. Waste handling covers three basic areas; namely, hazardous chemicals, industrial waste and domestic waste. Most industrial waste can be recycled, so look for a company that recycles and re-uses these components, and designs photoconductors and consumables to last longer. Meanwhile, reducing ozone, dust and toner emissions should be a key initiative for any eco-responsible company.
Sustainability in R&D
Truly sustainable companies design products based on an awareness of their environmental impact from the earliest stages of product development. Devices that do not need any warm-up time enabling them to start printing immediately, and go into stand-by mode immediately after printing drastically reduce energy usage. Similarly, devices that use less heat also have a lower environmental impact, and save money in energy costs compared to conventional printing technologies. There's also no need to worry about ozone emissions, which can be responsible for causing headaches, sore throats or respiratory problems.
Compliance with standards
Compliance with regulations and standards also plays a role in many technology companies' strategies. The UN Global Compact encourages a precautionary approach to environmental challenges, initiatives that promote greater environmental responsibility and development of environmentally friendly technologies through research, innovation, and self-regulation.
ISO 14001 compliance indicates that a company has met one of the world's most respected standards for environmental responsibility. Compliance with any of these directives indicates a commitment to sound environmental practices.
In short, green business is good business
Increased sensitivity to environmental concerns is a growing priority among the world's leading companies. In an increasingly global economy, no company can afford to ignore the environmental impact of business, especially when efficient environmental management can have a positive impact on the bottom line. And as more customers demand that business partners prove they are sustainable, green business is becoming good business.
Long before the idea of environmental care gained the importance it has today, forward-thinking companies were already putting it into practice. For companies like Oc'e, sustainability has been a defining philosophy ? as far back as 1958, when the company launched a new production process using a paper coating that reduced the use of solvents by 80%. The company has continued to expand its sustainability focus ever since, finding innovative ways to use and re-use components, optimise energy and water consumption and reduce waste and ozone, dust and toner emissions.
Sustainability continues to be a cornerstone of the company's approach to business. The sustainability focal points for the Oc'e wide-format printing systems are:
* Minimise energy consumption per print;
* Maximise reuse of materials and minimise landfill;
* Minimise emissions of ozone, dust, toner and noise; and
* Minimise wasted and unnecessary prints.
As more companies learn to balance what's good for business with what's good for the planet and seek out partnerships with companies that are green ? many more businesses will see the advantages of taking the lead as environmental stewards and agents of change.
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