Environmental Developments in the Photocopier Industry

Friday, 13 February 2009 15:53

Reducing environmental impact is an issue that many businesses take very seriously. Businesses and manufacturers in the photocopier and print industries are no exception to this and sev­eral new and innovative developments in relation to reducing environmental impact have occurred recently.

Canon are currently conducting research within the printing industry to find out what issues professional printers are being faced with on a daily basis and what tools and resources would be most effective in supporting them. This research is being conducted to aid the development of an environmental module in the Essential Business Builder Programme. The Essential Business Builder Programme provides tools, workshops and consultancy to businesses in the professional printing industry. Environmental concerns are having a big impact on this industry. Canon are hoping the environmental module to the EBBP will help professional print businesses to turn environmental challenges into business opportunities. This module is also being implemented to help to ensure that the environment is an integral part of a successful, ongoing business programme.

Leading manufacturers in the photocopier and printing industries (http://www.verdigrisproject.com/supporters) have joined up to back a new scheme set up by Digital Dots. This scheme has been launched to analyse the environmental impact of of print media at each stage of the production chain. The new initiative, called Verdigris, aims to identify areas in the print industry that need the most attention and the results will be made available free to the industry. It is hoped that Verdigris will be very important to the printing industry as a whole in reducing the impact this industry has on the environment.

Steps have been taken to increase the use of bio-plastics in multifunctional printers and photocopiers. It has been shown that plastics containing plant-derived components require less oil and have 20 percent fewer manufacturing CO2 emissions than wholly petroleum based products. The use of these bio-plastics in the manufacturing of photocopiers has been limited up until recently because of their shortcomings in the areas of flame retardance, impact resistance, heat resistance and malleability. A new bio-plastic called Ecodear has been developed and reaches high levels of flame retardance, making it suitable for use in exterior parts of multifunctional photocopiers. According to Sustainable Times magazine (Winter 2008/9 issue) Canon plans to use 10 tons of the material. which includes 25 percent plant derived material, in 2009.