European businesses are wasting tens of thousands of euros annually because of wasted printing, according to research**** announced today by Lexmark, the international printer manufacturer.
The research reveals that, on average, 14% of pages printed in the workplace are never used, either remaining on the printer or photocopier or heading straight for the bin.
This represents a combined cost to European businesses of at least EUR1.3 billion**, or in environmental terms, the equivalent of approximately 4 million average-sized trees***.
France has one of the highest levels of print wastage in Europe. German businesses are the most waste-conscious, claiming only 6% of the paper they print remains unused, compared to 12% in Spain.
Yet despite the 6% of European office workers printing up to 50 pages a day, and more than 600 billion being printed annually*, few businesses, let alone employees, are aware of the economic and environmental cost of print wastage.
A tenth (13%) of European office workers say they print everything they get sent, while an average of a third (32%) say they print out their e-mails simply in order to read them.
"With document production costing between 1% to 3% of a company`s revenue, this is a significant expense for most businesses," said Hans Horn, Managing Director, Lexmark International South Africa.
"The fact that so much of what is printed is never even used should be ringing alarm bells in finance departments across the country. Yet incredibly, few businesses are fully aware of what their organisation spends on documents, let alone what is wasted."
Lexmark is committed to helping businesses reduce and manage print wastage through both advanced features in its multifunction technology, and through consultancy solutions.
* Source: Cap V
** Based on an average cost of a monochrome printed page - 1 euro cent
*** Extrapolated from research conducted by USA Environmental Protection Agency.
**** Research conducted in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Research conducted by Ipsos Global in April 2005.
For further information, please contact Louisa Craig at telephone (011) 244 2650; fax (011) 244 2629; e-mail louisa.craig@lexmark.co.za, or visit www.lexmark.co.za.
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Lexmark International, Inc makes it easier for businesses and consumers to move information between the digital and paper worlds. Since its inception in 1991, Lexmark has become a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of printing and imaging solutions for customers in more than 150 countries.
Lexmark reported approximately $5.3 billion in revenue in 2004, and can be found on the Internet at www.lexmark.com.
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