CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Coming around As sustainability concerns continue to ascend the agenda of businesses large and small, the idea of the circular economy is becoming more important and this is something the print sector is responding to.
While sustainability has been a watchword for businesses across sectors for some years, customers now want more from their printers than just energy, ink and paper efficiency. Now, there is more of an emphasis on the entire lifecycle of a product and ensuring that as much of a printer is reused or recycled as possible. “There is currently a global challenge to address the escalating threat of depleting natural resources,” says Wendi Latko, vice president environment, health, safety and sustainability at Xerox. “It’s important that we transform our consumption patterns to avoid outpacing the availability of new raw materials. “Transitioning to a circular economy is instrumental to achieving this and we can help. Xerox has been at the forefront of the shift from a linear economy to circularity. Along with our goal to produce waste-free products in waste-free facilities, our aim is to design products, packaging and supplies that make efficient use of resources, minimise waste, reuse material where feasible and recycle what can’t be reused.” Opportunities for savings Nick Taylor, Epson’s head of sales for office print for UK and Ireland, agrees that contributing towards a circular economy is increasingly important to businesses of all sizes. “This model not only helps achieve a greener world but also presents opportunities for saving costs, innovating and meeting the growing expectation from customers and the general public for a more sustainability approach,” he says. He points to research by Epson that indicates that 26% of consumers are willing to boycott brands perceived as ‘unsustainable.’ “This highlights the importance of sustainability in purchasing decisions,” he says. “Ultimately, the economic and environmental benefits of adopting a circular economy are driving more businesses to minimise waste,
optimise resource use and use sustainable practices to enhance brand reputation.” Sophia Haywood-Atkinson, services director, UK at TD SYNNEX, adds that it isn’t just about the print sector. “The circular economy is vitally important to the whole IT industry and it’s already a key issue for customers,” she says. “Over the next few months, we will start to see many more organisations stipulating in ITTs that a certain ratio of new products must be remanufactured or refurbished. It won’t just be large enterprises that ask for this – SMBs will also want to purchase remanufactured products.” Manufacturer response Manufacturers in the print sector are already responding to the demand for more circularity in the design and use of their products. Wendy says that Xerox designs for sustainability and enables a system where equipment, parts and supplies, returned at end of life, are used to generate raw materials for new products. “By doing so, waste is reduced and natural resources are conserved,” she says. “Designing for sustainability includes the careful selection of raw materials with an emphasis on the responsible use of reusable and recyclable materials, safety, adherence to ecolabel
Wendi Latko vice president environment, health, safety and sustainability
www.xerox.co.uk
It’s important that we transform our consumption patterns to avoid outpacing the availability of new raw materials. “ ”
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