Sustainable Times Magazine Issue 3

SPRING 2009

Green Stationery

Eco-labels

Sustainable Computing

Videoconferencing

Business Travel Plans

Remanufactured

cartridges

Offi ce Lighting

Catering &

Vending

StationeryStationery

bels

nable Computing

conferencing

ss Travel Plans

ufactured u ed

ges

Lighting

ng &

g

Natural selectionWhy it makes sense to Print Less, Save More with Lexmark

A greener business with

Low energy consumptionUp to 47% better on energy efficiency compared to the average of the competitors

LaserMFD 6000 seriesToner Save functionSimplify your daily business

Visit www.fax.philips.com and www.asimpleswitch.com for further information.

40%Toner Save

47%EnergySavings

How?They offer customers, users and society a significantenvironmental improvement in one or more of the PhilipsGreen Focal Areas - Energy efficiency, Packaging, Hazardoussubstances, Weight, Recycling and disposal, and Lifetime reliability.

Philips Green Products can help reduce costs,energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Sustainable Times is a supplement of Business Info Magazine. It is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 4 New Cottages, Green Farm Lane, Shorne, Kent DA12 3HQ. Tel: 01474 824711. Email: [email protected]

Avex 2009 being held at the NEC, Birmingham on June

10-11 provides a golden opportunity to see what measures

the catering and vending industry has taken to green up

its act.

As in other industries, these tend to revolve around energy effi ciency and waste minimisation, but because it is catering, there is also greater support for fairtrade ingredients (see page 29 and 30 for further details). Publicising these initiatives is important not just for customers who have their own waste reduction and CSR obligations, but for the industry itself.

As the environment becomes more important in purchasing decisions and in product marketing, the risks of failing to tackle areas of weakness or publicise environmental strengths become greater. For evidence you need look no further than the paper industry.

Although the paper industry is, in the words of Jonathan Porritt, “inherently sustainable”, failure to adequately address its environmental record or publicise its achievements have made it an easy target both for climate campaigners and the marketing department of any company with a non paper-based product to sell.

Carbon offset company Carbonica is typical. It has launched a campaign for a ‘paperless future’ and is encouraging people to avoid purchasing newspapers, magazines and paper books as part of its vision to prevent deforestation. Shamelessly, it even suggests that “if you must read a magazine in paper form, read it at a bookstore café”.

The paper industry must realise its potential to become genuinely sustainable, not only to put more pressure on the computer industry, but also to save us from a future in which bookshops only exist to provide reading material for freeloaders to enjoy with a cup of fairtrade coffee.

James Goulding, Editor

04 Agenda New developments in

sustainable purchasing

11 Green StationerySustainable Times reviews April’s Stationery and Offi ce Products Show

14 Eco-labelsPaper by Nature is a new eco-label for notebooks, envelopes and other converted paper products

16 Sustainable ComputingOur pick of 10 of the best alternatives to desktop PCs

18 Survival of the Fittest Why it makes sense to Print Less, Save More with Lexmark

Editor James Goulding 01962 771862 [email protected]

Advertising Director Ethan White 01474 824711 [email protected]

Publishing Director Neil Trim 07803 087229 dd 01737 249408 [email protected]

No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2009 Kingswood Media Ltd.

The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate within internationally recognized standards. The paper is made from Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation.

20 Videoconferencing WWF report highlights the

potential and limitations of videoconferencing

21 Business Travel PlansPlanes, trains and automobiles: the importance of planning

23 Remanufactured cartridgesWhich is better, recyclingor remanufacturing?

24 Offi ce Lighting The easy way to recycle

gas discharge lamps

26 What’s New Our round-up

of the best new green products

29 Catering & Vending What operators are doing

to reduce the impact of hot and cold drinks vending

CU-CoC-810614PEFC/16-33-595

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

04 sustainabletimes 0870 903 9500

greenAgenda

Dell is leading green brand – but not for everyone

In an international Green Factor study of 3,500 enterprise IT decision makers conducted by Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolfe, Dell was the highest ranked of 26 brands thanks largely to its recycling programme – the most important attribute sought by IT professionals.

HP, IBM and Microsoft were rated for their energy effi cient products and use of sustainable materials, while Apple held its position in the top fi ve for designing products perceived to have a green look and feel.

The survey looked at the key attributes buyers look for in a product or supplier. It found that buyers attached greatest importance to the qualities of a brand’s products, but that they also considered the sustainability of a company’s operations.

The fi rst category includes the use of biodegradable/recyclable materials; products or packaging that appears to be green because the design is clean; recycling programs for old hardware; energy effi ciency; and products that help businesses promote a green image of themselves.

The second category includes green facilities (manufacturing and/or datacentres), green shipping methods (e.g. non-wasteful packaging, effi cient transportation), and leadership in developing new green technologies.

The Top 10 green brands according to IT professionals in the US are Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Cisco, Sun and Sony.

The top 10 for British respondents are IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, HP, Google, Intel, Sony, Nokia and Cisco.

The latest edition of Greenpeace’s

Guide to Greener Electronics provides

an interesting counterpoint to the Green

Factor study, which tends to refl ect the

marketing muscle of American computer

manufacturers.

Now in its 11th edition,

Greenpeace’s guide is designed

to encourage leading electronics

companies to reduce the volume and

toxicity of e-waste and address climate

change through improved energy

effi ciency.

Researchers assess and rank 17

leading electronics brands based on

their record in a number of key areas,

including: the elimination of harmful

substances notably vinyl plastic (PVC)

and brominated fl ame retardants

(BFRs), but also all phthalates, beryllium

(including alloys and compounds)

and antimony/antimony compounds;

worldwide producer take-back and

recycling programmes; the use of

recycled materials including plastic; a

commitment to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions; and the development of

energy effi cient products.

Judged on these criteria, US

computer manufacturers appear to be

lagging behind European and Far Eastern

companies.

Greenpeace’s lastest ranking

has Nokia in fi rst place, followed by

Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Philips, Sony,

LG Electronics, Toshiba, Motorola, Sharp,

Apple, Acer, Panasonic, Dell, Lenovo,

Microsoft, HP and Nintendo. www.greenfactorstudy.com

www.greenpeace.org/ greenerelectronics

Users of Canon MFPs are being invited to recycle their

used toner bottles – but they will have to pay £30

plus VAT for the privilege of doing so, unlike Canon’s

printer customers who continue to enjoy a free

cartridge recycling service.

The service is run in partnership with recycling

specialist eReco, which will recycle the toner, plastics

and metal parts according to a zero landfi ll policy.

Materials recovered in the process are used to

manufacture a variety of products including washing

machine parts, traffi c cones, building materials, fi re

alarm casings and games consoles.

Canon is asking customers who want to take

advantage of the fully audited service to contact

eReco to order a £30 bag, which, when full, will be

collected for recycling.

Depending on the MFP model, toner bottles last

for between 6,000 and 20,000 pages

(at 5% toner coverage).

01342 833033

www.ereco.co.uk

The Stone Group has become the fi rst UK PC manufacturer to open its own

on-site computer recycling facility.

The £500,000 plant was constructed in Germany and shipped to the UK on four vehicles before being assembled at a newly acquired facility near the Group’s Staffordshire head offi ce.

It is capable of crunching half a tonne of equipment per hour and reducing it to pieces smaller than 30mm, from which all precious metals and iron are then extracted.

According to James Bird, CEO of Stone Group, the new plant will enable the company to provide customers with a complete cradle-to-grave service.

He said: “Stone has always been prized by our customers for the wraparound services we offer, including our extended warranties and in-house service and support teams. Now we are extending that cradle-to-grave service by looking after our customers’ equipment when it reaches its end of life.” 01785 812100 www.stonegroup.co.uk

New toner bottle recycling service

Stone starts on-site PC recycling

Dell is regarded as the leading green technology

brand among IT buyers, but not by Greenpeace, which

criticises the PC manufacturer for its continued use of

PVC and BFRs in the March 2009 edition of the

Guide to Greener Electronics.

sustainabletimes 05www.binfo.co.uk

The European Recovered Paper

Council (ERPC) has responded to

doubts about the effi cacy of recycling

by re-stating the environmental

benefi ts of recycling compared to

alternatives such as landfi ll and

incineration.

ERPC chairman Phil Mogel said: “Every piece of paper in your recycling bin counts for a better environment and society…Consumers can be assured that their efforts in sorting continue to serve a real purpose.”

The ERPC has calculated that if every EU citizen achieved best practice in recycling, another 10 million tonnes

of paper would be recycled, taking the total to more than 70 million tonnes per annum. This would save an additional 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

WRAP studies in the UK conclude that recycling 1 tonne of paper and cardboard produces 1.4 tonnes less of carbon dioxide equivalent than landfi ll, and 0.62 tonnes of CO2 equivalent less than incineration.

In 2007, paper was recycled at a rate of 64.5% in Europe, with less than 15% being exported to other countries for recycling. The industry has a voluntary target of a 66% recycling rate by the end of 2010.www.paperrecovery.eu

Philips is calling on businesses,

landlords and local authorities to

switch to energy-effi cient lighting

and reduce electricity consumption

from lighting by 40%.

The call coincides with the publication of Transforming the Market: Energy Effi ciency in Buildings, the fi nal report from the four-year Energy Effi ciency in Buildings research project, which argues that energy consumption in buildings could be cut by 60% by 2050.

Philips executive Kaj den Daas said that a signifi cant proportion of that reduction could be achieved sooner by adopting energy-saving lighting.

“If all the lighting in the world were switched to energy effi cient solutions, €120 billion could be saved on electricity, as well as 630 million tonnes of CO2. That is the equivalent output

greenAgenda…

Philips calls on business to cut lighting costs

Recycling still best for paper

Rag and bone van for

digital age

A twenty-fi rst century version of the

rag and bone cart, Midex’s distinctive

WEEECollect.IT van has started

visiting the UK’s town and cities as

part of the UK’s fi rst household WEEE

and battery collection service.

The house-to-house service will collect old TVs, computers, printers and other everyday electrical and electronic goods from people’s front doorsteps and driveways at no charge (with the exception of fridges and freezers).

In addition, householders will be encouraged to hand over spent batteries for recycling in accordance with the European Battery Directive, helping to boost non-lead battery recycling in the UK from its current rate of 4%.

The national roll-out by Midex follows successful trials in Aldershot, Farnborough and Guildford late last year. Householders will receive advance notifi cation of when the distinctive WEEECollect.IT van is in their neighbourhood. www.weeecollect.it

Philips Fortimo LED downlighters like those used in the Heineken store in Amsterdam consume 50% less energy than CFL lighters; provide instant light; are dimmable; have a long lifetime (50,000 hours); and are maintenance free.

One in four Philips products

is ‘green’

Last year Green Products accounted for 25%

of all Philips’ sales revenue, up from 20% in

2007, putting the electronics company well

on the way to meeting its target of 30%

green sales by 2012.

Philips categorises Green Products as those that are at least 10% better than previous or competitor models in at least one of the following areas: energy effi ciency; packaging; hazardous substances; weight; recycling and disposal; and lifetime reliability.www.philips.com

of 600 power plants or 1,800 million oil barrels in a year,” he said.

Lighting currently accounts for 19% of the world’s electricity use. Three-quarters of all lighting is based on old, energy ineffi cient solutions.

Last month Philips Color Kinetics received an award from the US Department of Energy for its progress in developing an LED replacement for halogen or HID-based PAR 38 bulbs used in recessed can lights and track lighting systems.

Tests show that the bulbs due to be launched towards the end of this year are signifi cantly more energy effi cient than existing LED PAR 38 lamps and almost fi ve times more effi cient than incandescent lamps.www.asimpleswitch.com

www.colorkinetics.com.


Credit-crunched consumers still

want to buy greenNew research from the Carbon Trust Standard shows

that consumers still want to buy green despite the

current economic climate, with 62% of respondents

saying environmental concerns infl uence their

purchasing decisions as much as a year ago and just

over a quarter saying they infl uence them ‘even more’

than in 2008.

The research shows that a business’s green credentials have a signifi cant impact on consumer buying choices. Two thirds (66%) of consumers say it’s important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with one in seven (14%) saying they have voted with their feet by deciding not to buy from a company based on its environmental reputation: almost a quarter have boycotted a company’s products because of its ethical reputation.

The YouGov survey of nearly 2,000 UK adults found support for clearer, more credible information on what companies are doing to reduce their environmental impact, with 70% admitting that they found it hard to identify which companies are environmentally responsible.

Six in ten consumers (59%) are sceptical about the environmental claims companies make, and 44% would like more information on what companies are actually doing to be environmentally responsible.

The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s fi rst carbon award that requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint and make real reductions year-on-year.

Among the fi rst companies to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard are printer suppliers Kyocera, Ricoh and HP. www.carbontruststandard.com.

greenAgenda

East Midlands keeps track of savingsEast Midlands Trains has

implemented a recycling scheme at

its Neville Hill Depot in Leeds that

is expected to deliver annual cost

savings of £150,000 and prevent

90% of train waste from going to

landfi ll.

Instead of compacting waste from trains and sending it to landfi ll, the company is employing a waste contractor to collect the waste on a daily basis and take it away to be recycled at a nearby recycling depot.

Most of the 480 tonnes of waste collected from the trains and depot each year is recyclable, including newspapers, magazines, glass and plastic bottles, packaging and paper.

Ted Ingle, Safety & Quality Manager at the depot, said: “By putting this scheme in place we’re not only helping to meet our franchise target to recycle 15% of waste across the whole of our

company, we’re also making business cost savings. Another benefi t has been the elimination of previous compactor maintenance costs and vermin problems that were associated with compacting waste for landfi ll.”

As part of the scheme, East Midlands Trains has invested in 30 bespoke wheelie bins, designed and supplied by Sellers Engineering.

Switch to biomass and watch your savings grow

Businesses and public sector

organisations could benefi t by

switching from oil, gas and electric

heating to renewable biomass,

according to Biomass Heating, A Practical Guide, published by the

Carbon Trust.

The guide claims that biomass heating offers the greatest cost savings in parts of the UK which are not currently on the gas grid, as using wood or straw can provide cost savings of 2-4 p/kWh (pence per kilowatt hour) relative to use of heating oil.

A biomass system generating 1,600MWh of heat (the annual heating requirements of a typical school) could save up to £50,000 per year on fuel costs compared to an existing oil-based heating system and be subject to less price volatility.

Mark Williamson, Director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust, said: “We’ve become so reliant on oil, gas and electricity that many businesses just aren’t aware of the cost and carbon benefi ts of turning to biomass for their heating supply. Renewable heating will need to play a key role in meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets and biomass offers the greatest potential to contribute to this. Growing the UK biomass industry can offer other positive impacts, such as creating new green jobs in the UK and making use of certain waste products that would otherwise go to landfi ll.”

Biomass typically offers carbon reductions of around 90% relative to fossil fuel heating systems. Burning

biomass does release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, but this is offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed in the original growth of the biomass, or captured in the growth of new biomass to replace the materials used.

In its Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, the Government said that if the UK is to meet its 2020 renewable energy targets, renewable sources may need to provide 14% of the UK’s heating requirements (up from the current level of 1%). Biomass is expected to account for a signifi cant proportion of this increase.

According to the Carbon Trust, the most cost-effective carbon savings can be achieved with small to medium scale biomass applications (100 kWth-3MWth).

Two organisations that have recently made the switch to biomass are Cwm Taff NHS Trust, which is expecting to save £35,000 per year by replacing an oil-fi red boiler with one burning woodchips, and Bell Bros Nurseries Ltd which will be using woodchip to provide 60-70% of the heat needed for its 50,000m2 of glasshouses, cutting annual heating costs by 40-50%.

The Carbon Trust provides interest-free loans of up to £200,000 to help small businesses upgrade to more energy effi cient equipment, including biomass boilers.

To fi nd out more about biomass heating systems and download the report, visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/

biomass or call 0800 085 2005.

We’re giving away FREE sample boxes of NESCAFÉ ® PARTNERS’ BLEND ®

for you to try yourself and share. Claim yours while stocks last. Visit www.nescafe-beveragesolutions.co.uk/fairtrade or call 0800 745 845.

Open to customers aged 18 and over only. Offer closes on 30th June 2009 or while stocks last. 1,000 boxes of 16 x stick sachets available. Only one sample box per registered address. For full terms and conditions, please see website for details.

Give your customersa cup of the best quality Fairtrade coffee, on us.

® Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.


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greenAgenda

Universal charger for mobile phones three years awayThe GSMA and 17 leading mobile operators and manufacturers have

responded to concerns about e-waste by announcing plans to introduce a

universal charger for mobile phones by January 1, 2012.

It is hoped that the introduction of a common format for mobile phone chargers will remove the need to give consumers a new charger with each phone upgrade, helping the industry to eliminate up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers.

The GSMA predicts that with 50% fewer chargers being manufactured each year (assuming 50% of phones are replacement devices), the industry can expect to cut greenhouse gases from the manufacture and transport of replacement chargers by 13.6 million tonnes to 21.8 million tonnes a year.

Another benefi t is an estimated 50% reduction in standby energy consumption, as the universal chargers will have a 4-star or higher effi ciency rating and be up to three times more energy-effi cient than an un-rated charger.

The GSM hopes that by January 1, 2012 a mojority of new mobile phones will support the universal charging connector. www.gsmworld.com

Credit crunch drives demand for remanufactured MFPsRicoh has offi cially launched its R

series of recycled multifunction

products (MFPs), just as Océ

reports a surge in demand for its

remanufactured printing systems as

a result of the credit crunch.

Built to be as good as new, Ricoh R series MFPs cost 25% less and have a 40% lower carbon footprint than a newly manufactured device.

The pre-owned MFPs are re-manufactured at Ricoh’s facility in Telford, where workers strip each machine to its chassis, replace all ‘lifetime’ parts, fi t modifi cations or fi rmware upgrades, re-spray all external panels and re-set counters to zero. The devices are then re-badged and re-branded to identify them as Ricoh-approved recycled machines.

The range comes with full warranties and includes both mono and colour devices. The former offer print speeds from 22 (R222) to 75 (R175) ppm and

the latter 8-10 ppm in colour and 24 (R024c) to 32 (R032c) ppm in mono.

Last year Océ increased sales of remanufactured devices by 66%, from 3,000 in 2007 to 5,000 in 2008.

Océ Prémia Class printers are re-manufactured at Océ’s Asset Recovery plants in Venlo, Chicago, Munich and Prague. In addition to renovated printing systems, the plants recovered 130,000 components and modules that Océ re-uses.www.oce.com

www.ricoh.co.uk

Oce services go greenFollowing a successful trial with

pharmaceutical company Pfi zer,

Océ UK has launched a range of

eco-friendly print and mailroom

management services for medium

and large companies that want to

reduce their environmental footprint.

An add-on to Oce’s managed on-site document services, Océ Green Services is currently available for the printroom, offi ce fl eet printers, mailroom, records management, creative services and

print management.Under the scheme, Oce conducts an

energy audit, including the calculation of CO2 emissions; recommends sustainable improvements; implements instruments to enhance energy effi ciency; and supplies environmentally friendly consumables.

The Océ Green Services package also includes the option to offset carbon emissions through Shining Earth, the sustainability division of environmental consultants Delta-Simons. www.oce.com

• Software downloads are eight times more carbon effi cient than producing, shipping

and selling a DVD through traditional retail distribution channels, according to a new study by WSP Environment and Energy and Accenture.

The study commissioned by Microsoft following its introduction of digital downloads for Microsoft Offi ce 2007 compares the carbon footprint of a digital download with that of a fully packaged software product sold

through traditional retail stores.Researchers compared carbon emissions

from the raw materials, production, distribution, customer purchase and end of life processes for 10 million off-the-shelf retail units to those from the online delivery of 10 million downloads, taking into account the datacentres used for hosting downloads, the transfer of the software through the web and the energy used by a customer’s PC.

When all these factors are taken into account, digital software delivery reduces total carbon emissions by 88%.

The biggest sources of carbon emissions from packaged software are packaging and transport. The former is the largest contributor (almost 10,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions for 10 million products) until the customer’s journey to and from the retail store was included. This increases CO2 equivalent emissions from distribution to more than 60,000 tonnes.www.wspenvironmental.com/usa

• Google has refuted the recent suggestion

that a typical Google search produces

7 grams of CO2 and uses half as much

energy as boiling a kettle of water.

According to its calculation, an average

Google search query consumes

0.0003 kWh of energy. In terms of

greenhouse gas emissions, it claims that

each search produces the equivalent of

0.2 grams of CO2, the same as driving

1 metre in an average car.

Greener by DesignSamsung’s Eco Design Evaluation System keeps the environmental

impact of its printers and MFPs to a minimum.

Samsung printers and MFPs are not just highly productive,

reliable and economical devices. They have also been

designed with the environment in mind.

Samsung’s Eco Design Evaluation System requires product designers to take into account the environmental impact of their choices at every stage of the product’s lifecycle, from design and distribution to use by the customer and disposal at end of life.

Thanks to this approach Samsung is taking a lead in eliminating potentially harmful substances from its products and increasing the use of recycled materials, whilst improving energy effi ciency and reducing waste.

These efforts have earned plaudits from discriminating judges, notably Greenpeace, and ensured that Samsung products meet the most exacting environmental standards.

All Samsung printers and MFPs are Energy Star accredited and many exceed Germany’s demanding Blue Angel standard. Indeed, with 34 accredited printers and MFPs, Samsung has more Blue Angel-certifi ed products than any other printer manufacturer.

Design & Distribution

Samsung’s focus on lifecycle assessments is evident in the design of its printers and MFPs, which continue to set new standards for space-effi ciency, most recently with the CLX-3175FW, the world’s smallest wireless four-in-one colour laser MFP.

Its small size and whisper-quiet operation make the CLX-3175FW ideal for businesses and home users with limited space. But there is also an environmental benefi t, as fewer resources are needed to manufacture and transport small and light devices.

Further evidence of Samsung’s commitment to minimise unnecessary use of resources is its strategy to launch high speed A4 MFPs as alternatives to large departmental A3 copiers.

Independent research commissioned by Samsung shows that more than 97% of documents printed in offi ces are A4. Yet, if you look around any workplace, you will see a multitude of A3 copiers that are needed for less than 3% of a company’s daily output.

Samsung believes that businesses are being sold the wrong devices by organisations that have a vested interest in

persuading their customers to buy bigger, more expensive A3 devices that require

more resources to manufacture, transport and dispose of at end of life.

High speed A4 MFPs like the 53 pages per minute Samsung SCX-6555N or 38ppm colour MultiXpress CLX-8380ND have all the functionality and productivity features of A3 devices but without the expense or unnecessary use of resources that A3 devices entail.

Active PhaseThe greatest environmental impact from printer use occurs during the usage phase, which is why Samsung devices include a number of features to help customers reduce paper and electricity consumption.

Toner Save buttons on our printers (and in our drivers) cut toner consumption by up to 30%; automatic double-sided printing reduces paper consumption; and high capacity toner cartridges keep waste to a minimum.

Power consumption is minimised through an ‘e-standby’ mode that reduces energy consumption to less than 3wh. A timed power shut-off mode on devices like the new Samsung SCX-5635FN 33ppm mono MFP lets you adjust timings between 5 and 120 minutes.

Further savings can be made by using printer drivers and software applications to control toner and paper use through quotas, restrictions and rules-based printing. These include Samsung’s own solutions as well as popular third party applications. Support for our open Jscribe platform allows many of these to run on the devices themselves, removing the need to install a separate server with its own embedded carbon and power requirements.

End of life

Samsung is WEEE-compliant and has implemented the S.T.A.R. cartridge take-back and recycling program to prevent waste from going to landfi ll.

Thanks to these features and

initiatives, customers attracted by the

print quality, reliability, functionality or

low total cost of ownership of Samsung

printers and MFPs can be confi dent

that their choice also meets the

highest environmental standards.

www.samsung.com

sustainabletimes 11www.samsung.com

advertorial

A programmable e-standby mode reduces power consumption on the SCX-5635FN to 3wh

Who needs A3? The MultiXpress CLX-8380ND colour A4 MFP

The world’s smallest wireless colour laser MFP


SOLVING A WEEE ISSUEJune 2009 will mark the second anniversary of the WEEE Regulations, and since they were implemented in 2007 we have already seen many encouraging statistics about awareness levels amongst businesses and overall increasing levels of recycling. In fact, the latest figures show that the average WEEE recycling rate in the UK is over 7kg per person each year which is well above the EU target of 4kg.

However, nearly two million tonnes of WEEE is produced every year in the UK and, according to a recent survey by environmental guidance providers Netregs, only 12% of SMEs could name the regulations provided in the WEEE legislation and many were unsure of their responsibilities.

Peter Lees, Commercial Manager of Recolight, answers your questions on the WEEE Regulations and how Recolight can help businesses recycle their old lamps.

Q. WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER THE WEEE REGULATIONS WHEN DISPOSING OF END-OF-LIFE LAMPS?

A. The WEEE Regulations were introduced in 2007 to reduce the impact that end-of-life electrical waste has on the environment, by encouraging the reuse or recycling of these items rather then sending them to landfill sites. Under the regulations the financing and treatment of many types of electrical equipment purchased after 13th August 2005 is now the responsibility of the producer, and such waste includes compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and other gas discharge lamps (GDLs).

Q. WHO ARE RECOLIGHT?

A. We are a not-for-profit, producer-led compliance scheme specialising in the recycling of gas discharge lamps. Recolight was established by the UK lamp producers who account for a significant share of the UK market. Our members are producers and importers of WEEE who put new lamps on the UK market for the first time and are therefore obliged to comply with the WEEE Regulations.

We take on the legal responsibility of our members to put in place a system to collect and recycle their customers’ end-of-life lamps. Their membership funds the cost of collection and recycling services from which any qualifying organisation can benefit.

Our priority is to recycle as many lamps as possible on behalf of our members and to increase overall recycling rates for waste lamps.

Q. HOW DOES THE RECOLIGHT SCHEME WORK?

A. Recolight works by providing a collection system of WEEE lamps through a network of collection points (called RecoNet). Recolight gives businesses the ability to dispose of their end-of-life lamps easily by arranging/financing collection from the sites, ensuring the lamps are recycled effectively. As a registered compliance scheme, we take on our members’ responsibilities and provide the interface with all the elements in the compliance process.

Q. HOW CAN I JOIN THE RECONET SYSTEM?

A. Recolight always welcomes enquiries from businesses interested in becoming collection points and if you would like to participate, please register your interest in the RecoNet system on our website www.recolight.co.uk.

Q. WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A SMALL VOLUME OF END-OF-LIFE LAMPS?

A. If it takes you over a month to accumulate 1,000 lamps, which is the case for a lot of smaller businesses, we can organise a one-off collection of the waste. Under these circumstances, you must store the waste in a safe place where the lamps will not get broken, and which is easily accessible for a one-off collection to take place.

If you have very few lamps (1,000 or less) then you can locate your nearest open collection point by using the mapping tool available on our website. Please ensure you contact the site before you visit to check they still have space available in their container. If you do not have access to the internet please call RecoLine on 0845 601 7749 and a member of the Recolight team will be able to help you.

Q. HOW CAN I FIND MY NEAREST RECOLIGHT COLLECTION POINT?

A. You can log on to our website (www.recolight.co.uk) and click on our mapping tool. Alternatively, you can call the team on the RecoLine - 0845 601 7749 and they will be able to advise you of your nearest open collection point.

Q. HOW CAN I FIND OUT FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT RECOLIGHT?

A. You can call us on RecoLine - 0845 601 7749 and speak to a member of the Recolight team. They are always happy to provide advice and support to help you recycle your lamps as efficiently as possible.

You can also subscribe to our regular newsletter at [email protected] quote ST when you contact us.

The Stationery and Offi ce Products

Show (SOPX) held in April at the

Business Design Centre, Islington

underlined the importance of offering

sustainable alternatives to traditional

stationery products.

It is a measure of the impact that sustainable procurement is having on stationery purchases that almost every supplier at SOPX now includes recycled or biodegradable options within its portfolio. These are more than just ‘me-too’ products, but are a key element of manufacturers’ line-ups and the focus of continued investment and development by suppliers.

Zebra, for example, is re-branding its Care for Nature pens made from recycled plastic. Now known as ‘Eco Pens’, the expanded range of writing instruments is being promoted on a re-designed website.

Bic, too, has a line of recycled writing instruments. Its recently launched Ecolutions range includes products with a minimum of 50% recycled material, predominantly pre-consumer waste from the manufacturing process.

Unlike the recycled pen ranges of other manufacturers that tend to

feature the same designs as standard products, Bic ecolutions pens have an unadorned, basic design. The only exceptions are the Bic ecolutions Orange and Tipp-Ex products that look the same as standard Bic products.

Although not included in the ecolutions range, the latest Tipp-Ex launch, the Easy Refi ll, is more environmentally friendly than some other products in the correction range, as it can be refi lled.

Remarkable Pens has been creating stationery products from recycled post-consumer materials longer than most. It has recently taken advantage of the greater availability of rPET plastic from recycled plastic drinks bottles to produce bendy plastic rulers and clear covers for its

recycled notepads. Later this year, it will be launching geometry sets made from recycled car headlights.

Filing is an obvious area for more sustainable options – indeed manilla fi les and folders have had a high recycled content for years. Today, there are greener options to suit all fi ling needs.

Herlitz was showing a green version of its wide-opening One Tip lever arch fi le, which opens at the press of a button and allows fi les to be inserted on either side of the mechanism. The Blue-Angel certifi ed model uses recycled paper and board and is non-laminated for simple recycling at end of life.

The fi ling specialist also unveiled the Herlitz Green range of 100% recycled, Blue Angel-certifi ed notebooks, pads, fi les and document wallets.

Sinclairs, famous for its Silvine brand, launched a 100% recycled range that is also FSC-certifi ed and soon to be made carbon neutral. Despite the ‘Made with Care in the UK’ tagline, these notepads use M-real’s Evolve 100% recycled paper, which is now made at the Alizay mill in Northern France, albeit from recycled fi bre made in Kent from UK waste: the notebooks themselves are made in West Yorkshire.

Green angles

Any marketing department worth its salt will look for a green angle with which to promote its products.

Typical is Mark C Brown, which is advertising the environmental benefi ts of its new security dye stamp. The stamp uses a complex pattern to make sensitive details unreadable and therefore safe to put in the recycling bin. Small businesses and home users might fi nd this an attractive alternative to shredding, especially if their local

council is one of those that refuses to collect shredded paper for recycling.

Philips is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its own products and has set up a labelling programme to help consumers choose

its most sustainable models. On the business machine front, it has a number of sustainable options with reduced packaging and cost/waste-saving features, including inkjet faxes that consume 40% less energy and laser MFPs with toner save mode to reduce toner consumption by 40%.

Exhibition Review : SOPX 2009

File Under Green


continued on page 12…

The Colop ‘identity cancelling stamp’ removes the need for shredders by blocking out personal details on paper documents

Bic has introduced the Ecolutions range of recycled stationery products

Sinclairs has added sustainable options to its Silvine range of notebooks

Herlitz’s wide-opening One Tip lever arch fi le comes in recycled versions.

GREENinitiative

SPRING 09SustainableTIMES

Sinclairs

award


Philips is established as a consumer brand, but with the launch of its fi rst generation of Philips-branded multifunction laser faxes, it is now addressing the business-to-business market.

Another way to reduce the environmental impact of printer use, say suppliers of third party products, is to use recycled printer supplies, which are cheaper than the manufacturers’ own offerings, extend the life of inkjet/toner cartridges and provide a valuable source of income for charities that collect and sell on used cartridges.

Printer manufacturers dismiss these compatibles as inferior to original supplies, yet when it suits them, several are more than happy to play in that market. At SOPX, for example, Ricoh subsidiary Infotec was promoting its ImageJet brand of compatible supplies, including the T range of recycled cartridges.

New build third party compatibles like Media Sciences’ toner cartridges and solid ink sticks, shown on the Beta Distribution stand, may not provide the environmental savings of a recycled cartridge, but they do give customers a tempting 30% price reduction compared to original supplies from Brother, Dell, Epson, Konica Minolta, Oki, Ricoh, Samsung, Tektronix and Xerox.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost

The development of bioplastics gives consumers an additional option to the three Rs, viz. to compost.

A number of manufacturers were showing products that are claimed to biodegrade if composted, among them Postsafe, which is promoting its ExtraStrong Biodegradable Envelopes by giving away free books of First Class Stamps to qualifying customers, and Atlanta, which was formed by an MBO of Smead Europe in September 2008.

It was previewing its as yet un-named green range of desk accessories made from a mix of 40% wood and 60% PLA (a plastic derived from corn starch). This combination is compostable (Atlanta is currently running tests to see how long it takes to degrade), but may be hard to recycle as the different components will need to be separated. Atlanta was also showing Resolution fi ling trays that are made from 100%

Among the highlights were new additions to Fellowes’ 100% recycled and recyclable Earth Series

of desktop accessories, including a monitor and laptop riser (1); a new range of FSC-certifi ed

pencils and dry highlighters from Stabilo (2); Evolve 75, a 75gsm and 75% recycled addition to M-real’s recycled paper range, specially developed for cost-conscious

buyers (3); lighter 60 and 70gsm papers from Mondi that give consumers a less wasteful alternative to 80gsm grades (4); and Mitsubishi Pencil Company’s Powertank Eco featuring a barrel made from recycled polycarbonate plastic and a grip made from resin and sawdust from the company’s pencil factory (5).

February’s Paperworld exhibition saw further green product launches.

1

2

5

43

Exhibition Review : SOPX 2009

post consumer waste but priced at the same level as a virgin product.

These are not the only ways in which Atlanta is aiming to improve the environmental performance of its products. This year it plans to standardise on FSC-certifi ed paper for all its business forms and paper products and it has already re-designed its plastic letter trays to reduce packaging and shipping requirements. Taking a small notch out of the back of the tray has allowed Atlanta to stack trays top to tail and so fi t 10 units in a box that would once have carried six.

Another way to minimise the environmental impact of

stationery is to re-use items as much as possible before they are recycled. This is the major selling

point of Shuttlepost’s re-usable polypropylene envelopes. The

envelopes are 100% recyclable and there are plans to introduce a 100% recycled version in the future.

…continued from page 11

Biodegradable envelopes from Postsafe

…continued on page 14

Shuttlepost’s re-usable envelopes reduce paper waste

The 100% recycled Green range Herlitz


This autumn during the critical

Back to School sales period, eco-

conscious consumers will notice

a new eco-label vying for

pride of place with the

established – but still little

understood – PEFC, FSC,

NAPM Recycled, Nordic

Swan and EU Flower logos.

Called Paper by Nature, it has been introduced for

converted paper products, such as envelopes, exercise books, pads,

drawing paper sheets, drawing pads, albums, diaries, binders, folders, manila products, suspension fi les and lever arch fi les.

At the time of going to press about 10 companies’ product lines were being audited by Bureau Veritas as part of the accreditation process.

The pan-European standard is the brainchild of the European Envelope Manufacturers Association (FEPE) and the Manufacturers of Educational and Commercial Stationery European Association (MECSEA) and is supported by paper manufacturers Stora Enso,

Arjowiggins and UPM and paper converters Bong, Ljungdahl AB, La Couronne, Groupe GPV and Hamelin.

The Paper by Nature Association told Sustainable Times that a pan-European scheme for converted paper products was necessary because existing labels were either country-specifi c, e.g. NF, Blue Angel and Nordic Swan; only concerned with certain paper products, such as the EU Flower, which currently covers copying paper, graphic paper and tissue paper; or limited in scope, such as FSC and PEFC, which deal with forests, wood and substrate (paper or paperboard) only.

In contrast, Paper by Nature addresses all aspects of converted paper products, including substrates, printing and conversion.

In order to be certifi ed, products must contain at least 30% of either post consumer recycled fi bre or virgin fi bre from sustainably managed forests certifi ed by independent, third party forest certifi cation schemes (e.g. PEFC and FSC), rising to 40% in 2010 and 50% in 2011.

The other virgin wood fi bres must be audited by an independent third party to ensure they are not derived from controversial sources.

In addition, any paper substrate

used must meet mandatory requirements relating to emissions to air and water (COD, sulphur, Nox, AOX and CO20); use of hazardous chemicals (chlorine, APEOs, surfactant in de-inking formulations for recycled fi bres and biocides); and waste management.

There are also mandatory requirements for the converting and printing processes used for manufacturing the fi nal product. These cover chemicals, emissions to water and waste management.

On top of these are a number of voluntary criteria, for which scores are given. In order to qualify for the standard, a product must achieve a minimum score. Certifi cation lasts for three years, subject to compliance with escalating substrate requirements, after which a product must be re-evaluated.

Any producer-derived eco-label is likely to attract charges of greenwash. Perhaps mindful of this The Paper by Nature Association stressed that products would be audited by accredited certifi cation bodies; that criteria would be upgraded as the eco-label evolved; and that there would be a process to ensure that members were appraised of feedback from NGOs and consumer organisations.www.paperbynature.com

European eco-label launchedNothing refl ects the growing importance of

sustainability better than the proliferation of

environmental accreditation schemes like the

new Paper by Nature eco-label

When quality matters

Despite concerns about carbon neutrality, offsetting is still a popular strategy in the stationery market. Sinclairs is considering it for its recycled range, giving buyers a Royal Flush of green credentials (100% recycled, FSC-certifi ed and Carbon Neutral). Others use carbon neutrality as a way of meeting the environmental concerns of buyers for whom a recycled grade is unsuitable or too expensive.

The latter includes The Aims Group, which has followed the lead of ArjoWiggins by launching a carbon neutral paper. Report Carbon Neutral


Exhibition Review : SOPX 2009is a multipurpose, FSC-certifi ed virgin offi ce paper made by Suzano at an integrated paper mill in Brazil. Under a process audited by Brazilian NGO The Green Initiative, all carbon emissions

associated with the paper’s production and shipping to Europe have been offset through the reforestation of a river valley with trees native to Brazil’s Atlantic Coastal Rain Forests.

Report Carbon Neutral, which also incorporates Colorlok technology for improved colour reproduction and faster drying times, is available in 80gsm.

Portucel Soporcel, which like Suzano makes paper from eucalyptus pulp, also argues that recycled paper is not the only ‘sustainable’ option. At the end of last year the Portuguese manufacturer stopped selling

Explorer Premium Recycled made from 50% post consumer waste and 50% mill offcuts and decided to focus on the supply of premium white paper.

It now offers two ‘sustainable’ options for customers that want to reduce their carbon footprint whilst continuing to use the best quality offi ce paper. These are Navigator Hybrid made from 30% post consumer recycled fi bre and 70% virgin fi bre, which has the whiteness and strength demanded by offi ce users; and lighter 75gsm grades that use fewer resources than 80gsm papers but thanks to the properties of eucalyptus pulp feel and perform just like an 80gsm paper stock.

The approach taken by Portucel Soporcel and Suzano means that there are now sustainable options even for those who require the very best quality, giving businesses even less reason not to consider the environmental impact of stationery purchases.

For more information email [email protected]

NEWPRODUCT

Changing for the futureEvolve has had a makeover and now offers even more:• Evolve Business with more weights and sizes.

• Evolve 75, a new 75% recycled, 75 g/m2 grade.

• QuickEcoBox for efficient volume use andreduced packaging.

• All papers made to ColorLok® standard.

• Still made using UK genuine waste paper.

www.evolve-papers.com

New rangeavailable now.


Apple Mac MiniApple is one of the most improved PC manufacturers in Greenpeace’s Greener Guide to Electronics, which assesses manufacturers for their use of materials, recycling and energy effi ciency. The latter is one of the main selling points of the new Mac mini, which draws less than 13 watts of power when idle and consumes 10 times less power than a typical desktop PC. Like Apple’s iMac line-up, the tiny computer is EPEAT Gold certifi ed and already complies with Energy Star 5.0 requirements due to become effective later this year. It contains no brominated fl ame retardants (BFRs) and uses PVC-free internal components and cables.www.apple.com/uk

Pano Logic Virtual DesktopWinner of a red dot design award, the supremely

stylish Pano Logic Virtual Desktop is a key component of Pano Logic’s server-based

virtualized desktop solution. The sleek, all-metal silver box has no CPU, no memory, no operating

system, no drivers, no software and no moving parts and consumes less than 5 watts - 3% of the energy of a standard desktop. Instead it connects the user’s keyboard, mouse, display, audio and USB peripherals over an existing IP network to an instance of Windows XP or Vista running on a virtualized server. Moving all software off the desktop and onto the server is claimed to reduce TCO by up to 70%, enhance security and reduce downtime.www.panologic.com

Linutop 2.4Internet kiosks, network monitoring and point of sale advertising are some of the possible applications for this tiny Linux PC, but the £280 computer might also suit super-consumers looking for a simple solution that provides Internet access and supports basic offi ce applications. Having no hard disk, the Linutop 2.4 is almost completely silent, robust and energy effi cient. www.linutop.com

Cloud Engines PogoPlugPlug Computing is a new concept developed by Marvell as an alternative to PCs for managing digital media on home networks. Small enough to plug directly into a wall socket, a Plug Computer incorporates a gigahertz class processor, FLASH and DRAM memory and a USB 2.0 port for connecting peripherals. It connects to the home network via Gigabit Ethernet and is designed to draw less than one tenth of the power of a typical PC used as a home server. Marvell’s SheevaPlug development platform is already being used by Cloud Engines, which unveiled the Pogoplug at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. The $99 device connects external hard drives to the internet enabling users to view and share fi les and digital media remotely from any computer or mobile device.www.pogoplug.com

www.marvell.com

Chip PC Jack PCAnother company to explore the possibilities of combining plugs and computers (see PogoPlug) is Chip PC. Its Jack PC converts a standard LAN jack into a thin client offering VDI support and connectivity to any type of popular Terminal, Citrix or legacy

server. The Jack PC thin client can be fi tted into walls, fl oors and furniture and is powered by

standard Power over Ethernet (PoE). With an average power consumption of 3.5W at full working mode, it is an economical alternative to PCs and other thin clients. The Jack PC’s small size and 10-year lifespan mean that it consumes far fewer resources and generates less waste than larger computers that must be replaced every three years. www.chippc.com

10TOP GREEN PCs

Sustainable Times presents 10 of the

greenest alternatives to desktop PCs


Fujitsu Siemens 0-Watt PCAt CeBIT, Fujitsu Siemens unveiled the world’s fi rst Zero Watt PC. Unlike other computers, the Esprimo E7935 and Esprimo P7935 0-Watt PCs consume absolutely no power when hibernating or in off-mode, yet can still receive software updates (frequently used as an excuse for not turning off PCs). This is enabled by a special device that goes into 0-Watt standby automatically without the user having to use the hard off switch on the PC or at the power outlet. Should the PC need to be administered outside usual working hours – for example to update software – the administrator has the option to defi ne a time slot in which the PC automatically wakes up. Once the time slot is over, it goes back into 0-Watt standby. www.fujitsu-siemens.com/0watt

The Virtual Open DesktopFor smaller businesses, software as a service solutions offer low impact computing in relation to the environment and maintenance. The hosted Virtual Open Desktop from Alchemy Systems gives customers a complete solution based on the Open Offi ce productivity suite, a choice of email clients (Zimbra and Thunderbird) and the Firefox web browser, all accessed online using an energy-effi cient IGEL thin client included in the £9.99 monthly subscription. Open Offi ce gives customers all the basic functionality they need, including support for Microsoft document formats. Additional corporate applications such as SAP, Sage, Netsuite or Salesforce.com can be accessed via the Firefox web browser.www.virtualopendesktop.com

Dell Studio HybridAnother way to reduce the impact of desktop PCs is to make them smaller – and make cases out of renewable materials. This is just what Dell has done with the Studio Hybrid, which was described as the company’s greenest consumer desktop PC when it was launched last year. To ram home the point, Dell gave customers the option of bamboo casing. Based on Intel Core Duo Mobile processors, the Dell Studio Hybrid is about 80% smaller and uses about 70% less power than a standard desktop PC. It has 75% less printed documentation (by weight) than typical tower desktops and comes with a system-recycling kit. www.dell.com

NComputing X350One way to reduce the environmental impact of PCs is to make maximum use of their capabilities by sharing one device amongst several users. This can be done with desktop virtualisation kits from companies like Userful and NComputing that enable from four to 11 users (depending on the kit) to share the computing power of a single PC. With the NComputing X350 kit, for example, up to four users can share a single PC by connecting their own monitor, keyboard and mouse to an access device connected to the PC. Doing so saves energy, as each access device uses 1 watt of electricity compared to 110 for a standalone PC, and reduces the volume of electronic waste by up to 80%.

Samsung N120Originally targeted at children and then promoted as a secondary device for an existing computer user (not very green), netbooks or mini-notebooks have evolved to the point where they could be the only computer a light user requires. Because they are so small and require fewer resources to manufacture, transport, power and recycle they are inherently ‘greener’ than a desktop PC or larger notebook. Samsung’s new N120 mini notebook has a 10.1in screen; 12in notebook-style keyboard; 1.3 megapixel motion video camera and 10.5-hour battery life, yet weighs just 1.28kg. www.samsung.com

www.ncomputing.com

www.userful.com

GREENinitiative


Fujitsu Siemens

award

GREENinitiative


Alchmey SystemsAlchmey Systems

award


There’s a good chance you have

already seen Lexmark’s Print Less,

Save More campaign, as visualised

by a pig, cheetah and frog. Since the

end of March, the origami animals

have featured in online and press

advertising and been displayed

prominently on poster sites in the

UK’s national railway stations, retail

parks and the London Underground.

The three characters represent the savings in money, time and the environment that can be achieved by taking control of offi ce printing and implementing the waste reduction measures that underpin Lexmark’s Print Less, Save More initiative.

The fact that the pig, cheetah and frog are made out of paper is appropriate. Not just because Lexmark is a printer company. But also because it demonstrates the versatility of paper, which remains unsurpassed as a medium for publishing, sharing and absorbing information.

Growing concern about the environmental impact of the production and disposal of paper and the high levels of consumption in developed nations should not obscure paper’s many qualities and its continued importance to consumers and businesses of all sizes.

However, it is equally true that people have been cavalier in their printing habits and that many pages are printed unnecessarily, adding to an organisation’s costs, administrative burden and carbon footprint.

Developments in offi ce printing technologies mean that it is now relatively easy to reduce paper consumption by up to 30-40% whilst still using paper to develop and communicate ideas, build relationships and process information.

This is what Lexmark’s Print Less, Save More initiative is all about. We are not advocating printing less just

for the sake of it, but rather printing

more intelligently – using the capabilities of

today’s printers to give employees and customers

the information they need in a fl exible, versatile medium that they

like and are familiar with, but without the waste associated with conventional printing practices.

First steps

There are dozens of steps that anyone can take to reduce the environmental and fi nancial cost of printing, starting with automatic two-sided (duplex) printing, which on its own will help reduce paper consumption by up to 30-40%. This will have the greatest environmental benefi t, as paper use is by far the largest element of a printer’s carbon footprint, accounting for up to 80% of the climate change impact of a high volume workgroup device (see box).

Our microsite, www.printless.co.uk, lists many other ways to cut paper

consumption, make consumables last longer and save energy. It is well worth a visit, not least because

everyone who registers will be entered into a prize draw to win an Apple

MacBook. Business users can register to receive a free How to Print Less, Save More guide.

Old habits

Websites and guides are a great way of prompting people to adopt more sustainable printing practices, but good intentions are rarely enough to effect a revolution in offi ce printing and without a clear printing strategy organisations soon fi nd that old habits return.

Lexmark has developed a number of tools to help customers make sure that this doesn’t happen. These range from print drivers that can be used to restrict access to printer features, enforce printer settings (e.g. duplex) or apply print

quotas; to secure print solutions that only output prints when a user is at the device to pick them up.

In our experience of working with the world’s leading businesses, implementing a Secure Print strategy has the second greatest impact on print volumes after setting two-sided printing as the default. This is because busy offi ces workers often press Print and then forget to pick up the output, or fi nd that when they go to the printer their pages have been removed or become mixed up, necessitating re-printing.

With Secure Print, a print job is sent from the user’s PC to a server, where it is held until the user has identifi ed himself at any printer on the network (by swipecard, proximity card or PIN), at which point it is released and printed. This eliminates waste from repeat and unnecessary printing, whilst preserving the confi dentiality of documents.

In-house colour

Another example of how using the latest print technologies to tackle waste can bring real improvements to business effi ciency is in-house colour printing.

The ability to print marketing material in vibrant, eye-catching colour on a wide variety of materials, including environmentally friendly options, such as 100% recycled paper or lighter (65 or 70gsm) paper stocks, allows businesses to respond more quickly to business opportunities and minimises the need to pre-print material that can become out of date and need to be thrown away before use. This is most relevant in retail where today’s climate is one where the ability to react quickly to a competitive situation is key (e.g. price movements).

Due to the way offset print is charged – a high upfront cost, with small increments for additional volume – there is a tendency to order longer print runs than is necessary, creating more waste and increasing the demand

Natural selectionIn a world geared towards the survival of the fi ttest can you

afford to pay the fi nancial and environmental cost of a bloated

and wasteful printing infrastructure?

cover story

18 sustainaabbblbletimes

Save More initiative is all about. We are not advocating printing less just

s

ttpas


cover story

for storage space. Printing the same documents on demand at point of use means that you only print what you need, when you need it.

One Lexmark customer, a leading electrical retailer, is saving a considerable amount of money by printing point of sale material, such as price tags, posters and banners, in each outlet. Previously this material was output centrally and shipped to individual stores, which was slow, expensive and wasteful as each store received the same number of prints regardless of its size. Material quickly became out of date and as much as 50% ended up being thrown away.

Managed print

Paper reduction is just one aspect of Lexmark’s Print Less, Save More strategy. It also encompasses device consolidation to reduce the number of printers within an organisation; the implementation of electronic workfl ows to drive paper out of business processes; and remote device management to maximise machine uptime and simplify the supply of consumables.

Businesses can choose to implement some or all of these elements themselves or as part of a managed print service, under which a Lexmark channel partner takes on responsibility for the day-to-day management of a customer’s printer fl eet for a fi xed cost per page that includes hardware, consumables, servicing and support.

One of the benefi ts of choosing an MPS is Lexmark’s commitment to deliver savings throughout the term of the contract and to continue to reduce the cost and environmental impact of a customer’s printing through the implementation of more effi cient printing practices and solutions.

To fi nd out more about how Lexmark can help your offi ce printing evolve so that it is fi t to meet the challenges of the future, please visit www.printless.co.uk or call 08704 44 00 44.

Printer footprints

Life cycle assessments for Lexmark

printers reveal the true impact of

printers and printing.

As part of its commitment to environmental responsibility, Lexmark recently commissioned Bio Intelligence Services to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of its products. The results highlight the signifi cance of paper to a printer’s overall carbon footprint and the value of implementing paper reduction measures to reduce it.

Paper’s contribution was greatest on high volume business machines. On the Lexmark X646dte MFP, for example, Bio Intelligence Services found that paper use accounted for 80% of its global warming impact, compared to 8% for energy use, 6% for cartridge consumption, 7% for manufacturing and 0.4% for distribution. Disposal/recycling at end of life reduced the printer’s carbon impact by 1.4%.

This calculation is based on a worst case scenario, i.e. a print volume of 8,000 pages per month for 60 months (5 years), high yield cartridges (21,000 pages), one page per sheet

Top Tips for greener printing

1. Avoid printing emails and drafts.

2. Scan and distribute documents electronically instead of as paper copies.

3. Use print preview to avoid printing

mistakes.

4. Print only the page you need, not the whole document.

5. Use 2-sided and multi-up printing.

6. Use certifi ed paper and recycle it (FSC or PEFC certifi cation and the EU Flower

eco-label). This helps preserve natural resources.

7. Use workgroup printers

rather than individual

desktop printers to save

energy.

and a toner density at the darkest setting. Nonetheless, it does provide a compelling case for implementing basic paper-saving practices, such as two-sided printing.

Inevitably paper contributes less and manufacturing more to the carbon footprint of a consumer device with lower print volumes, but its impact is still substantial. According to Bio Intelligence Services, manufacturing accounts for 34% of the carbon impact of a Lexmark X7675 Professional inkjet MFP, compared to 68% from the usage phase (paper impact 47%, cartridge impact 11%, energy impact 10%) and 4% from distribution. Recycling at end of life decreases the potential for global warming by 6%.

This calculation is based on an assumed print volume of 228 pages per month for 36 months (3 years), one page per sheet and the use of Lexmark high yield cartridges.www.lexmark.co.uk

Printing the Lexmark Way

Win a new MacBook For your chance to win an Apple MacBook and learn

how you can cut print costs and reduce your carbon

footprint, please visit www.printless.co.uk.

A major part of the Print Less Save More campaign,

Lexmark’s new microsite offers valuable advice to

consumers and businesses.

As an added incentive to visit www.printless.co.uk,

every business user who registers on the site will

receive a free guide explaining how to Print Less,

Save More.

8. Share personal printers via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Sharing printers requires less equipment, uses less power and reduces waste and recycling at the end of life.

9. Print in draft mode. It uses less ink

or toner and reduces the number of

cartridges to be recycled.

10. Use genuine Lexmark high yield cartridges to reduce transport and waste.

11. Set up collection and sorting of used

paper and cartridges.

12. Send used cartridges to Lexmark for recycling and environmentally responsible reuse.

13. Consumers should return unwanted

printers to their nearest Lexmark

dealer or municipal waste collection

site. Business customers should

return them to an authorised Lexmark

collection site for legally compliant

recycling.

14. Activate the laser printer’s energy saver mode to reduce energy consumption.

15. Turn off personal printers when they

are not in use to save energy.

Time to clip your wings


Technological advances, notably

telepresence, mean that

videoconferencing is now a viable

alternative to face-to-face meetings

(see caption). With employee travel

accounting for 50% or more of

a non-manufacturing company’s

carbon footprint, many businesses

are already achieving substantial

cost savings as a result of its use.

Yet, according to a new report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Virtual Meetings and Climate Innovation in the 21st Century, “substitution from air travel to videoconferencing is happening relatively slowly”.

Ever eager to see signs of a tipping point in videoconferencing usage, its exponents have seized on new fi gures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as evidence that habits are changing.

In March, the CAA announced that last year UK airports handled 1.9% fewer passengers than in 2007, the fi rst fall in passenger numbers since 1991. Figures published in May show that business travel has declined even more steeply, with a fall of 6% in passenger numbers at the major London airports.

This decline has coincided with greater use of audio, video and webconferencing – WebEx saw customer numbers rise by 42% in 2008.

However, the same period also saw a rise in train bookings between domestic cities served by airports, perhaps indicating that people are still travelling to meetings but choosing to do so via greener modes of transport.

According to online ticket retailer thetrainline.com, the last 12 months have seen a 13% increase in the number of business passengers booking rail tickets between London and Scotland and a 10% increase in business bookings between London and Manchester.

The big question is whether the decline in airline passenger numbers and growing use of videoconferencing are happening for fi nancial reasons or because of greater interest in sustainable travel.

The fact that air travel for business purposes at UK airports continued to grow during a period of mounting concern about the environment, rising

from 20 million passengers in 1996 to 63 million in 2007, and only faltered when the recession started to bite suggests that the changes have largely been undertaken for fi nancial reasons.

This assumption is supported by the latest npower Business Energy Index. The annual survey of 300 businesses found that 97% of respondents are more concerned with reducing costs than emissions.

A step change

No wonder the authors of WWF’s report are sceptical about the ability of ‘virtual meetings’ to infl uence the way business meetings are conducted.

The executive summary states that barriers to the take-up of the technology are such that “videoconferencing is expected to have little impact on air travel, which is projected to grow by 4% a year for the foreseeable future.”

It continues: “Growth will be even greater in developing economies, such as China and India, which currently have only 60 and 20 air trips per 1,000 people respectively, compared to 2,300 in the USA”.

The report’s authors argue that if climate change targets are to be met and Asia is not to adopt Western patterns of business mobility, there needs to be “a step change in the prevalence of virtual meetings”.

Virtual meetings are essential if we are to meet global carbon reduction targets

1. Telecommuting. Enable people to work from home

while still being fully engaged in the workplace.

2. Access to Remote Experts. Connect customers and employees to experts and advisors face-to-face through video communications.

3. Global Meetings. Whether meeting with the board

or your global team, there’s no need for everyone

to take a long fl ight. 4. Customer Briefi ng Centres. Video communication

unites purchasers, clients, sales staff and engineers in real time without travel to facilitate instant decision making.

5. Work/life Balance. Video removes the need

to travel, increasing morale, productivity, and

collaboration. 6. Distance Learning. Schools, hospitals and other

training facilities can connect to remote institutions to enhance learning opportunities and share recorded content for future lessons.

7. Research and Development. Designers and

researchers around the globe can hold live face-to-

face discussions to advance development timelines

without increasing their carbon footprint.

8. Team Building. Multiple offi ces don’t have to mean isolated teams. Videoconferencing allows remote teammates to see each other, enhancing collaboration and building camaraderie without associated wastes of travel.

9. HR Recruiting. Initial face-to-face screenings of

out-of-town candidates cut costs and carbon

emissions by eliminating the need to travel to

interviews.

10. Real-time Collaboration. Organisations can deal with large amounts of rich data and collaborate in real-time from multiple locations.

www.seegreennow.com

Tandberg says customers can reduce the need to travel by

up to 30% by using videoconferencing systems for:


Among the report’s recommended steps is the establishment of a global network of more than 4,000 high quality videoconferencing studios in cities around the world, bringing the benefi ts of the technology to a much wider audience including small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford their own facilities.

One in fi ve

In the meantime, Western businesses should maximise the potential of virtual meetings to reduce carbon emissions by implementing business travel plans (see box) that encourage sustainable travel choices, including videoconferencing.

The report cites a number of schemes that have been set up to facilitate this approach, including Project Icarus from the Institute of Travel Management (ITM), which provides information, events and toolkits to help businesses reduce their travel and meetings management emissions by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050; and the ‘One in Five Challenge’ from WWF-UK, a new initiative to encourage public and private sector organisations to reduce business fl ights by 20% within fi ve years.

To date videoconferencing has been a niche technology. If it is not to remain so, and if businesses are to reap the benefi ts of the technology, it is essential to have a comprehensive business travel plan.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Virtual Meetings and Climate

Innovation in the 21st Century is

available at www.worldwildlife.org/

climate/videoconferencing

• A second WWF report on telecommuting, From Workplace to Anyplace, can be downloaded from www.worldwildlife.org/climate/teleworking

• WWF has developed a carbon

calculator for policymakers and

businesses available online at www.

worldwildlife.org/carbonprojector

• Project Icarus’s website is at http://icarus.itm.org.uk

• For more details of One in Five,

please visit www.wwf.org.uk/

oneinfi ve

The daily commute is still largely

undertaken by car, contributing to road

congestion, delays and pollution.

According to the AA, the UK’s 18 million driving commuters drive an average of 2,740 miles each year spending £10 billion each year on fuel alone.

More than one third (37%) of all traffi c on the roads is the result of people travelling to and from work and business meetings; seven out of 10 cars carry no passengers; and there are an estimated 38 million empty car seats on the road every day.

Heather McInroy, programme director of The National Business Travel Network (NBTN), is urging businesses to help transform people’s travelling habits by implementing smart travel plans for staff.

Currently just 6% of businesses facilitate sustainable travel for employees, according to a British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) survey.

However, a YouGov survey commissioned by NBTN suggests that a work travel plan encompassing car sharing, cycle schemes, fl exible or home working and videoconferencing would be welcomed by almost two thirds of workers.

More than 1 in 4 (28%) of those surveyed stated that fl exible working would increase their loyalty to an employer and over one fi fth (24%) felt it would signifi cantly improve productivity.

McInroy believes that the breadth and scale

of travel plans is one reason why so few private sector organisations have implemented them to date.

“One of the obstacles to successful travel plans is not knowing where they fi t in an organisation and who has responsibility for them. The most logical is HR because it’s all about people and their access to work and meetings, and there are productivity and health benefi ts. But sometimes it is the responsibility of CSR and sometimes estates,” she said.

This confusion has two unfortunate consequences: travel plans are still viewed as a bolt-on activity and are not being integrated into companies’ core strategies; and the responsibility for devising them tends to be given to people just because they have some spare time.

Yet, as McInroy points out, to do it properly requires diverse skills. “You need to be a people person, but you also need to be good with data and you need change management skills,” she said.

Complex as it is, there is an established methodology for implementing travel plans and businesses that have done so have reaped considerable rewards, ranging from good PR and community relations to fi nancial savings through reduced travel costs and real estate requirements.

To fi nd out more about travel plans and how to implement them, visit www.nbtn.org.uk

Sometimes all it takes is leadership to change people’s travelling habits.

Paul Rutt, managing director of b2 business systems in Bangor and Deeside, took up cycling four years ago when he was 40. He now cycles the 40-mile round trip to and from work three days a week and in his spare time competes in some of Europe’s most gruelling races including the La Marmotte Sportive in the French Alps.

Paul’s example has inspired four colleagues to take up cycling to work, with a further 20 registering with the company’s cycle to work scheme, which offers a contribution to the cost of buying a bicycle.

London businesses are being encouraged to demonstrate their green credentials by entering the third London Workplace Cycle Challenge, taking place from June 1-30, 2009. To take part all you need to do is log the trips your team makes by bike on the cycle challenge website. For more details and to register your team, please visit www.tfl .gov.uk/cyclechallenge

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Established 25 years ago and based in Boston Lincolnshire, DCI/Jet Tec is Europe’s number one manufacturer of compatible inkjet cartridges. However, the company does much more than produce ink for printers in homes and businesses around the world. Behind the scenes of the DCI/Jet Tec factory, is one of the most comprehensive green operations in the country.

The company has always had a very strong eco-friendly ethos and as a result has implemented practical and sustainable green strategies across most aspects of its business.

DCI/Jet Tec is currently in the process of reducing its packaging by up to 40%. The packing materials used will all be recyclable and made up of up to 80% recycled matter, dramatically reducing the amount of harmful plastics involved in the packaging process.

Encouraging businesses and consumers to recycle has always been high on the company’s agenda. Focusing on the ultimate goal of “Zero Landfi ll”, DCI launched The Recycling Factory (TRF) - a dedicated worldwide collection scheme through which an impressive 350,000 empty cartridges are returned each month. TRF donates money to a variety of charities for every cartridge received and has

so far raised over £660,000 for its charity partners since its launch in 2005. In addition, DCI/Jet Tec recently launched a new scheme to promote recycling

to its customers and consumers. The aim of the scheme is to take the hassle out of recycling by providing an easy-to-use freepost and collection service, as well as offering up to £5 for every usable cartridge returned. All the empty inkjet cartridges the company receives are remanufactured for re-sale, meaning that fewer cartridges end up in landfi ll sites, where it could take as long as 1,000 years to biodegrade – a huge burden on the environment.

DCI/Jet Tec has even addressed the longevity of its inkjet cartridges by installing Smart Chip technology called Extralife on its compatibles. The patented technology gives users a cartridge with a longer lifespan, enabling up to 100% more pages to be printed, an instant cost saver that also presents wider environmental benefi ts.

With green issues at the heart of everything DCI/Jet Tec does, every year that passes sees the company introducing more innovative and eco-friendly policies. These green initiatives both ensure that the company is doing everything it can to help the environment while educating and inspiring consumers and customers to do their bit too.

COMMITTED TO ALL THINGS GREEN

www.jettec.com t: +44 (0)1205 360 03


Printer users are being encouraged

to pay more attention to the

environmental impact of printing,

for example by printing on both

sides of the page to reduce paper

consumption (see cover story on

pages 18 and 19). But should we

also be using remanufactured

toner cartridges, which as well as

being cheaper have a lower carbon

footprint than manufacturers’ own

cartridges?

The United Kingdom Cartridge Recyclers Association (UKCRA) clearly believes so. In December, it released a new study conducted by Xanfeon Energy & Environmental Services, which found that the carbon footprint of a remanufactured cartridge was 25-40% smaller for short life cartridges (SLCs) that can be re-used up to 3 times and 60% smaller for long life cartridges (LLCs) that can be remanufactured up to 15 times.

The report, Carbon Footprints and Ecodesign of Toner Printer Cartridges, underlines the potential benefi ts (both to the environment and re-manufacturers) of compelling OEMs to adopt eco-design principles that extend the after-life of consumables and is likely to form the basis of the UKCRA’s campaign against anti re-use devices (ARUDs), such as smart chips and sonic or zig-zag welding, that make it increasingly diffi cult to remanufacture OEM cartridges.

Even if a cartridge is remanufactured for the average of 3.5 times, the

benefi ts are considerable. According to a recent study by

Best Foot Forward for the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse, remanufacturing in the UK produces 46% fewer CO2 emissions than manufacturing a new cartridge based on raw materials used, energy consumption, transport and disposal.

Best Foot Forward based its study, The Carbon Footprint of Remanufactured Versus New Mono Toner Printer Cartridges, on cartridge remanufacturing at Cartridge World in Aylesbury, on the assumption that a mono toner cartridge can be re-manufactured an average of 3.5 times.

The main reason that remanufacturing has a lower footprint is that a large number of components are re-used in the remanufacturing process, notably the High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) outer cases, which account for 45% of the material in a new cartridge. Overall, Best Foot Forward found that a new cartridge requires 16 times as much material by weight as a cartridge refi ll.

Incomplete results

The OEMs themselves argue that such studies are fl awed because they fail to take into account variable factors such as the toner used; the quality of the recycling at end of life (i.e. are materials recovered and used to make other things or incinerated); and most importantly the quality of the remanufactured cartridges themselves,

including yield and performance.Lexmark quotes a Buyers Laboratory

Inc (BLI)/Lexmark study from 2005, which found that three out of 10 remanufactured cartridges failed to

print the expected number of pages.Market leader Hewlett-

Packard regularly compares the performance of its toner cartridges to remanufactured ones. In a May 2008 study, Quality Logic compared the quality and reliability of HP LaserJet toner cartridges to 7 brands of remanufactured ones. Of the 168

remanufactured cartridges tested (24 for each brand), 51 failed to perform adequately: 4 were dead on

arrival and 47 had 50% or more pages of limited or no use.

Overall, the HP LaserJet toner cartridges printed an average of 96.1% of pages to an acceptable standard for all uses, compared to an average of 69% for the seven remanufactured toner brands.

Despite these fi ndings, remanufactured cartridges are used by a huge number of printer users – the UKCRA estimates that they now account for 20-30% of all

toner cartridge sales. As well as preventing cartridges from going to landfi ll and providing schools and charities with a valuable source of revenue (from the empties), remanufacturing delays the need to manufacture a new cartridge, helping to preserve resources.

Not all remanufactured cartridges meet the highest

standards, but if you choose well the evidence suggests that they can help you reduce your carbon

footprint. Choose badly and you may fi nd that carbon savings from remanufacturing are dissipated through the need to replace cartridges sooner than anticipated.

Even if you do take the car to work or

business meetings (see page 21 to fi nd out

why you shouldn’t), there is still much that

you can do to reduce the negative effects

of doing so.

Robbie McKinnon of the Energy Saving Trust (EST) told Sustainable Times that there were four things drivers should do to reduce fuel consumption:1) Change up gears earlier;2) Remain in high gears as much as possible,

even at low speed;3) Improve powers of observation so you can

keep the car moving at an optimum speed;

4) Drive for free – when going downhill remain in a higher gear and take your foot off the accelerator.

“Just through these four principles you can save 15% of your fuel costs. This equates to £250 per year for an average driver - and company car drivers are doing a lot of mileage,” he said.

The potential benefi ts for business are even greater. EST claims that companies with car fl eets of 100 vehicles could save £90,000 a year through a combination of smarter driving and the use of teleconferencing to reduce the six trips that the average company car driver

makes each week. Further savings in reduced fuel and

national insurance costs are possible by choosing eco-friendly cars.

EST offers a free Green Fleet Review for businesses with fl eets of 50 or more vehicles (20 in Scotland). For smaller fl eets, it offers free advice over the phone and by email.It also runs the Motorvate accreditation scheme which sets measurable carbon reduction targets for companies that wish to demonstrate their commitment to lowering carbon dioxide emissions. www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/fl eet

A smaller footprintWhich is best: to recycle or to remanufacture?

Smarter driving saves money


Nearly two million tonnes of waste

electrical and electronic equipment

(WEEE) is produced every year in

the UK, and until recently much of it

still ended up in landfi ll. In July 2007

the 2002 EU Directive on WEEE –

designed to minimise the amount of

hazardous waste going to landfi ll and

encourage re-use and recycling – was

introduced into UK law.

Since then, all producers of electrical and electronic equipment have been legally obliged to fi nance the safe disposal, reuse and/or recycling of their products when they reach end-of-life. They do this by joining a compliance scheme, like Recolight, which manages the legal responsibility for the producer and puts a mechanism in place for the collection and recycling of WEEE from the end user on their behalf. The regulations apply to a variety of products including IT & telecommunications equipment, electrical tools, sports equipment, medical devices and lighting equipment (lamps).

Lamp recycling

In the lamp sector, roughly 120 million Gas Discharge lamps sold in the UK each year are affected by the WEEE Regulations. Gas Discharge Lamps (GDLs) are classed as hazardous waste

Switch on to recycling

and therefore need to be dealt with in accordance with strict safety guidelines as they could cause a risk to human health and the environment if sent to landfi ll sites or otherwise not disposed of properly.

Recolight has established itself as a specialist WEEE compliance scheme for lamps. We are collecting signifi cant and increasing numbers of B2B GDLs via our network of commercial collection points (RecoNet), and are constantly seeking to extend this collection network, where it adds value to users or to improve our geographical cover. Ultimately we expect the commercial collection network to stabilise at 1,500 sites (or higher, as the demand requires) – and to date we have registered over 1,000. One third of these commercial collection points are open, which means businesses (and householders) may take along small quantities of end-of-life lamps and dispose of them in an environmentally sound way.

However, recent changes to the WEEE Regulations include higher

targets for the collection and recycling of lamps, and we will need greater engagement from both businesses and consumers in order to meet these.

Although awareness of the WEEE Regulations is growing, many companies are still not aware of the options available to them in order to safely dispose of their WEEE lamps.

End users can have easy access to Recolight’s collection points; there is a mapping tool on the Recolight website, which anyone can use to locate their nearest open commercial collection point. Alternatively, for companies that are eligible, becoming a Recolight supported collection point themselves might be the most cost effective solution.

Raising awareness

Now that the foundations of a robust recycling mechanism are in place, the most important task is to increase the levels of awareness about the hazards of waste electrical and electronic equipment. In the lamps industry in particular, B2B end user awareness is high, but consumer awareness is still below where it should be and there needs to be greater public awareness of sustainable recycling options. Unlike televisions and computers, gas discharge lamps used at home, such as the new low energy types, can be more easily discarded with everyday household waste going to landfi ll, so raising awareness is vital to encouraging end users to separate and recycle their waste lamps.

Businesses can be proactive in ensuring their organisations rethink their waste disposal. Those paying for their recycling could save a signifi cant amount of money, whilst at the same time benefi t the environment, by sourcing better recycling solutions. Recolight recommends that organisations specify the compliance scheme within their procurement procedures, so that when buying new gas discharge lamps they know that the producer is legally registered and already conforming to the WEEE Regulations. In doing so, the management of end-of-life gas discharge lamps will be easier, whilst also improving the green credentials of the organisation.

For Recolight our priority is to ensure as many lamps as possible are collected and recycled and that no lamps go to landfi ll where they could cause risk to the environment and human health. We are committed to raising awareness of the importance of recycling and to continue to build our collection point network to provide a robust recycling scheme, meeting the needs of all businesses and consumers alike.www.recolight.co.uk

This year we will see the second anniversary of

the waste electrical and electronic equipment

(WEEE) regulations which came into effect in

the UK in July 2007. Peter Lees, Commercial

Manager of not-for-profi t lamp recycling

specialist Recolight, looks back at the progress

made so far and suggests what the next steps

are for improving recycling rates.

100% Recycled

Offi ce furniture disposal

service Green-Works has

launched its fi rst range of 100%

recycled furniture. Made from furniture

that is too damaged to be sold-on in its

original condition, the L-shaped desks cost just £55

(ex VAT). Green-Works is a social enterprise that

collects, re-uses and recycles furniture on behalf of

corporate customers. It has a zero landfi ll policy and

provides employment and training opportunities to

disadvantaged people. www.green-works.co.uk


What’sNew…

Keep it simple

A simple way for businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their

activities is to forgo mobile phone contracts that offer automatic handset

upgrades and sign up for a SIM-only deal instead. This new breed of contract

gives the customer a SIM card that can be used with an existing phone,

preventing unnecessary waste and enabling users to get maximum value from

existing products. T-Mobile has just launched its Business SIM-Plan for small

businesses that don’t want to be tied to long contracts. Available on a 30-day,

six month or 12 month rolling plan, Business SIM-Plan provides up to 30 users

with 2,000 minutes each of inclusive calls to UK landlines and mobile phones

and unlimited UK texts for £30 per month, with the option of unlimited mobile

email and internet access for an extra £5 per month.

www.t-mobile.co.uk/business

Inks without the stink

The HP Designjet L65500 has been named ‘Environmental Digital Printer 2009’

by the European Digital Press Association (EDP). Developed for the graphic

arts market, the L65500 is the fi rst printer to use HP Latex Inks which provide

many of the benefi ts of solvent-ink technology but without the environmental

drawbacks: prints are odourless; emit extremely low levels of volatile organic

compounds (VOCs); produce no ozone; and require no special ventilation.

The Nordic Swan-certifi ed inks can also be used with recycled substrates.

www.hp.com

The font with holes in

Introduced in November 2008,

Ecofont cuts toner and ink

consumption by 20% by replacing

solid lines with ones that contain

numerous small holes. Dutch design

agency Spranq, which developed

the green font, is now applying this

principle to enterprises’ own fonts.

Ecofont Professional provides an

Ecofont version of the customer’s

corporate typeface and an Ecofont

button for Microsoft Offi ce

applications so that users can reduce

toner consumption at the press of a

button. www.ecofont.eu

Red dot award

The Onzo Smart Energy Kit has won a ‘red

dot’ design award ahead of its launch in the

summer. The home energy management

system consists of two parts: a sensor

that attaches to a cable running from the

electricity meter; and a portable display that

can be placed anywhere in the home. Data

sent wirelessly from the sensor to the display

can be viewed in real-time or downloaded to a

PC and fed into Onzo’s supporting web service,

which provides graphical visualisations of

electricity use. www.onzo.co.uk

Made in the UK

KI has reduced the carbon footprint of its KI 800 Series of fi ling cabinets by licensing them to be manufactured in the UK. Instead of being shipped in from overseas, KI 800 lateral drawer, receding door, cupboard, locker and shelving units will now be made under license by Metal Offi ce Equipment in Mildenhall, Suffolk. Other benefi ts of UK manufacturing include lower prices, shorter lead times and a 25-year warranty (extendable to lifetime). KI already manufactures its metric pedestal, personal

storage and locker ranges in the UK.

www.ki.com/europe


Step in the right direction

Samsung’s Blue Earth phone is crammed full of features designed to appeal to eco-conscious buyers. Not only is it the world’s fi rst solar-powered touch-screen phone, it is also made with plastic from recycled water bottles; is free from harmful substances, such as brominated fl ame retardants (BFRs), beryllium and phthalate; has an ’Eco mode’ that makes it easy to change to energy saving settings; and comes with a 5 star energy-effi cient charger. Last but not least, there is an integrated pedometer that shows the CO2 savings from walking not driving.

www.samsungmwc.com

From four to two

The NEC MultiSync EA221WMe is an energy-effi cient version of NEC’s successful EA221WM widescreen display. A newly developed backlighting system has enabled NEC to reduce the number of backlight lamps from four to two, reducing energy consumption by 30%. Other useful features are an NEC One Touch Eco Button on the front of the display that enables the user to dim the screen at the press of a button; and a Carbon Footprint Meter that displays CO2 emissions resulting from use of the display. The black version of the EA221WMe is EPEAT Gold-certifi ed; the silver-white version is EPEAT Silver-certifi ed. www.nec-display-solutions.com

Lightening the load

Replacing fl uorescent tubes with LED (light emitting diode) tubes, won’t just save you money. According to NE Technology, it will also reduce the maintenance burden. The Cambridge company claims that its NET LED Lighting tubes last up to three times longer than conventional fl uorescent tubes and because failure occurs gradually they can be changed when it is most convenient to do so. They provide the same amount of light as fl uorescents but consume 65% less energy and are easier to recycle as they contain no mercury, phosphor or lead. 0845 021 5432 www.netledlighting.co.uk

Show some bottle

The latest addition to Pilot’s BeGreeN range of recycled pens is designed to look just like its source material – recycled plastic drinks bottles. The Bottle to Pen (B2P) retractable, refi llable gel ink rollerball is 89% recycled (excluding the ink and refi ll) and comes in a choice of three ink colours (black, blue or red) and two tip sizes, fi ne and extra fi ne.01628 537100

What’sNew…

Wise up to energy savings

Businesses that have implemented fl exible working times are among those likely to welcome the new version of Modus Interactive’s Powerwise PC energy management solution. An Adaptive Wakeup feature learns when each PC is switched on and adjusts its wake-up time accordingly, ensuring that energy-savings are maximised regardless of employee start times. Powerwise lets administrators confi gure power-saving settings and on/off schedules for individual or groups of PCs, and view power consumption statistics in real-time.

www.modus-interactive.co.uk

GREENinitiative


KI 800 SERIES

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Energy Consumption Comparison Standby ModeEnergy Consumption Comparison Standby Mode

The FLAVIA Creation 400™ is so energy efficient it saves customers £££s. It is:

• 14% more energy efficient than the average result for the leading bean to cup machines tested

• 12% more energy efficient than the average for a range of leading household kettles tested

See how it compares against other sources:

We don’t like our customers having to waste energy boiling water. [It’s not our cup of tea.]

Testing carried out by an independent energy testing facility using the European Vending Association Energy Measurement Protocol

Order your FLAVIA C400 machine before 30th June 2009 and receive 298 drinks FREE...just Quote ST05

Mars Drinks’ Thirsty for Change programme helps your workplace become more sustainable: • Use the N-viro cup: the first hot drinks vending eco-friendly cup to be manufactured in the UK• Recycle our Filterpacks, stirrers, cups and milk pots via Save-a-Cup• Help others by choosing our Rainforest Alliance Certified drinks, and much, much more…

For more information on how FLAVIA can help you with your sustainability goals: Tel: 0800 10 40 40 Web: www.marsdrinks.com / www.myfl avia.co.uk

The vending industry has long

attracted adverse publicity: from

waste caused by plastic cups and

bottled water to obesity amongst

schoolchildren, it has been an easy

target for critics.

No wonder, then, that the industry is trying hard to improve its environmental record through the supply of more energy-effi cient vending machines, fair trade ingredients and the introduction of waste reduction initiatives.

Drinks vending machines have an environmental impact in a number of key areas – manufacture, distribution, energy consumption, servicing and disposal/recycling at end of life.

For pragmatists the area of greatest interest is likely to be the energy consumption of vending machines, as this will have the most immediate impact on energy bills and carbon footprints. This is also the area where manufacturers have expended most effort, largely because, as Automatic Vending Association (AVA) technical adviser Mike Saltmarsh told Sustainable Times, it is “the simplest thing to improve.”

The two most effective energy-saving measures are the replacement of fl uorescent lighting with LED lights that last longer and consume less energy and the introduction of sleep modes that, by turning off the lights and reducing the temperature within the boiler, can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50% compared to idle mode.

Power management systems are usually activated by a timer, putting the machine into sleep mode outside offi ce hours for example, but they can also be linked to motion sensors like the Vend-Sense from Automatic Retailing (Technical) Ltd, which powers down a machine if it has not detected movement for a certain length of time.

Other energy-saving features of modern machines include fl ash cooling technology for cold drink selections; gravity-fed brewing systems; and improved insulation – N&W Global Vending claims to have reduced the energy consumption of its machines by 13% simply by improving the insulation of instant boilers.

The European Vending Association (EVA) recently introduced an energy measurement protocol that can be used to calculate the power consumption of machines, expressed as Energy Consumption Per Litre (ECPL), when they are warming up, vending a drink and standing idle. Test results are a useful guide for both manufacturers and consumers, with both Westomatic and Mars Drinks (see box on page 30) using the results in their marketing material.

Vending Cups

Greater energy effi ciency strengthens the case for installing a vending machine to replace the offi ce kettle (though, according to the Carbon Trust, the latter is the most energy-effi cient option for people that work outside normal offi ce hours). But what about the waste generated by vending machines, in particular disposable plastic and paper cups?

This has long been a focus for vending’s critics. It was partly to draw their sting, but also to head off the threat of a levy on plastic cups that in 1992 the vending industry set up the Save-a-Cup recycling scheme, which collects used cups and recycles them into stationery products.

Last year the scheme collected 1,300 tonnes of hardwall polystyrene cups. To give you some idea of the scale of the waste problem, it takes 250,000 cups to make one tonne, and Save-a-Cup estimates that it collects just 10% of the UK’s used cups. Even when you take into account the efforts of alternative collection schemes, billions of plastic cups still end up in the waste stream.

Clearly, any business that does not yet recycle its plastic cups should start doing so. This can either be done through an existing waste management company or through Save-a-Cup, which has now expanded its service to cover paper cups, an increasingly popular alternative to plastic cups as customers aim to recreate that coffee shop ambience and vend quality.

On the face of it, paper cups are a greener option: they come from a sustainable material; have a short carbon cycle; many are FSC or PEFC certifi ed; and much of the paper and board produced in Europe is made using hydro-electric or biomass as an energy source. On the downside, they are heavier than plastic cups and due to a PE plastic coating can be diffi cult to recycle.

In November last year, The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group made a breakthrough when it completed a trial in which virtually all the cellulose fi bre from PE-coated paper cups was successfully extracted and converted into fi bre for use in tissues and toilet rolls, effectively making a standard hot drinks paper cup 95% recyclable.

A number of suppliers now offer compostable cups that use a corn starch-derived bio-plastic for the lining. These, too, are collected by Save-a-Cup, which takes them to industrial composting facilities where they are shredded and eventually break down into compost.

For customers with recycling programmes in place the main benefi t of such cups is not their compostability, as recycling comes before composting and incineration in the hierarchy of waste, but the fact that producing a bio-plastic like NatureWorks PLA uses 65% less fossil fuels than traditional plastics.

Despite of these developments, the best option is probably still to choose a vending machine that dispenses drinks straight into employees’ own mugs. Many modern machines have sensors that make this possible, enabling an organisation to reduce the amount of waste generated and potentially eliminate the need for disposable cups altogether.

Jiggers etc.

Mike Saltmarsh claims that waste from packaging is not a major problem for the industry: “Packaging tends not to be elaborate because you are not selling it to the consumers”.

Yet, there are exceptions, such as small desktop systems with individually packaged drinks and a range of additional ingredients often arranged alongside snacks in display units.

Here, too, improvements are being made as suppliers introduce new packaging concepts, like the DairyStix milk in a stick range from Single Source.

The vending industry is making efforts to improve its environmental credentials. James Goulding reports

continued on next page…

gre

en

tea


DairyStix are 50% lighter than milk jiggers

Winner of a Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) Environment Award, these single serve milk portions are 50% lighter and take up 40% less room than round milk pots, or jiggers as they are known in the trade.

Freetrade

In response to growing demand for ethically-traded drinks, many leading suppliers now offer teas and coffees from certifi ed sustainable sources, such as the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade.

The Vendia Group has even set up its own brand, Café Joe, which specialises in energy effi cient vending machines and ethical ingredients, from Fairtrade coffees and teas to Harry’s Nuts! from Liberation, the world’s only 100% Fairtrade Nut company.

Water coolers

According to a recent study by the Pacifi c Institute, bottled water consumed in the US is up to 2,000 times more energy-intensive than tap water (Energy Implications of Bottled Water by Peter H, Gleick and Heather Cooley, Environmental Research Letters, February 2009). Producing the bottles alone is claimed to use the energy equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil.

Water coolers and purifi cation systems that plumb straight into the mains provide a clean, low waste alternative to bottled mineral water and water bombs for coolers. Last year co2balance.com calculated that one of Tana Water’s Tami 4 plumbed-in water coolers produces 761kg less carbon dioxide per year than a traditional

Mars Drinks, the hot drinks division of Mars Incorporated, has enhanced its range of vending machines and ingredients to meet growing demand for sustainable vending products.

In May 2008 it introduced the ‘Thirsty for Change’ sustainability programme to set new standards for energy effi ciency, ethical ingredients and recycling.

1. Energy effi ciencyMars Drinks keeps the energy consumption of its machines to a minimum by using energy-effi cient LED indicators on the displays; by only heating enough water for a few drinks at a time; and by heating water to exactly the right temperature.

Tests conducted according to The European Vending Association Energy Measurement Test protocol (version 2) show that Mars Drinks’ KLIX OUTLOOK and FLAVIA drinks machines are among the most energy-effi cient on the market.

The KLIX OUTLOOK is:• 40% more energy effi cient compared against two

leading free standing vending machines; and• 29% more energy effi cient over a typical year

compared against three leading water boilers.

The FLAVIA Creation 400 is:• 14% more energy effi cient than the average result

for the leading bean-to-cup machines tested; and• 5% more energy effi cient than the average result

for the range of hot water boilers tested and 71% more effi cient in standby mode.

To enable customers to view the energy savings they can expect, Mars Drinks has added an Energy Calculator to the KLIX website. Just enter the number of drinks machines you need for your workplace and it will instantly show the potential energy savings.

2. Ethical IngredientsMars Drinks offers a wide choice of ethically sourced drinks including Fairtrade, Brighter Tomorrow at Origin and Rainforest Alliance teas and coffees.

It is committed to sourcing 30% all drinks from certifi ed sustainability schemes by 2010.

3. RecyclingMars Drinks was the founding member of the ‘Save-a-Cup’ scheme and it continues to look at new ways to reduce waste.

Last year FLAVIA introduced the ‘N-viro cup’, the fi rst compostable hot drinks vending cup to be made in the UK. The cup uses pulp harvested from sustainable sources under the management of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative™. Used cups are collected by ‘Save-a-Cup’ and taken to industrial composting facilities where they break down into compost for use on farms and nurseries across the UK. www.klix.co.ukwww.fl avia.co.uk

Harry’s Nuts! are the latest addition to Café Joe’s range of ethically sourced drinks and snacks

Tana Water’s mains-fed T5 Fizz dispenses still

and sparkling water


bottle-fed cooler dispensing 57 litres of water a week.

The ability to purify and dispense both hot and cold water means that these systems can be used instead of a vending machine. Some models even dispense sparkling water.

The most sophisticated, like Vivreau’s, dispense water into attractive bottles for use in canteens, restaurants and boardrooms. According to Vivreau, 80% of a typical City offi ce’s glass packaging waste is attributable to pre-bottled mineral water.

Like vending machines, the latest mains-fed water systems incorporate a number of power-saving features that can help reduce energy consumption by 40%. Tana Water’s T5 Fizz, for example, features a preset sleep mode that conserves energy overnight and at weekends.

Avex 2009

This brief overview just scratches the surface of what operators are doing to reduce the carbon impact of the manufacture, supply, delivery and servicing of vending machines. To fi nd out more visit Avex 2009 at the NEC, Birmingham on June 10-11. www.avex2009.co.uk

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Thirsty for Change

For a number of years care and concern for the environment has always been of paramount importance to the edding company. Our pens and markers have contained only the safest ingredients for many years. Many of the products are refillable, and even some of the nibs are replaceable, where appropriate. In recent years, we have installed modern, efficient production processes including a photovoltaic plant to generate electricity, and have also incorporated the use of recycled paper. Today we are proud to announce the introduction of four markers, whose caps and barrels are made predominately from recycled material, or a renewable resource. The new range includes: permanent markers in a bullet and chisel tip, a bullet-tipped boardmarker and a chisel-tipped highlighter.

b f d f h h l b f

For more information, please contact: edding UK LtdTel: 01727 846688 or email: [email protected]

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Sustainable Times Magazine Issue 3

News & Politics

Transcript of Sustainable Times Magazine Issue 3