Oc'e UK recently announced a world-first, the Carbon Positive Plus+ programme for the printing industry. This new programme involves benchmarking the Oc'e VarioPrint 6000 series printing system's energy consumption and operational CO2 emissions.
With the Oc'e VarioPrint 6000 series, customers will be investing in a machine that is proven to be operationally better than carbon-neutral by environmental consultants Shining Earth.
Under the unique offering, Oc'e has committed to offsetting 200% of the CO2 for each of its Oc'e VarioPrint 6000 machines sold until at least November 2008.
The carbon-offsetting scheme involves international eco-friendly initiatives administered through Shining Earth, which will be subject to stringent, independent verification. Under the scheme, greenhouse gases will be reduced before they are even emitted.
Carbon Positive Plus+ is being driven by climate change and demands for more advice on environmental issues from Oc'e's customers. It is all part of Oc'e UK further strengthening its environmental credentials with a new long-term alliance with Lincoln-based Shining Earth, which is part of Delta-Simons Environmental Consultants Ltd.
Each of Oc'e's printing systems is designed with re-use and recycling in mind - and the company's systems have some of the lowest energy consumption in the marketplace. Now with the launch of the carbon positive programme - initially for the Oc'e VarioPrint 6000 systems - Oc'e will be even more eco-friendly.
The CO2 emissions calculated under the scheme will be offset in three initial schemes:
* Renewable energy in China
* Methane acquisition in Germany
* Tree-planting in the UK
Gareth Pickles, managing director of Delta-Simons, said: "We've gone far beyond the basics and obtained detailed measurements of energy consumption from the machine over many functions and selected offset schemes that we think provide a good balance of environmental benefit. There's real science to back up everything that Oc'e is offering.
"This is a unique offering to the market and will be viewed as such. Everybody has an ethical duty to do their bit towards sustainability and reducing carbon emissions and we take that very seriously." Oc'e will provide carbon offsetting for every customer who purchases or leases on of the Oc'e VarioPrint 6000 family of systems for a minimum of 12 months. There will also be an opportunity to take part in an environmental stewardship scheme. Oc'e has agreed to pay for two days' consultancy as part of the stewardship appraisal, with the specific intention of helping its customers improve environmental performance.
Ed Hudson, marketing manager for Oc'e UK Digital Document Systems, said: "When we develop our technology, we always take the environment into account. Buyers in the graphic arts industry are very aware of green issues and invest in our technology on the basis that it is environmentally friendly.
"We are convinced that Carbon Positive Plus+ is the first of its kind in the world. It's a serious piece of work and will have far-reaching benefits for our customers and the environment. We sincerely hope that this will enhance our customers' ability to acquire work from within their own customers. Carbon Positive Plus+ is building on some of the successful environmental work that has been done through the Oc'e Group head office in Venlo, such as sustainability reports and other initiatives."
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