While achieving cost savings and process efficiencies are typically key drivers when it comes to an enterprise adopting a Managed Document Services (MDS) approach for its print environment, in today’s world, environmental considerations can’t be overlooked or underestimated.
We have worked with many enterprises that have too many single-function, in-office print devices, resulting in excessive hardcopy costs and underutilization of higher performance, lower-cost devices. However, deploying printing fleets in an inefficient manner also leads to significant environmental impacts. Photizo Group, the leading provider of managed print services market research, estimates that for a firm with 750 employees, the average cost of a hardcopy fleet will not only exceed $700,000 a year, it will also use over 33,000 kWh of electricity and produce over 189,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. That’s the equivalent of the total CO2 output of 16 cars for an entire year!
Of course it’s good that companies, consumers and governments are paying closer attention to the fragile condition of the global environment. But changing a society used to mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal is no easy task.
So what will it take to reach a sustainable environment? Is it even possible?
It’s a difficult question to answer. But one thing is for certain—businesses have a responsibility to figure out how we can contribute. We must continually rethink how our business activities, products and services will ultimately affect our world. With everything we do, we need to ask ourselves whether we are helping to lead the way to a new low-carbon, resource-re-circulating society. We need to do all we can to insure that our ecosystems, the source of the Earth’s self-recovery capabilities, are properly conserved. And it’s not enough to reduce the environmental impact of our own business activities, we also need to help our customers and society as a whole be more eco-friendly.
Working for Ricoh keeps this top of mind since one of our core missions is to be at the forefront of sustainable practices as we all strive together toward a sustainable environment. Whether it’s by helping our customers improve the environmental impact of their print processes, or reducing our own impact through innovations like our solar-powered Times Square billboard, we are proud to join forces with so many businesses that are giving careful consideration to how what we do ultimately will affect our world.
What is your eco-story? We are interested in hearing it. We all know there’s a long way to go—so it’s good that we are making this journey together and learning from one another.
