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The Impact of Printing on the Environment

By 14th September 2021Uncategorised

The reduction of printing and paper usage has been gradually taking place throughout the business world for many years now. While there are many businesses – indeed entire sectors – that have almost come to the point of being completely paperless, printing remains important for other companies and industries. While it may not be feasible to eliminate printing completely, it is becoming essential to manage and reduce it, as the world advances quickly towards the adoption of green business practices. Green Office takes a look at the reasons why printing should be reduced and controlled in order to help create a safer, more sustainable future.

A printer printing an image

The Environmental Consequences of Printing

Paper and ink have been at the heart of business practices for a very long time. These practices are so deeply entrenched that it has proven difficult to dislodge or even reform them. However, it is essential that printing be reduced to the bare essentials in offices around the world – those that are not able to go paperless. Let’s take a look at the two primary ways in which printing impacts the environment. Read our blog for more information and tips on green office practices.

Paper

Paper has always formed the bulk of the waste that most offices generate. Digital is rising but paper is still dominant – and that means that large amounts of paper ultimately finds its way into the trash and recycle bins. Approximately 85 million tons of paper are generated each year. Even documents that are not mistakes or misprints will be thrown away eventually. In order to feed the world’s need for paper, approximately 4 billion trees are cut down each year, resulting in accelerated deforestation. In addition, paper is costly to produce, requiring enormous amounts of water and energy and producing a variety of pollutants in the process.

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Printer Cartridges

Printer cartridges are also major contributors to the waste and pollution that goes with printing. Aside from ink and toner itself being toxic and filled with chemicals that have a terrible impact on the environment, the cartridges themselves are made with metals and plastics that are not recyclable. Some people reuse cartridges so as to reduce waste, but millions of them still end up in landfills each year, which can also lead to soil and water pollution.

Reduce Your Office’s Environmental Impact by Partnering With Green Office Managed Print Services

At Green Office, we understand that it may not be possible to completely eliminate printing in your everyday business practices, but it is possible to reduce it and to mitigate any impacts on the environment through professional managed print services (MPS). With our MPS offerings, we provide consulting, hardware supply and support, software supply and support and cartridge supply solutions that will provide the following benefits:

  • Reduced total cost of ownership
  • Drastically reduced environmental impact
  • Proactive service and maintenance
  • POPI compliance
  • Device rationalisation and optimisation
  • Identification and reduction of paper-intense processes
  • Monthly data analysis and reports

Contact us for more information about our managed print services.

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