Quick facts about sustainable printing

Print vendors face mounting pressure to accelerate their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and strategies to meet evolving market demands. While the shift to digital technologies and workflows has led to a decline in overall print volumes, print remains an integral part of many business processes. The challenge for modern organizations lies in aligning these necessary print workflows with broader sustainability goals, giving rise to sustainable printing.

What is sustainable printing?

Sustainable printing is a multifaceted approach that aims to minimize the environmental impact of printing throughout its entire lifecycle. For businesses, this extends beyond just printing — it encompasses everything from sourcing materials to disposing of or recycling printed products and hardware. This approach aligns with the three pillars of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, providing businesses with a comprehensive approach to sustainability.

• Environmental: Focuses on reducing the ecological footprint of printing activities. It includes initiatives such as sourcing energy-efficient print devices made from recycled materials to implementing waste reduction strategies, and opting for eco-friendly inks and papers.

• Social: Addresses ethical considerations beyond the environmental impact. It includes ensuring fair labor practices and prioritizing employee well-being through healthier and safer workplaces using environmentally friendly print devices featuring low emissions and reduced noise levels.

• Governance: Encompasses systems and processes that guide an organization’s print processes and practices. This includes setting clear sustainability objectives, implementing necessary print policies, and making adjustments to meet sustainability goals.

Aligning print infrastructure with sustainable print practices

Implementing sustainable print practices can yield substantial benefits for businesses, including enhanced bottom lines, improved efficiency, and increased investor appeal. Key factors to prioritize when implementing sustainable print initiatives include:

• Energy efficiency and materials: Opt for ENERGY STAR-certified devices with low Total Energy Consumption (TEC) values and those made from a high percentage of recycled materials. Advanced features, such as automatic duplex printing and sleep modes, are also crucial. These devices consume less energy and lead to reduced overall carbon emissions and lower costs.

• End-of-life management: Partner with suppliers who provide comprehensive hardware and consumable recycling programs and end-of-life management programs for your print devices. This ensures that devices and consumables are disposed of responsibly, further reducing your organization's environmental impact.

• Cloud-based workflows: Consider shifting to cloud-based print management systems to reduce the need for on-premises servers. This also helps streamline business processes and bridges the gap between paper and digital workflows.

• Print management software: Implement solutions that help enforce sustainable print policies across your print fleet. From mandating specific paper and toner-saving print modes to tracking usage and environmental impact and pushing security updates, these solutions encourage more efficient printing practices.

What makes print devices "sustainable"

Truly sustainable print devices are characterized by their purposeful design, which prioritizes energy and resource conservation at every stage of the product lifecycle. These devices often boast high recycled content, with leading manufacturers aiming for at least 50% recycled materials in their products. They are also typically ENERGY STAR certified and have the lowest TEC value in their class, indicating superior energy efficiency.

Key features of sustainable print devices include:

• Lower-temperature toner fusing technology

• Deeper sleep modes and faster start-up times

• Automatic duplexing and combined copy functions

• Intelligent paper size selection

• Innovative finishing options like stapleless stapling

Getting started with sustainable printing

Sustainable printing is no longer just a trend; it has become a business imperative in today's environmentally conscious world. By implementing sustainable printing practices and partnering with the right providers, businesses can significantly reduce their environmental impact, meet growing stakeholder expectations around sustainability, and potentially unlock new revenue streams.

Implementing sustainable printing practices doesn't have to be a daunting task. Organizations can start by prioritizing digitization over paper wherever possible, such as:

• Implementing a document management system for easy file storage and retrieval

• Encouraging the use of collaborative tools such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

• Setting up automated workflows for approvals and reviews, eliminating the need and wait for printed copies

• Using digital invoicing and receipts instead of paper versions

These practices not only reduce paper consumption but also improve business efficiency and accessibility, such as requiring less time to find documents, process invoices and manage contract signings.

Right-sizing print fleets is also crucial

Organizations should regularly reexamine their print priorities and infrastructure to meet evolving business needs.

Some questions to consider are:

1. Do we have the right amount of printers for our business needs? An oversized print fleet can lead to increased energy consumption, higher maintenance costs and unnecessary waste while having too few can lead to workflow bottlenecks and user frustration.

2. Do we know the monthly print volumes for our entire fleet, and is it in line with the projected capabilities of our devices? Monitoring your print fleet’s output and usage is mandatory for optimal performance and longevity. Overloading your devices can lead to premature wear and tear, increased maintenance, and unexpected downtime, while underutilized machines waste resources and energy.

3. How do we currently monitor and manage our fleet? Effective print fleet management involves using tools and software to track device performance, usage and costs. This helps identify issues, optimize performance and ensure security.

4. Is our print fleet optimized for our needs? Evaluating your current print infrastructure can reveal opportunities to consolidate devices, upgrade to energy-efficient models and implement print management software, lowering costs and improving efficiency over time.

5. Do we have the right machines for our business? Depending on your business, replacing some print-only machines can improve business communication and efficiency by digitizing workflows while reducing paper and toner consumption.

Maximize sustainability with a print partner

End-to-end print management can be a challenge, but a full-service sustainable print partner can help. We help organizations reduce their environmental impact while optimizing their print infrastructure for efficiency and cost savings. These partnerships can be invaluable in meeting increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and rising investor expectations around sustainability.