On the occasion of the CSR 2018 show, the most important event in Italy on Corporate Social Responsibility (Milan 2/3 October at Bocconi University) Epson presented its projects in terms of environmental protection, including a self-audit tool (soon available online) realized in collaboration with ReteClima, to understand if your office is sustainable.
In addition, Epson explained that it is possible to reduce the emissions caused by printers in the office switching from laser to inkjet technology: companies could significantly reduce their carbon footprint: in four years they would emit over 58 thousand tons less CO2, saving up to € 29.4 million.
Luca Cassani, CSR Manager of Epson Italy, take part in the round table “How much is natural capital worth?” at CSR 2018 and presented the Epson initiatives and projects focused on environmental protection.
“Among the Italian companies – said Cassani – the attention in reducing the environmental impact is growing more and more. A research, we have just commissioned, has shown that for 69% of Italians interviewed it is an important or very important criterion, although it is not among the two factors that most affect the choice of purchase. But when companies understand the economic benefits it brings, they take more account of it.
The Sustainable Office: what it means, how to measure it, how to achieve it.
The renewed attention of companies to environmental issues, especially when they also have an economic impact, places a new focus on the typical workplace which must also be aligned with the criteria of environmental and economic sustainability.
For this reason, Epson has commissioned ReteClima, a company specialising in information and action for sustainability and combating climate change, to produce a document on the Sustainable Office.
The document describes the various elements that can have an impact on the environment in the office and lists some suggestions on how to reduce this impact with appropriate technological choices.
A self-audit tool will also be available online, allowing you to measure how adequate your workspace is in environmental terms.
The contribution of Epson technology to the Sustainable Office.
The two main printing technologies, inkjet and laser, have very different operating characteristics and energy consumption, as well as different environmental impact produced by the supplies they use.
Inkjet printers consume very little electricity, while lasers are much more energy-intensive because they must heat the toner to high temperatures. In addition, they work with more complex supplies (toner, drum and fuser) than inkjet printers (cartridges).
For several years now, Epson has introduced a new concept to increase printing autonomy and thus reduce the production of waste from cartridges (plastic and packaging).
In EcoTank models, for home and small offices, it has eliminated cartridges and replaced them with high capacity tanks that can print up to 4,500 pages in black and 7,500 pages in colour before being refilled with simple bottles. Thanks to RIPS technology (Replaceable Ink Pack System).
WorkForce models, (increasingly used in the office) has replaced cartridges with ink packs that ensure a range of up to 40,000, 50,000 or even 84,000 copies before replacement.
“The advantages for the environment – concludes Cassani – are easy to understand: compared to laser solutions, inkjet printers can reduce energy consumption by up to 95% and waste by up to 94%.
But that’s not all, because the page cost of inkjet models is half that of lasers, and maintenance takes up to 98% less time.”
