Ricoh Pursues Green Printing Options

According to printing industry newsletter ITWeb, Ricoh is practicing how to reduce the environmental impact of printing in its manufacturing plant in Telford, England, and looking to educate its customers.

The plant is building its carbon balance printing business unit, said the statement. “We have analyzed our production processes to detect which areas need focus in terms of CO2 emissions, and use the same methods to encourage our customers to follow suit.” explained Craig Lewis, Ricoh’s Corporate Printing Business Development Manager for Europe.

Moreover, the plant is looking to be greener in its use of paper by prioritizing printing tasks. Explained Lewis, “Ricoh is examining what type of paper is being used, the paper’s weight and printing volumes, as well as how companies prioritize the relevance of printing jobs to avoid wasteful printing. Ricoh is also re-using its customers’ wastepaper in some of its printing processes to reduce environmental impact.”

The firm also noted that the toner cartridge itself is another important area to be greener, and is considering where it will disassemble cartridges and components for reuse and recovery. Lewis added, “Another tool we have employed is the online Carbon Calculator, which calculates carbon dioxide emissions per print job, and calculates water saving from using recycled jobs and the amount of toner used.”

Ricoh also affirmed that there are different teams working on green technology projects in the plant, e.g., the device re-manufacturing division, where old devices, ranging from printers, photocopiers and faxes, are rebuilt and released back into the market.