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Lexmark Supports The 2020 Environmental Targets
Published Sep 3, 2009
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Lexmark International, the printing solutions provider, recently called for Europe’s public sector organisations to take actions such as printer device consolidation, best practice implementation and document workflow optimisation to positively impact the 2020 efficiency and C02 targets set by the European Union.
These ambitious targets include a 20 percent reduction in emissions from information technology (IT) devices, products and output by 2020.
Although these are only recommendations, some countries in Europe have already begun implementing greener IT. For example, French Prime Minister François Fillon has issued a bill, communicated to all ministries, which requires all French federal entities to cut their paper consumption in half by 2012.
In Great Britain, the government has set a target for the central Government office estate to achieve carbon neutrality by 2012.
The goal is to cut greenhouse emissions by 26 percent by 2020 and at least 60 percent by 2050.
Departments are asked to implement 18 key steps, such as reducing the overall number of printers used by an organisation and replacing them with multifunction devices, and use green printing defaults wherever possible (such as two sided and multi up printing).
While the energy consumption of the information technologies continues to attract headlines, Lexmark’s Life Cycle Analysis found that most of a printer’s carbon footprint actually comes from paper use compared with around 10 percent in terms of energy. Similarly, the usage phase accounts for 80 percent for a laser printer.
Research conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Lexmark shows that the employees in the public sector print on average 28 pages per day .
Nineteen percent claim that more than a third of these printed pages are unnecessary and 75 percent assert that they are trying to reduce useless printing.
Through its work with the public sector throughout Europe, Lexmark maintains that consolidating print hardware and optimising paper intensive processes could help make EU targets a reality.
Many public sector organisations have disjointed IT systems that have been deployed without an output plan over time leaving them with too many devices and too much wastage, particularly when it comes to paper.
However, consolidation is not just about using fewer devices.
It’s also about having intelligent IT initiatives in place to drive organisation wide efficiencies.
These initiatives are based from the expertise of Lexmark specialists to help customers understand how to encourage responsible printing procedures and help individual workers adopt sustainable printing habits.
“The EU’s energy efficiency and C02 targets point to the public sector as a major contributor to Europe’s carbon emissions. This initiative also recommends that government organisations be standard bearers for the private sector by following EU recommended Green Public Procurement and by educating and changing the behaviour of every public sector employee,” explained Mr. Mohammad Addarrat, General Manager, Lexmark Middle East.
“Lexmark’s value added proposition was specifically designed to help them achieve this. By implementing Lexmark’s printing solutions as well as educating users about environmental issues, public sector organisations can reduce their reliance on paper and energy and significantly reduce overall printing costs”.
Lexmark has played a significant role in helping government organisations throughout Europe cut both costs and carbon while at the same time become more efficient and secure in the process:
1. GERMANY
By replacing the fleet with multifunction products (MFPs) and printers with a customised secure, flexible and always available solution, Lexmark helped the Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung in Baden-Württenberg reduce its number of devices by almost 60%, half being MFP’s, and significantly reduce output costs.
2. FRANCE
AFPA, a French non profit government organisation in charge of the professional education of adults with more than 12,000 employees, made 20 percent minimum output cost savings by optimising its printer fleet with Lexmark. This consolidation project included a hardware reduction of 40 percent, while deploying new printer and MFP infrastructure that improved the organisation’s control over its printed page output.
3. NETHERLANDS
NijSmellinghe, the Dutch healthcare provider, saved €500,000 in output costs just six months after Lexmark optimised its printing fleet with Smart MFP architecture. Lexmark’s in-depth understanding of the organisation helped in reducing the number of pages by electronically moving these into a paperless Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform.
4. FINLAND
VR Group, the Finnish railways, minimised its environmental impact by reducing hardware, energy output and printed pages through device consolidation and personal smartcard identification. Lexmark created a customised integrated piloting, planning and monitoring project to ensure the efficiency targets were met.
“By consolidating their printer hardware and optimising document processes, Europe’s public sector can move a step closer to reaching those 2020 targets,” said Duhalde.
“They can also implement measures to print less and save more to make a continued commitment to reducing their carbon footprint”.
For further information please contact:
BIZ COM - For PRoactive Communications
P.O. Box 48889
Dubai - UAE
T: +971 4 332-0888
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E: info@bizcom.ae
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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