As European Green Week kicks off today, Lexmark releases the results of a European survey conducted by Ipsos among 2 837 office workers across Europe about attitudes to printer wastage and the environment in the workplace. The research identifies that workers are aware of paper wastage in their company; however, they do not feel responsible. The majority understands the financial and environmental impact and have already started reducing their personal paper wastage.
While 696 billion printed pages* are wasted annually across Europe, Lexmark`s study reveals that three quarters (74%) of European office workers claim they are taking action to reduce wastage levels, and only 5% still believe printer wastage has no environmental or financial consequences.
Over half (52%) of European office workers also say that in their office a lot of paper is printed for nothing, however, only a quarter (26%) assert they have no part to play in this wastage. The study shows that only a fifth (20%) of office workers do not know how to reduce wastage levels through even simple action.
The usual suspects
The study reveals the profile of the typical office paper waster:
* 1. Male - 28% of men admit to printing a lot of paper for nothing, compared to just 25% of women.
* 2. Young - Office workers aged 18 - 34 print out a massive 40 pages per day, compared to the European average of just 34, while those over 50 print just 31. However, this age group also claim to be the most environmentally aware with only a quarter (25%) admitting responsibility for this wastage.
Who`s the greenest?
Italy takes the lead in Europe as 85% of office workers in Italy claim to be environmentally aware. Surprisingly, for a country which has a reputation as a leader in environmental policy, Sweden is a follower as far as reduction of paper wastage is concerned: only 70% of Swedish office workers declare they are currently taking action to reduce wastage and more (8%) than in any other country say they do not believe printer wastage has significant environmental or financial consequences.
Time for action
Although 94% of European office workers are aware of the consequences of paper wastage, there is a gap between awareness of the problem and taking action to solve it. The average European office worker still prints 34 pages per day of which 17% go to waste, despite their awareness of the huge environmental and financial impact:
* This waste costs European businesses at least EUR1.4 billion**
* In environmental terms, this waste is the equivalent of approximately 10 billion KWH spent and more than 655 000 tons of CO2 generated for nothing ***.
Lexmark is committed to help businesses become greener and reduce their printing costs through a wide range of high-performance, eco-friendly and optimised output solutions. As an industry forerunner in conscientious corporate practices, Lexmark makes a large investment in successful landmark environmental programmes. Those encompass designing printing solutions that better serve both its customers and the environment through the reduction of paper, ink, toner and energy consumption, conserving energy and minimising waste in all business operations, and keeping end-of-life products out of the landfill.
"It`s positive to see that office workers are increasingly aware of the environmental consequences of printer wastage, but as our research shows there is still work to be done to educate people on how they can print more efficiently and reduce their impact on the environment," says Eamon Ryan, Vice-President and General Manager, Lexmark EMEA.
"Lexmark is dedicated to creating solutions that help businesses reduce and manage print wastage, improving their bottom line. Beyond that, Lexmark is committed to contribute actively to customer education on this critical topic, which is the environmental footprint of each of us."
Research conducted by Ipsos between 20 February and 7 March 2006.
Number of interviews: 2 837 employees in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Sweden.
Interview method: phone.
* Source: Cap V
** Based on an average cost of a monochrome printed page - 1 euro cent
*** Source: July 2005 Eurostat figures for the French Observatoire de l`Energie.
Calculation is based on the average consumer price of domestic electricity usage at 139.5 euros (taxes included)/MWH and on CO2 conversion available at www.EDF.com
For further information, please contact Louisa Craig at telephone (011) 244 2650; fax (011) 244 2629; e-mail louisa.craig@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 $5.2 billion in revenue in 2005, and can be found on the Internet at www.lexmark.com.
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