Sustainable Times Issue 5

WINTER 2009/10

Eco plastics: What’s all the fuss about?

Top 12 green PC monitors

Video meetings that work

Energy-efficient MFPs make their mark

Keeping Cool How Konica Minolta is reducing the environmental impact of print

REGISTER NOW FOR YOUR FREE PLACE: WWW.UCEXPO.CO.UK/BINFO

VoiceMobileVisual Collaboration

For organisations everywhere, the rapid pace of technology change in business IT is shifting how, where, who and what they work with. UC Expo offers a unique glimpse into the business potential of the new Voice, Mobile, Visual and Collaboration arenas, giving you the opportunity to gain a real competitive advantage in an ever evolving world.

Get your business really talking

UNIFYING COMMUNICATIONS

VoIP is the foundation layer for delivering flexible, efficient communications. Voice 10 will show you how to specify, manage and build the infrastructure you need to make your communications vision a reality.

Voice 10 focusses on:

• The underlying elements and apps critical to VoIP and UC

• How to ensure a successful VoIP deployment

• Combining VoIP and CRM strategies and processes

• The future for VoIP in the connected world

The challenge now is to deliver innovative, real-time applications to mobile workers. Mobile 10 covers the range of options and devices available.

Mobile 10 focusses on:

• Seamless, integrated solutions for mobile and field service workers

• End-to-end UC solutions from the desktop to the mobile

• The latest innovations in Mobile UC Platforms, Applications and Services

• Integrating and managing mobile business applications in the Cloud

Visual 10 showcases the latest telepresence, video and web conferencing solutions.

Visual 10 focusses on:

• Unifying the workspace using messaging and voice, video and web conferencing

• Deploying Skype as a business tool

• Telepresence and the future of video/web conferencing

• Using mobile video and UC to transform on-premise and field service operations

Collaboration 10 is all about the next-generation communications that allow businesses to communicate and collaborate flexibily and efficiently across multiple channels in any location.

Collaboration 10 focusses on:

• Planning, implementing and managing UC infrastructures

• Measuring the business value of a UC solution

• Integrating UC into business to deliver competitive advantage

• Bringing UC to life in the contact centre

Incorporating

Sponsors:

UC10 Expo layer ad_BINFO.indd 1 26/01/2010 11:26

Last year may have ended in disappointment at

Copenhagen, but for office equipment buyers there was

much that was positive about 2009.

The need to economise meant that managers were more

open to waste reduction initiatives and technologies, such as

virtualisation, smart printing and video conferencing. At the

same time, manufacturers of business equipment continued

to improve the energy efficiency of their devices.

Yet, as we show on page 17, technology is just one part of

the equation, and businesses that introduce new equipment

without changing their corporate culture will fail to maximise

the potential of their investment. In a time of continuing

economic hardship, that is a wasted opportunity no business

can afford.

James Goulding, Editor

03 Agenda How to make your office

more sustainable.

10 Stationery Stationery suppliers

embrace environmentally sensitive plastics. But how good are they?

12 Cover StoryWhat Konica Minolta is doing to limit the environmental impact of its printers.

14 Green Screens We select 12 of the

greenest LCD monitors

17 Video Meetings How to get the most out of your videoconferencing system.

18 What’s New Our round-up of the latest sustainable office products.

Editor James Goulding 07803 087228 [email protected]

Advertising Director Ethan White 01474 824711 [email protected]

Publishing Director Neil Trim 07803 087229 dd 01737 249408 [email protected]

Sustainable Times is a supplement of Business Info Magazine. It is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., 4 New Cottages, Green Farm Lane, Shorne, Kent DA12 3HQ. Tel: 01474 824711. Email: [email protected]

No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2010 Kingswood Media Ltd.

Design: Sandtiger Media – www.sandtiger.co.uk

The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate within internationally recognized standards. The paper is made from Elementary Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed forestation.

WINTER 2008/9

21 PrintersWhat are printer manufacturers doing to reduce the energy consumption of A3 colour MFPs?

22 Energy Efficiency Software to shrink your carbon footprint.

CONTENTS

Carbon neutral office sets standard for the future

greenAgenda

sustainabletimes 03

TCO pushes the boundaries

Reflecting growing interest in green IT, TCO Development has unveiled a new labelling scheme that assesses a product’s green credentials, notably its recycled content, in addition to the energy efficiency and ergonomics addressed by existing TCO certification schemes.

TCO Certified Edge is a supplementary award for IT products

already meeting the TCO Certified criteria that set new standards for usability and environmental impact, with a particular focus on the use of recycled materials. In order to qualify for TCO Certified Edge accreditation, a monitor, for example, must contain a minimum of 65% post-consumer waste recycled plastic. www.tcodevelopment.com

Setting new standards: the Green Lighthouse in Copenhagen, Denmark

Velux Group is creating a series of six carbon neutral homes throughout Europe, as it seeks to provide a template for more sustainable housing that makes optimum use of daylight and fresh air.

The first of these homes – the Home for Life in Lystrup outside Denmark’s second largest city Aarhus – will be occupied by a family of four for a year, providing the building industry with the data needed to develop the next generation of climate-neutral buildings.

As part of the Model Home 2020 initiative, Velux has also developed a carbon neutral office building in conjunction with the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation; the University of Copenhagen; the City of Copenhagen; and window producer Velfac.

The Green Lighthouse, Denmark’s first public CO2-neutral building, is being used by the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen to house student services, such as careers advice, course information and a faculty club.

The 950m2 building is designed to consume 75% less energy than stipulated by existing building standards through the optimal use of daylight, a natural ventilation system and an automatic cooling and heating system.

The building is cooled through a combination of natural ventilation – the upper part of the windows open and close automatically in order to

allow fresh air to enter; thermo-active concrete floors that absorb heat; and skylights that allow heat to escape.

In winter, the solid construction and heavy-duty insulation of walls and the roof reduce heating demand, while thermo glass in windows minimises heat loss and helps the sun heat the building.

The building’s primary energy source is the sun. Solar cells and panels cover the roof, which is tilted to the South for maximum exposure to the sun’s rays. Heat is accumulated in the thermo-active concrete on the ground floor, which functions as the building’s main ‘radiator’ during winter. In summer, excess energy is stored underground and used during cloudy periods.

Other energy sources used by The Green Lighthouse include heating pumps and district heating.

Velux plans to open a Home for Life in the UK in the second quarter of 2010. www.greenlighthouse.ku.dk

04 sustainabletimes 0870 903 9500

greenAgenda

Best in show The Regional Agricultural Centre (RAC) at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate was joint winner in the Retail/Leisure Development category at the recent 2009 Estates Gazette Green Awards.

Judges praised the new £5 million home of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) for its “outstanding green credentials”, which include a timber frame, living sedum roof, sheep wool insulation and doors and washroom fittings made from recycled plastic bottles.

Designed by P+HS Architects, the RAC provides office space for the YAS, organiser of the Great Yorkshire Show; additional offices for rural businesses; and the Fodder regional food shop and café.

The RAC’s award-winning offices boast “outstanding green credentials” q

Smart grids on trial in Germany

Solar-powered water treatment Swedish company Solvatten has been named a Climate Solver by WWF on the strength of its solar-powered water treatment system.

The Swedish invention uses heat and UV from the sun and a built-in filter to treat contaminated water. Depending on weather conditions, it takes two to six hours to treat 10 litres of water. WWF has calculated that using the sun’s rays to treat water rather than boiling it on a stove has the potential to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 26 million tonnes by 2020. A further benefit of Solvatten is that it heats water during the treatment process, providing warm water for cooking, bathing or washing dishes, which further reduces the need for firewood. www.solvatten.se

Cisco, in conjunction with electricity supplier Yello Strom, is currently conducting a smart grid pilot in Germany.

Smart grids, or intelligent energy systems, that allow householders and businesses to communicate with the local power grid and power sources over an IP network are seen as an important weapon in the battle to reduce energy consumption and lower peak period demand.

The 70 homes and businesses participating in Cisco’s trial will use an online electricity meter to monitor electricity consumption in real time and an energy management system and smart plugs to control electricity usage.

Cisco claims that such technology can reduce energy consumption by around 10% or 15% if electrical items (such as dishwashers or washing machines) are time-delayed to operate

during off-peak periods. Over time, a reduction in peak

demand might enable power companies to roll-back reserve capacity, which is traditionally provided by gas- or oil-fired power stations. With a smart grid system in place, it would also be possible for consumers to provide some of the reserve supply through renewable energy sources, such as solar panels.

Cisco’s vision is for networking technology to provide an end-to-end infrastructure so that the entire electrical system can be managed as a single integrated entity, from generation to use in business and the home. Its inherent intelligence would enable such a network to sense and respond to changes in power supply and demand, improving the security and reliability of energy delivery and optimising operational costs.www.cisco.com

Black gold

Carbon Gold, Green & Black’s and the Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) are implementing a biochar project in Belize that is designed to boost cacao farmers’ incomes, improve soil fertility and capture carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as CO2.

TCGA farmers, who grow the Fairtrade cacao for the Green & Black’s organic Maya Gold chocolate, will be taught how to construct and operate units that convert prunings from the cacao trees into biochar that can then be ploughed back into the ground.

Biochar is a type of charcoal produced by heating biomass in a simple kiln so that its carbon content can be stabilised for hundreds if not thousands of years and prevented from re-entering the atmosphere. When mixed with soil, biochar enables greater moisture retention and reduces nitrous oxide and methane emissions. It also helps rebuild soil structure, vital in countries where soil quality is low.www.carbon-gold.com

t Solvatten’s solar-powered water treatment system reduces the need for firewood

p TCGA farmers wil be taught how to make biochar from cacao tree trimmings

sustainabletimes 05www.binfo.co.uk

Climate campaigners and governments are undermining the effectiveness of their message by focusing on nightmare scenarios rather than creating the vision of a low carbon heaven, Futerra Sustainability Communications argues in a new report.

In Sell the Sizzle: The New Climate Message, the communications agency advises activists to sell persuasive visions of what the world will be like if we meet carbon reduction targets; to implement five year plans rather than ones 20 or 40 years in the future; and to create action plans for everyone – families, organisations and communities.

Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of Futerra, said: “Climate hell has ruled the media for the past six months. Shock ads have sought to prove a point.

But the narrative has become a message that sells pure “hell”, and it can surely be no coincidence that the climate change movement has gathered more detractors as a result.

“It’s time to find the sizzle – to make climate behaviours and policies appetizing to our audiences and to build a vision of a positive future. The building blocks of these visions should be valuable, irrespective of climate change. Upgrading our energy sector, protecting our big green spaces (like the Amazon) and little green spaces (like our parks), living healthier lifestyles and cutting pollution; we’d want these whatever the circumstances. It’s this sizzle, and this sizzle only, that can sell widespread action on climate change.”

The report can be downloaded from the Futerra website: www.futerra.co.uk

Centralised print strategy key to cutting carbon emissions

UK householders must insulate to cut costs UK homeowners are wasting £2.9 billion a year and unnecessarily pumping 15.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a new report by insulation producer Rockwell.

Its research shows that one in four homes (28%) does not have loft insulation, 58% have no cavity wall insulation and the same number (58%) have no lagging on pipes.

In light of these findings, Rockwell is urging homeowners to visit the Energy Savings Trust (EST) website to find details of any grants or discounts that are available. EST estimates that installing loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and pipe lagging in an average three-bedroom property would cost £510 and reduce fuel bills by £275. www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

greenAgenda…

Philips lights up the pitchPhilips has developed a solar-powered LED floodlight that will enable people with little or no access to electricity to participate in social, educational, cultural, sporting and commercial activities long into the night. Each lamp can light up an area of 20 x 40 metres and provides 8 hours’ illumination on a single charge. www.philips.com/offgridlighting It is time to accentuate

the positive, argues Futerra

Less is moreToshiba Electronics Europe has cut the amount of plastic used in the packaging for its memory cards and USB flash drives by 60%. Moving from conventional blister packs to slimmer, lighter paperboard packaging has also reduced shipping and storage requirements. www.toshiba-components.com

The growing appeal of bambooDell has started using packaging made from bamboo as an alternative to moulded paper pulp, foam and corrugate. Trays made from the fast-growing, renewable material are being used to cushion Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks. Dell plans to expand its use of bamboo packaging to more products in early 2010. Bamboo can grow up to 24 inches per day and reaches full harvesting maturity in three to seven years, significantly faster than hardwoods. www.dell.com

Businesses in the UK and Ireland are missing a great opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by failing to implement a centralised document governance strategy, Ricoh warns.

According to a new study by the printer company, just one in three businesses sets targets and audits the environmental impact of their document production, compared to 66% who set cost reduction goals, despite the positive impact that the latter can have on an organisation’s sustainability goals.

Ricoh argues that a centralised document governance strategy is the first step to identifying environmental savings, as it will enable organisations to gather the company-wide data needed to measure, monitor and manage print, and the means to implement tactical quick wins, such as two-sided printing.

Its survey of 311 decision makers in medium and large organisations found that just 18% had implemented a company-wide policy on two-sided (duplex) printing. http://research.ricoh-europe.com/uk

Green card The Institute of Direct Marketing has issued its 4,000 plus members with a new membership card made out of Ingeo PLA, a plastic made from sugar beet, potatoes and switchgrass. The cards are just one of the environmentally friendly options in the ecocard range from The Plastic Card Shop. Others include cards made from recycled PVC or recyclable PETg plastic; and the Bloomcard, which is made from recycled junk mail and incorporates wild flower seeds that will grow and flower if the card is planted after use. www.eco-card.co.uk


Servers waste $25 billion a year

greenAgendaTop Ten TipsThe Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) claims that small and medium-sized businesses could save £6.4 billion by adopting the following waste reductions initiatives:

1. Turn off all office equipment when you’re not using it – overnight, at weekends and during bank holidays. Savings for just a single computer and monitor could be as much as £35 a year.

2. Cut lighting costs by as much as 15% by turning off lights in empty rooms and using energy efficient lightbulbs.

3. Turn off taps and fix any drips. A constantly dripping tap can waste 500,000 litres of water per year. This could cost your business about £400 per year.

4. Improve waste management and save 4% of your turnover. Partner with businesses to recycle waste or sell it to be used as raw materials.

5. Turn the thermostat down by one degree and save 8% on your company’s heating bill.

6. Ask suppliers about take-back schemes for unused products. You may be able to get your money back, or at least a portion of the cost.

7. Save up to 1 month’s worth of fuel through smarter driving, such as reducing loads or good maintenance.

8. Invest in efficient equipment to help cut your energy, transport and water costs. Government support includes interest-free Energy Efficiency Loans delivered through the Carbon Trust.

9. Print smarter. Use email where possible; set your PC to print double-sided; and refill printer, fax and photocopier cartridges. Refilling an inkjet cartridge costs half as much as buying a new one.

10. Always publicise your commitment to reducing your environmental impact. More than a third of consumers favour recyclable products or those with minimal packaging.

www.businesslink.gov.uk/savingmoney

UK businesses missing an open goalOrganisations in office blocks and large buildings are missing ‘an open goal’ when it comes to energy-saving initiatives by failing to implement voltage optimisation technology.

Leading UK green tech company powerProtector claims that its ‘green box’ can cut electricity usage by as much as 20% without compromising supply, much more than can be gained through voluntary workplace schemes such as paper recycling, switching-off computers at night and biking to work.

The Japanese invention works by regulating and optimising the amount of electricity used by a building: due to the design of the National Grid, buildings typically use much more electricity than is needed. PowerPerfector claims that the Green Boxes have already generated savings of £24 million for UK customers.www.powerperfector.com

Multi-use computing made easy by HP The combined forces of Microsoft, HP and Displaylink are used in a new low cost computing solution that, like similar offerings from NComputing, is ideal for education, emerging markets and large multi-seat installations where a complete PC for every person isn’t affordable or practical

Based on Windows Multipoint Server 2010 and energy-efficient HP thin clients, the solution enables up to 10 people to share the processing power of a single PC, with a separate desktop experience on each monitor.

By removing the need for additional video graphics hardware and enabling the thin clients to connect via a standard USB cable, DisplayLink’s USB virtual graphics technology removes complexity and keeps costs low.

All that’s required is a single PC running Windows MultiPoint Server, solid state thin client access devices with DisplayLink software and a standard USB 2.0 cable instead of proprietary connection technology.

With a power consumption of 2.5 watts per user, the HP MultiSeat solution reduces energy use by 80%.

www.hp.com www.displaylink.com/thin_client.html

Green curtains prevent solar gain at Kyocera Kyocera has come up with an imaginative solution to solar gain in 12 of its Japanese manufacturing and office buildings. Fast growing ‘green curtains’ of morning glory, peas and goya (a bitter gourd and traditional summer vegetable of Okinawa) shade south facing windows in the summer months, preventing direct sunlight from entering and reducing the need for air-conditioning. Tests show that the foliage lowers the temperature of the outer wall area by as much as 15 degrees centigrade, whilst also providing a relaxing working atmosphere and a source of food for the staff canteen. Last summer, the ‘green curtains’ covered a total area of 775 square metres and absorbed approximately 2,713kg of CO2, as much as 194 cedar trees.www.kyocera.com

Businesses are wasting millions of pounds on servers that perform no useful function but still consume energy and take up room.

A Kelton Research study commissioned by 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy found that as many as 15% of servers – 4.7 million globally – do nothing, wasting $25 billion a year.

Almost three quarters of server managers (72%) admitted that they rely on CPU utilisation as the measure of server efficiency, even though a CPU may simply be doing routine maintenance tasks that provide no business value. Two thirds (63%) rely on manual checks, trial and error or wait

until something is broken to find unused servers.

Yet, this is still an area server managers are eager to address: 65% have virtualised unused servers and almost one in three (32%) is seeking a solution to virtual server sprawl.

1E’s recently launched NightWatchman Server Edition can help server managers identify which servers should be decommissioned by providing detailed information on server efficiency and power consumption. The software also includes Drowsy Server technology, which continually monitors activity and dynamically minimises energy consumption. www.1e.com

Carbon counterVersion One has developed a carbon calculator for its electronic document management systems. The Green Meter calculates the carbon and paper saved by using an EDM system to store and route documents electronically.01625 856505 www.versionone.co.uk www.ecogecko.org

Headset recyclingRecyleMyHeadset.co.uk provides office and call centre managers with a simple way to recycle obsolete, unwanted or damaged headsets and telephony equipment. To encourage people to take advantage of the service, Voice Active Group is offering money-off vouchers that can be redeemed against more than 12,000 consumer and office products. 0800 019 0234

IN B

RIE

F

RENEW FREERECYCLINGSCHEME

3 YEARS100 OUT OF 100

RUNNING

If ethics are high on your list,take a look at the top of this one

Judging categories: Environment, animal welfare and human rights.

100908580706560555540

BrotherKyoceraLexmarkKonicaEpsonXeroxCanon

DellSamsung

HP

123456789

10

ETHICAL COMPANYINDEX SCORECOMPANYPOSITION

It’s good to know Brother has come first yet again for its environmental and ethical strategies. And as we’re the only printer and fax manufacturer to do so, which name should top your list?

To find out more: www.brothergreen.co.uk or call 08444 999 444 quoting ST/12/09* Source www.ethical-company-organisation.org – 2009

*


greenAgenda

Cost-conscious fleet managers and company car drivers are choosing low emission vehicles in record numbers and continuing to travel fewer miles, according to new research from ALD Automotive, which operates 50,000 vehicles on contract hire, contract purchase, conditional sale and fleet management. Its analysis of customers’ driving choices from 2003 to 2009 shows that average CO2 emissions of new company cars added to its fleet have dropped from 167 g/km in 2003 to 147 g/km in 2009. Over the same period, the average annual contracted mileage for company cars has fallen from 22,475 to 18,127 miles. www.aldautomotive.com

Cut your engine in a jam Britain’s drivers are being encouraged to conserve fuel by turning off their engines when stuck in traffic jams, a practice currently observed by just 5% of drivers.

According to mobile resource management company Trimble, idling the engine for more than 10 seconds consumes more fuel than switching off and restarting, while idling for two minutes uses the same amount of fuel as driving for 1 mile.

Trimble MD Andrew Yeoman said: “Road transport is the third largest source of UK greenhouse gases and accounts for over 20% of total emissions. It is easy to leave the engine running while taking care of other things but the vehicle is being ineffective and burning excessive fuel.

“If a driver is parked at the side of the road to complete paperwork or make a call or even making a delivery which lasts more than 10 seconds, the engine should be switched off.”

In recent tests with a lorry fleet, Trimble proved that reducing idle time when not moving to 10 minutes a day instead of an hour could reduce CO2 emissions by 1,297kg each year per vehicle.

Further savings can be achieved by fitting vehicles with Trimble’s Driver DNA box which records where vehicles are travelling and how they are being driven, as well as whether the engine is left on when the vehicle isn’t moving.

Trimble’s own research with a cross section of commercial drivers on an 8 mile track showed that different driving styles can affect fuel consumption by as much as 17 miles per gallon.www.trimble.com

Big surge in car club membershipCost saving initiatives by customers has caused business membership of Streetcar, the UK’s largest car club, to double in the last 12 months.

Streetcar, which hires VW Golfs, Polos and Transporter vans on a pay-as-you-go basis, has seen its

corporate membership rise from 900 to almost 2,000 as organisations look for alternatives to owning their own fleet or using private hire vehicles.

Cars can be booked online for periods as short as one hour and collected from 1,000 locations in seven cities (London, Brighton, Cambridge, Southampton, Guildford, Maidstone and Oxford).

Surrey County Council (SCC) is typical of the new breed of Streetcar user. It has registered 164 employees with the car club, giving them access to 1,670 Streetcar vehicles on an on-demand basis.

This arrangement gives SCC the convenience of a car fleet, but without its fixed costs, depreciation and management burden. SCC has calculated that using Streetcar rather than its own fleet of pool cars has cut the cost per mile by 22.55%.

According to Kay Hammond, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, it has also helped SCC reduce its carbon footprint. “It encourages our staff to walk to work or use public transport in the knowledge they have access to a car for business purposes. This is helping us reduce our carbon footprint and ease traffic congestion,” she said.

In the last 12 months, Streetcar has also more than doubled its private membership to 75,000. Independent research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 26 privately owned cars. This is because each car has an average of 40 users, more than half of whom choose not to buy (or replace) a car when they join a car club.

www.streetcar.co.uk

Low cost route planning The AA and business efficiency specialist Postcode Anywhere have unveiled an online route optimiser for hauliers and couriers that could cut fuel, journey times, labour costs and carbon emissions by up to 30%.

Route Optimiser uses sophisticated maths to plan the shortest routes for single vehicles or whole fleets, taking into account the vehicle’s height, weight and width. The service hosted by Postcode Anywhere is available from as little as £80 for single-vehicle couriers. www.routeoptimiser.com

World’s first sustainable racing car This may look like any other Formula 3 racing car, but in other respects it is very different. Developed by researchers at the University of Warwick, ‘the world’s first green racing car’ is made from a variety of sustainable materials including woven hemp (the chassis), carrot pulp (the steering wheel), recycled carbon fibre and resin from plastic drinks bottles. It runs on fuel made from chocolate and animal fats and is lubricated with plant oils. Yet it can still achieve 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of 135 mph. The project led by Dr Kerry Kirwan was funded with a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). www.impactworld.org.uk www.epsrc.ac.uk

In the shade An array of 516 solar panels in the car park at Dell’s Round Rock, Texas campus provides shade for 50 parking spaces and powers two charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles. The installation is designed to generate 130,000 kilowatt hours of solar power annually, helping to avoid 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. www.dell.com

Is this the future of racing? The world’s first sustainable racing car is partly made from carrot pulp

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Recycled stationery is often described as a low hanging fruit for businesses with sustainable purchasing strategies. Simple, low value items and a wide variety of recycled paper and board products mean that it has been easy and largely inexpensive for organisations to green their offices.

For many years, the simplest approach was to adopt recycled paper products. However, in recent years suppliers have embraced additional green materials, including recycled plastics and, more controversially, compostable and biodegradable plastic.

All three options were much in evidence at the Spicers SOS ’09 office products show held at the NEC Birmingham in December.

Recycled plasticRecycled plastic is now used to manufacture a wide range of recycled products from files and folders (e.g. the recycled polypropylene Exactive Green Filing range from Tollit & Harvey) to desktop accessories (e.g. Avery’s recycled DTR Eco desk tidies) and calculators.

Last year Canon made headlines with the launch of a calculator made out of recycled plastic from old photocopiers, and competition has been growing ever since. At SOS, almost all calculator manufacturers were showing recycled versions of their products, and even those that weren’t, such as Sharp, are planning to launch ones soon.

Casio’s Eco calculators are typical. They have exactly the same features as standard models, but boast a 100% recycled plastic case and mercury-free batteries. With prices ranging from £6.99 to £20, the DF-120ECO-W, JF-120ECO-W and SL-305ECO-W cost

about 10% more than standard versions.Aurora has gone one stage further

with its Eco-Calc range by dispensing with batteries altogether. Unlike the company’s standard calculators, which have dual power sources (battery and solar), Eco-Calc calculators are powered solely by light. Another benefit of Aurora’s offering is that the calculators are made from post-consumer waste. Recycled content varies from 50% to 80%.

Recycled plastic products have a lower carbon footprint than virgin plastic ones, whilst also diverting waste from landfill or incineration. However, they still suffer from the same drawbacks as other plastic products, notably the amount of space they will eventually take up in landfill and the time it takes for them to degrade.

Businesses that want to reduce the environmental impact of plastic purchases are increasingly

being offered sustainable alternatives made either from bio-plastics or oxy-

biodegradable polypropylene. Although both varieties of plastic purport to be environmentally-sensitive, they have very different properties.

Bio-plasticsBio-plastics are made from renewable agricultural products and take a matter of months to completely biodegrade in commercial composting facilities. They can also be recycled, but the infrastructure and volume of material needed for large-scale recycling do not yet exist.

At SOS, Sanford was showing the Paper:Mate Eco, a biodegradable pen made with a corn-based bioplastic. Paper:Mate advises customers to disassemble the pen and bury the biodegradable parts in soil or

compost, putting the other parts in the bin. However, the pen is refillable, so a more responsible approach would be to refill it, ideally more than once.

Bio-plastics have their critics, but demand for the material is growing. A new study by the University of Utrecht predicts that demand will grow from 360,000 tons in 2007 to 2.3 million tons by 2013 and that the material has the potential to replace 90% of existing plastic consumption.

Oxy-biodegradable plasticsOxy-biodegradable plastics are another ‘green’ option. They are made from normal plastic (typically polyethylene or polypropylene) with a special additive that accelerates the degradation process.

Unlike bio-plastics, oxy-biodegradable plastics are designed to be recycled in the normal waste stream, while offering the reassurance that they will be ‘completely bio-assimilated’ by naturally occurring micro-organisms, if disposed of in an environment with oxygen, light and moisture.

At SOS a number of companies unveiled new products made from this material. Stewart Senior, which has been selling oxy-biodegradable filing products under the sseco brand for at least 12 months, has extended its range to include janitorial supplies, such as vending cups and bin liners; Snopake unveiled the Polyfile Bio2 range of filing and display products; and Rapesco, best known for its stapling and punching equipment, previewed a seven-strong range of biodegradable filing products including popper wallets, clip files and ring binders.

Oxy-biodegradable plastic, too, has its critics. Detractors point out that it will not degrade in tightly packed landfill and that it will never bio-degrade completely, but simply break down into smaller and smaller pieces.

ConclusionFor business buyers, green plastics represent something of a minefield. In addition to doubts over their benefits and environmental impact, there are numerous practical considerations.

Purchasing managers might choose to replace plastic folders with bio-plastic ones. But what then? Will end users be able to tell the difference between oxo-biodegradable, PLA or conventional plastic products? Will the company have to set up separate disposal systems for different types of plastic? How do you prevent contamination of the different waste streams?

Given the uncertainties involved, the absence of international standards, the lack of agreed labelling systems and the availability of polypropylene recycling, it may, in the short term, be better to stick with (and recycle) the devil you know.

To find out more about the merits and drawbacks of the two materials, please visit the websites of the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association (www.biodeg.org) and European Bioplastics (www.european-bioplastics.org).

Better thedevil youknow?

Aurora Eco-Calc: recycled plastic

More and more stationery suppliers are launching products made from bio-plastics or oxy-biodegradable plastics. But how practical are they?

Snopake Polyfile Bio2: Oxy-biodegradeable

plastics

Rapesco filing: Oxy-biodegradeable plastics

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Investing in a better future

With environmental conservation now a global concern, Konica Minolta is working hard to ensure that it does its part to minimise the environmental impact of its business activities.

Because of its green credentials Konica Minolta was recently selected as a main partner for the UN’s 2009 Climate Conference COP15 (the 15th Conference of the Parties), in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company provided more than 30 bizhub colour multifunctionals and monochrome production printing systems, with a total value of €2 million. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the bizhub document imaging systems met the printing, copying, scanning and faxing needs of all participants from the UN and delegates prior to and during COP15.

Konica Minolta has several programmes to minimise its impact on the global environment, such as its Zero Waste initiative and the company complies with the ideals of the UN climate convention. Last year, two of the company’s bizhub colour multifunctionals (bizhub C550 and bizhub C650) earned the Energy Conservation Grand Prize for Excellent Energy Conservation Equipment from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, for being highly efficient and environmentally sound.

Recently the company also signed the UN’s Global Compact agreement. This initiative aims to solve various increasingly serious issues such as global warming, environmental concerns and social disparities by encouraging each participating company to fulfil sustainable growth and development.

At COP15 Konica Minolta was one of seven of the largest companies in the IT industry to take part in the Green IT Panel to discuss ways in which IT can provide global solutions for reducing carbon emissions. Ken Osuga, Vice President Business Operations at Konica Minolta Business Solutions, presented the company’s initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide in manufacturing, product use and recycling.

One of Konica Minolta’s primary objectives is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent through the life cycle of products in the financial year 2015 compared with 2005. For example, production of Konica Minolta’s unique Simitri HD polymerised toners generates 40 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than earlier pulverised toners. These toners also reduce the energy consumption of printing and copying systems by up to 20 percent due to a lower melting point. These efforts were a decisive factor in the UN’s choice of Konica Minolta as one of its main sponsors for the Copenhagen climate change conference.

bizhub C452 is energy efficientKonica Minolta’s comprehensive environmental management is ISO certified and its bizhub multifunctionals qualify for the Energy Star rating. These systems consume about half the power used by standard devices. One of the latest models, the bizhub C452 has a TEC (typical energy consumption) of about 60 percent below the latest Energy Star requirements.

Induction Heating fusing technology means that the bizhub C452 is the most eco-friendly colour multifunctional in its class. Technological enhancements also give a warm up time of only 45 seconds from cold. The use of Konica Minolta’s patented Simitri HD Polymerised Toner, with smaller, smoother, more uniform toner particles allows fusing at lower temperatures and produces high quality images with a wider colour gamut.

The bizhub C452 has a 45 prints per minute output speed in black-and-white or colour. Designed for intensive workgroup use, the bizhub C452 has an impressive array of high-productivity features.

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12 sustainabletimes


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New bizhubs have improved environmental performance

Konica Minolta’s three new mid-range multifunctionals feature a series of technical innovations for improved, environmentally friendly performance. The bizhub C220, bizhub C280 and bizhub C360 offer 22, 28 and 36 prints per minute respectively in black-and-white or colour. Network print, copy and high-speed network scanning are standard features with optional fax functionality.

bizhub C220, C280 and C360 have TEC (typical electricity consumption) values that are amongst the lowest in their class. The systems switch to energy-saving mode faster and consume considerably less power in sleep mode than previous models. This eco-friendly operation also helps to save running costs and keeps all three models well within the latest regulations of the Energy Star and the German Blue Angel standards.

New technologies reduce environmental impact• IH fusing

Many of the latest bizhubs from Konica Minolta use Induction Heating (IH) fusing technology. IH is an instant heat source enabling image fusing at lower temperatures than conventional fusing. IH relies on electrical currents within the material to produce heat, making it very safe.

Lower temperature fusing of images requires less energy and the reduced heat means the paper curls less as a result of drying. This results in greater

operating reliability because there are fewer paper misfeeds as a result of paper curl. For duplex printing (double sided) this is especially important because the sheet of paper has to pass through the machine twice.

An added benefit of IH is that the machine warm up time is reduced significantly. Using the IH fusing technology has allowed Konica Minolta to shorten this warm-up time considerably, resulting in a successful reduction of ready mode power consumption.

• Extra-quiet operationThe latest bizhubs, such as the bizhub C220, C280 and C360, have extremely quiet operation so they are very comfortable to work with and perfectly suited for installation in any location, even in open-plan offices. Numerous technical improvements throughout the systems, including steps to eliminate or reduce unpleasant noises, such as fan noise, have greatly reduced the operating noise and optimised the systems’ overall noise emission. As a result, all three bizhubs are top of the class in their extra-quiet operation.

• Simitri® HD polymerised tonerThe low energy consumption of the new bizhubs is due in part to Konica Minolta’s state-of-the-art fusing technology with Simitri® HD polymerised toner fixing at lower temperatures, for minimal warm-up time and maximum energy efficiency. In addition the bizhubs’ imaging quality benefits from using Simitri® HD polymerised toner because it has

smaller, smoother, more uniform toner particles for more even distribution, significantly better fine line definition, and better solid fills. As a result Simitri® HD produces high quality images with a wider colour gamut

As Simitri HD toner needs no oil for fusing, it produces natural-looking, low-gloss documents that can be written on and to which sticky notes or stamps can be attached. Simitri HD is more environmentally friendly too, with reduced emissions generated in the manufacturing process.

Konica Minolta wins the prestigious Green Apple Award

The project ‘Going Green with the Blues’ has been designed in conjunction with Southend United Community Trust to promote positive social behaviour and environmental awareness amongst the local community. The project provides an innovative environmental training programme for primary school children to enable them to make more confident and informed ‘green’ choices and to positively influence family and friends on green issues.

The award-winning project will be featured in the next Green Book, the world’s only work of reference on environmental best practice. The Green Apple Awards campaign is run by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-profit organisation that recognises, rewards and promotes environmental best practice around the world.

National Organiser for The Green Organisation Roger Wolens commented, “To show continued interest in environmental issues during the current financial climate shows great foresight and they deserve the recognition of being Green Apple Award winners. They invest in a better future for us all and deserve to be recognised for their efforts.”www.konicaminolta.co.uk 0800 833864

bizhub C220

Green Apple Award from left: Richard Pearce (Head of Corporate

Services, Konica Minolta) Pat Roberts (Quality and Environment Officer, Konica

Minolta), Alexandra Bastedo (awards presenter), Claire Ham (Quality and

Environment Manager, Konica Minolta) and Natasha Jugessur (Quality and

Environment Officer, Konica Minolta)

Induction Heating technology


The amount of energy consumed by LCD monitors may be small, but that is no reason not to choose the most energy-efficient options available. Energy Star has calculated that if all the displays sold in the US met the new Energy Star Displays certification, US consumers and businesses would save about $1 billion in energy costs. Today, the most efficient desktop monitors are LCD screens with LED backlights, which typically consume half as much energy as standard LCD screens. Another aspect that purchasers need to consider when assessing a screen’s eco-credentials is the nature of the materials used in its manufacture – their toxicity, recycled content and recyclability. While (almost) all the monitors in this round-up have impressively low energy consumption, only a few boast the greenest manufacturing qualities.

12

Acer S243HLSize and Type: 24-inch widescreen LCD with white LED backlightsAccreditation: TCO 03, Energy Star 5.0Power On: 17.15WPower Sleep: 0.55WScreen thickness: 15mmWeight: 6.5kgResolution: 1920 x 1080Response Time: 2 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 8,000,000:1Built-in Features: Speakerswww.acer.co.uk

Dell G2210Size and Type: 22-inch widescreen LCD with White LEDAccreditation: EPEAT Gold, Energy Star 5.0, TCO 03Power On: 18WPower Sleep: 0.15WScreen thickness: 157mmWeight: 3.42kg (panel only)Resolution: 1680 x 1050Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1000:1Built-in Features: Ambient Light Sensor, Powernap and Dynamic Dimming help reduce power consumption. Comments: The external chassis includes at least 25% post-consumer recycled plastic; and the monitor and cables are free of arsenic, mercury, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), BFR and CFR. It is 20% slimmer and weighs 28% less than previous Dell widescreen monitors and comes in smaller packaging with recycled corrugated cardboard instead of foam. Price: £169www.dell.co.uk

LG Electronics W2486LSize and Type: 24-inch LCD screen with White LED backlightsPower On: 22WPower Sleep: 1WScreen thickness: 20mmWeight: 4.7kgResolution: 1920 x 1080Response Time: 2 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

www.lge.com

green screens

EIZO FlexScan EV2313WSize and Type: 23-inch widescreen LCD with mercury-free LED Accreditation: EPEAT Gold; TCO 5.1, Energy Star 5.0Power On: 16W typical 32W maximumPower Sleep: 0.9WScreen thickness: 44mmWeight: 3.4kg (without stand)Resolution: 1920 x 1080Response Time: 4 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1,000:1Built-in Features: Speakers; presence detector. Comments: Eizo’s most energy-efficient monitor has 60% lower energy consumption than the company’s previous CCFL backlit 22in monitor. It is also 37% thinner and 40% lighter. Energy saving features include the Auto EcoView ambient brightness sensor, which adjusts screen brightness automatically; and the EcoView Sense presence detector. This prompts the monitor to switch to energy save mode when it senses that no one has been in front of the screen for 70 seconds and then return to normal operation when the user returns. Optional Eizo EcoView NET software gives centralised control of power settings.www.eizo.co.uk

NEC MultiSync EA222WMeSize and Type: 22-inch widescreen LCD with White LED backlightsAccreditations: EPEAT Gold (black version)/EPEAT Silver (white version)’ TCO 5.0; Energy Star 5.0; iF Product Design Award 2009Power On: 23W (13W Eco Mode 2)Power Standby: 0.5WScreen thickness (without stand): 71.8mmWeight (with stand): 7kgResolution: 1680 x 1050Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1000:1Built-in Features: Two loudspeakers; height adjustability; screen pivot function.Comments: An inbuilt ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the screen brightness to match the varying lighting conditions at the workplace. This ensures ergonomic and energy efficient usage. With a single push of the NEC One-Touch Eco Button, the user can switch the monitor to Eco mode, reducing energy consumption even further. A carbon savings meter keeps a running total of reductions in CO2 emissions achieved by operating the monitor in Eco mode.Price: £269www.nec-display-solutions.com


Benq V2400 EcoSize and Type: 24-inch LED WidescreenAccreditations: EPEAT Gold; Energy Star 5.0; TCO 5.0; EuP Energy, 2009 Good Design AwardPower On: 28WPower Standby: 0.5WScreen thickness (with stand): 182mmWeight: 4.9kgResolution: 1920 x 1080Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1000:1Comments: Benq LED monitors consume approximately 36% less energy than traditional CCFL displays, while also being 14.6% lighter and 21.2% thinner. Eco Mode reduces power consumption by an additional 30%. LED panels are mercury-free. The 100% recyclable monitor frame contains 28% recycled plastics and is coating- and print-free.Price: £199www.benq.co.uk

AG Neovo U-17Size and Type: 17-inch TFT LCDAccreditation: Energy StarPower On: 25WPower Sleep: 1WScreen thickness: 174mmWeight: 5.7kgResolution: 1280 x 1024Response Time: 3 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1,000:1Built-in Features: Speakers; headphone jack; USB portComments: AG Neovo claims this display is 50% more energy-efficient than conventional LCDs and 67% more than CRT displays. Eco Switch reduces energy consumption to 0 Watts.www.agneovo.com

Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x WideSize and Type: 22-inch widescreen LCD display with white LED backlightAccreditation: TCO 5.0; TCO Certified Edge; Energy Star 5.0, EPEAT GoldPower On: 20WPower Standby: 1WWeight: 5.63kgResolution: 1680 x 1050Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1,000:1Built-in Features: Integrated webcam; USB hub; Ambient light sensor; Proximity sensor turns screen off when no one is present. LG has calculated that office workers are away from their desks for 22% of the working day. Stand tilts, swivels and pivots. Comments: Chassis incorporates no virgin plastic and a minimum of 65% post-consumer recycled plastic. 92% recycled packaging materials. Price: £250www.lenovo.co.uk

Samsung XL2370Size and Type: 23-inch LCD with LED backlightsAccreditation: EPEAT Gold,Power On: 28WPower Standby: 1.3WScreen thickness: 65.5mmWeight: 5.8kgResolution: 1920 x 1080Response Time: 2 millisecondsBrightness: 300 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1,000:1Comments: The monitor is VOC, lead and mercury-free and 100% recyclable. The stylish Touch of Colour design eliminates the use of spray paints. www.samsung.co.uk

HP LE2201wSize and Type: 22-inch widescreen LCD monitorAccreditation: TCO 5.0; Energy Star 5.0Power On: 35WPower Standby: 2WScreen thickness: 60mmWeight: 5.2kgResolution: 1680 x 1050Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1000:1Comments: HP’s most energy-efficient large-screen Essentials monitor. The panel and stand are BFR, PVC and arsenic-free and the monitor itself has 50% less mercury than previous models.Price: £128www.hp.co.uk

Apple LED Cinema DisplaySize and Type: 24-inch widescreen LED displayPower Standby: 1WScreen thickness: 197.1mmWeight: 9.5kgResolution: 1920 x 1200Response Time: 14 millisecondsBrightness: 330 cd/m2

Contrast ratio: 1000:1Built-in Features: Camera, microphone and speakers, 3 USB 2.0 ports, MagSafe connector for charging a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, Mini DisplayPort connector for Apple notebooks and desktops.Comments: The greenest display Apple has created. Like most LED models, the display is arsenic and mercury-free. In addition, internal components and cables are BFR- and PVC-free. www.apple.com

Viewsonic VX1932WMSize and Type: 19-inch widescreen LCD with White LED backlightAccreditation: Energy Star 5.0, TCO 5.0Power On: 15WScreen thickness: 66mmWeight: 4.7kgResolution: 1440 x 900Response Time: 5 millisecondsBrightness: 250 cd/m2 Contrast ratio: 1000:1Built-in Features: SpeakersComments: The newest addition to Viewsonic’s green range features a mercury-free WLED backlight. www.viewsonic.com

Lexmark printers can help you save the environment.

To understand why Lexmark are the Print Experts and to find out how you can Print Less, Save More visit: www.printless.co.uk

save money

save time

save the environment

In today’s climate, going green and reducing environmental impact are a global concern. Lexmark can help you save money, increase productivity and reduce paper consumption. Through features such as secure print, follow me print on demand, 2-sided printing, wireless technology and high yield cartridges you’ll cut your printing costs considerably. Our range of printers are designed to suit every home, student and business need, and they’re backed by industry leading guarantees. 75% of the world’s top banks and retailers use Lexmark, that’s what makes us the natural choice.

Inkjet, Laser and Multifunction Printing Solutions


1. Assess Your Office Culture Review your ‘meeting culture’. Is time

and money being wasted on travel? Managers questioned in our study felt that 40% of face-to-face meetings that required travel could be conducted via video conference and be just as effective. Are employees willing to adapt and change their meeting culture?

2. Build a Business Case After making a cultural assessment,

build a business case outlining any financial savings, reductions in the carbon footprint and improvements in employee productivity. ‘Soft’ benefits, such as an improved work/life balance for employees, should also be included.

3. Ensure Best Fit Video Communications can be split

into four categories: telepresence, which provides a fully immersive experience through high-definition video, multiple reactive cameras and ambient lighting; high definition video-conferencing, for in-room group conferences; personal desktop video conferencing for interactive, one-on-one meetings; and video

conferencing on a mobile or laptop, for a mobile workforce. Working out where VC can bring savings will help you align your business needs with the right VC solution.

4. Demystify Visual Communications Perceptions

VC is not an all or nothing technology. It should be used when and where it is appropriate. Integrating it into your overall Unified Communications strategy will enable employees to use the VC system wherever they are.

5. Gain End User Buy In Getting a critical mass of end-users

to use the system is key to the success of VC. Making a VC call is just as simple as making a phone call, yet employees may still be unsure about the technology. Providing a user-friendly interface and operating procedure will speed up employee acceptance, but you should still set up an IT help point and offer training.

6. Secure Management Sponsorship Having the backing of senior

managers is a huge benefit when implementing a VC system. Ensure senior managers become advocates of its benefits; encourage them to

offer incentives to reduce travel costs; and lead by example.

7. Communicate Consultation and responsiveness to

feedback can make the difference between success and failure. Select champions to pilot the system and share their feedback so that any issues can be addressed. Even people who don’t need to use VC must be encouraged to buy into the project and promote its benefits.

8. Assess your IT Infrastructure Once VC requirements are set, assess

the technical requirements of each aspect of the system and cross-reference them against your current IT infrastructure and network. If a dedicated VC room is required, it will need to be designed and decorated to tight specifications, especially when installing a Telepresence suite. Physical factors such as adequate air-conditioning and room size must be taken into account.

9. Address IT Integration Address how the VC system

integrates with the communication environment as a whole, e.g. how it integrates with a wider unified communications strategy. Multi-national organisations should consider the extent to which IT infrastructures across different regions will be standardised to enable the VC platform.

10. Achieve your Vision The benefits of Visual

Communications are commensurate with a business’s ambition. Make sure your initial solution can develop to meet changing business requirements.

www.dimensiondata.com

Amey employees have been enjoying a better work:life balance since implementing Tandberg videoconferencing systems (see case study below).

Dimension Data plc is a specialist IT services and solution provider, with expertise in networking, converged communications; security; datacentres; contact centre technologies; and consulting, integration and managed services.

Seeing is believing

Amey has saved £180,000 on travel costs and reduced its carbon emissions by 40,000 tonnes in its first year of using video conferencing systems from Tandberg.

One of the UK’s leading public services companies, Amey manages and supports vital infrastructure and public services from 200 sites. The nature of its business means that Amey’s 11,000 employees travel extensively, so much so that travel and transport accounts for 80% of the company’s carbon footprint.

As part of a smarter working initiative to reduce carbon emissions and the safety risks associated with constant travelling, Amey

has installed TANDBERG video conferencing systems in 50 sites across the UK.

“Lots of people were driving long distances for fairly short, routine meetings,” explained Keith Sexton, Amey’s Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality. “We have worked on a solution that will drive productivity and increase safety while reducing Amey’s carbon footprint.”

In addition to cost and carbon savings, Tandberg’s equipment has helped Amey improve employees’ work-life balance, productivity, competitiveness and internal communications.

Holding video conferences has become so popular that the company estimates it has achieved a 78% return-on-investment in its first year of use.

This, as Ewell explains, has not gone unnoticed in Spain, home of Amey’s parent company, Ferrovial. “Good news travels fast, and Ferrovial itself is interested in taking video conferencing group-wide. The ROI for video conferencing is so transparent it’s just not arguable – it’s a very easy business case to make,” he said. www.tandberg.com

Tandberg helps Amey cut CO2 emissions and travel costs

A recent Dimension Data study of 500 UK managers showed that although 68% of them have access to conferencing technology, 75% of this group use it only occasionally or never.

This indicates that many business people are still unsure how to make the best use of VC technology and are missing out on its many benefits, including reduced travel costs and better use of executives’ time (see box). So what steps should businesses take to ensure that they get maximum value from their investment?

Andrew Coulsen, CEO of Dimension Data, has the following Top Ten Tips for successful visual communications.

Lexmark printers can help you save the environment.

To understand why Lexmark are the Print Experts and to find out how you can Print Less, Save More visit: www.printless.co.uk

save money

save time

save the environment

In today’s climate, going green and reducing environmental impact are a global concern. Lexmark can help you save money, increase productivity and reduce paper consumption. Through features such as secure print, follow me print on demand, 2-sided printing, wireless technology and high yield cartridges you’ll cut your printing costs considerably. Our range of printers are designed to suit every home, student and business need, and they’re backed by industry leading guarantees. 75% of the world’s top banks and retailers use Lexmark, that’s what makes us the natural choice.

Inkjet, Laser and Multifunction Printing Solutions

Chart topper Apple’s Mac mini has shot to the top of the sust-it energy efficiency chart for computers. Sust-it ranks more than 5,000 electrical products according to their energy consumption, among them more than 100 desktop PCs. As well as being highly energy efficient, the Energy Star 5.0 and EPEAT Gold certified Mac mini has PVC-free internal components and cables and contains no brominated flame retardants. www.sust-it.net


Natural protectionColcaSac MacBook sleeves are an environmentally friendly alternative to neoprene notebook cases. Available in a range of colours, they are made from heavyweight hemp and lined with 100% polyester sherpa fleece. An outer pocket can be used to carry a power adapter or CDs/DVDs. ColcaSac donates 1% of sales to help purchase land in environmentally sensitive areas.

www.colcasac.com

What’s New…

One green buttonSmall businesses as well as householders could benefit from the £35 Energy Saver remote control from One For All. Instead of leaving machines on standby overnight, use this remote control to turn off up to four devices with the press of a single green button. One For All claims that doing so will reduce energy consumption to 0.9 watts per hour – 90% less than the 9.7 watts that a typical set of AV equipment uses when left in standby.

www.oneforall.com/energysaver

White linesWhitelines is a must for those who like clean, crisp design. Unlike most notebooks, which have white paper and grey lines, this Swedish innovation has white lines on a very light grey background. This combination, claims Whitelines inventor Olof Hannson, improves clarity and readability and reduces glare, so that readers can give their full attention to what is written or drawn on the page. A further benefit is that when the page is copied or faxed, the lines disappear completely. Whitelines claims its products are eco-friendly: the paper (MultiCopy) is made

at a factory in Southern Sweden with zero CO2 emissions; and all transport-related CO2 emissions

are offset by planting trees in Uganda.

www.whitelines.se

Green-age crushThe Minima Office crushes cans and plastic drinks bottles to one fifth of their original size, minimising the amount of space needed to store recyclables. The manufacturer claims that the 12-second crushing cycle is quiet – the only sound is of the plastic or aluminium being compacted – and fun. Minima is claimed to use less than £4 of electricity per 100,000 cycles and has a capacity of 80 crushed cans/bottles.

www.minima-eco.com

Still evolvingM-real has launched a low-waste packaging option for its

Evolve recycled papers. Perfect for high volume copying and printing environments,

the Evolve QuickEcoBox contains 2,500 unwrapped sheets in an easy-to-open recycled container.

As well as eliminating waste from ream wrappers, M-real has redesigned

the container itself to enable more boxes to be cut from each sheet of cardboard at the manufacturing stage, reducing waste by 25%. The QuickEcoBox option is available for A4 sizes of Evolve 75 (75% recycled, 75 gsm), Evolve Everyday and Evolve Business (100% recycled,

80gsm). www.evolve-papers.com


In the boxThe Asus Eee Box 1501 is one of the world’s smallest desktop PCs to feature a slot-load optical disc drive, dedicated graphics chip and HDMI output for 1080p high definition playback. Capable of being mounted on the back of a monitor, the space-saving Eee Box uses up to 70% less power than traditional PCs. www.asus.co.uk

Recycled colour Xerox Document Supplies Europe has launched its first recycled paper designed specifically for digital colour printing applications, such as brochures, annual reports and environmental statements. Colotech Recycled paper contains 80% post consumer waste and is FSC-certified. It is available in A4, A3 and SRA3 in weights of 90, 100 and 120gsm.

www.xerox.com

Emergency powerThe Freeloader Pico is a great source of emergency power for mobile phones, MP3 players and iPods. Place it in the sun and the solar charger will store enough power to restore two hours of talk time to a mobile, or six hours’ listening time to an iPod. The Pico costs £16.99 and can be personalised with coloured skins costing £4.99 each. www.greenstamp.co.uk

Simpler all roundLenovo is addressing growing demand for energy-efficient all-in-one PCs with the launch of the ThinkCentre A70z (IDC is predicting the market for such devices to grow by 16% in 2010). Supplied with a wireless keyboard and mouse, the A70z takes up less desk space than a tower desktop, eliminates cable clutter and consumes less energy.

And because it is so much smaller than a separate CPU and monitor it requires considerably less packaging – saving the equivalent of 250 paper cups and 139 plastic bags, claims Lenovo.www.lenovo.com

Green clothsBrighten up the company kitchen with these eco-friendly cleaning cloths from Jangneus Design.

The 100% biodegradable cloths are made in Sweden from recycled cotton and cellulose (a by-product from the paper making process) and then

printed with eco-friendly inks in Oxfordshire. They are machine washable and come in six colours – blue, green, purple, black, yellow and red – and ten different designs. www.jangneus-design.com

What’s New…

Raising standardsTCO Development, best known for its TCO Displays accreditation, has set up a certification scheme for projectors (50% of all screen displays are TCO-labelled). In line with existing TCO schemes, the new programme will assess projectors for their energy-efficiency, environmental attributes (e.g. minimal levels of environmentally hazardous substances) and image quality. The first models to carry the TCO Development label are the NEC NP-410 and NP-21, both of which

have a green Eco button on

the remote control, a Carbon Saving Meter that shows savings made by operating devices in Eco Mode and a standby mode with reduced power consumption.

www.epson.co.uk


new sustainable offering’s from Olivetti

Olivetti UK have just launched the new OliBook M1020, a highly desirable, compact NetBook laptop, perfect for on the go/ mobile use when travelling and working in the field.

This is the first of an extensive range of new Olivetti laptop products, and Internet keys, due to be launched by Olivetti in the UK and heralds the return of the 100 year old company as a household name in the PC market, after nearly 30 years out of the limelight. This lightweight model, weighing just 1.2kg, has been designed with a stylish glossy piano-black finish and measures just 272mm x 189mm.

The OliBook M1020 has a 10.1“screen (1024 x 600) and 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU. It offers a 160GB of storage and is

3G ready; perfect for mobile internet use. As standard, the OliBook M1020 features 2 USB ports, a microphone and headphone jack and a multi-card card reader. What is more is has a

built-in web-cam of 1.3 mega-pixels and offers embedded LAN and VGA connectors.

Olivetti will be launching the rest of the range,later in the Year, comprising 15” mainstream laptops, in both black and white finishes, including some specially designed models in partnership with Intel, who Olivetti has been working very closely with to produce this highly competitive laptop range.

An efficient series of Internet Keys will also be launched in 2010 for uploading and downloading data to mobile phones or PCs and laptops.

Key benefits of these new lightweight notebooks is that they are mobile friendly and their ability to work effectively in almost any environment, the benefit of this is that workers can work remotely as efficiently as by being in the office in turn reducing the need for unnecessary return trips to the office to complete projects etc.

The new A3 format 18ppm d-Copia 1800, 22ppm d-Copia 2200, and their MFP versions, the d-Copia 1800MF and d-Copia 2200MF, which offer optional network printing and optional fax facilities, will replace the 16ppm d-Copia 1600, 20ppm d-Copia

2000 and their respective

MFP siblings, the d-Copia 16MF/d-Copia 200MF,

which have featured in Olivetti’s line-up for the past 3 years.

The new models provide improvements over the previous models; not least the increase in copy / print speed by 2ppm across the range. Adding a specialised motor to the drum has helped to stabilise imaging. Consistent image quality is achieved for jobs include photos, and driver’s licences that are commonly copied at copy shops. One of the benefits is the reduction of moiré, or dotted patterns, in black and white pictures to improve the overall quality of the image.

Also, the first copy time is only 5.7 seconds and the warm up time have been improved to 17.2 seconds, making the new devices the fastest models their class. They can handle small quantities of short copies quickly, so users are not left waiting in front of the machine. What is more, the bypass capacity has been doubled to now handle 100 sheets to improve productivity.

The new models sport the new eye-catching ‘Silver & Black’ colour design, now being seen on the rest of Olivetti’s new mono models. A new grip-type handle has been added to the paper cassettes of the new Olivetti A3 devices.

Users can pull open the cassette from both above and below the handle with a minimal amount of force, optimal for users of all levels of physical ability. The new models have a slightly smaller footprint to their predecessors, so they take up even less space.

The d-Copia 1800, d-Copia 2200, the d-Copia 1800MF and d-Copia 2200MF are equipped with a starter toner of around 3,000 copies. The after-market toner prints around 15,000 sheets at 5% coverage. The drum shipped with the devices prints 150,000 pages and the drum can be replaced once with a maintenance kit, whose yield is 150,000 pages. The copy volume of the d-Copia 1800 and d-Copia 2200 is 2,500 and 3,000 pages per month, respectively and the copy volume for the d-Copia 1800MF is 3,000 pages per month and d-Copia 2200MF is 3,500 pages per month.

Even though these models have been improved over their predecessors they will continue to offer reliability and durability with their long-life consumables, meaning they will need very little maintenance and will save money long-term.

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2


According to a lifecycle assessment of MFPs conducted by Lexmark in association with Bio Intelligence Services, paper accounts for as much as 80% of the carbon footprint of an A4 toner MFP. This compares to 8% for energy use, 7% for manufacturing, 6% for consumables and 0.4% for distribution. Recycling at end of life reduces the carbon footprint by 1.4%.

Clearly, implementing paper reduction policies, from secure print to automatic two-sided (duplex) printing, will have the most impact on a device’s carbon footprint. But it is also important to consider energy consumption, particularly as this will make up an ever larger proportion of a device’s carbon footprint as paper use declines.

The annual cost of the energy consumed by each machine may be insignificant, but over the lifetime of a contract and for organisations with large fleets it soon adds up.

Aston University recently conducted an energy usage analysis for three competing A3 colour MFPs, the Kyocera TASKalfa 300ci, the HP Laserjet

Less is more

CM6030f and the Xerox WorkCentre 7335. According to its calculations, the energy costs for 40 machines over a five-year period ranged from £6,897.33 for a fleet of TASKalfa 300cis to £18,842.99 for 40 Xerox WorkCentre 7335s.

Even when you consider that the Kyocera machine was newly launched and the Xerox one soon to be discontinued, this research shows the importance of evaluating the energy consumption of different devices.

It also underlines the improved energy efficiency of the latest generation of MFPs. Driven by customer demand and their own carbon reduction strategies, manufacturers have been working hard to align the conflicting requirements of higher print speeds and lower power consumption.

Faster colour“In the office market demand is for faster and faster colour devices, which places a strain on R&D,” explains Wayne Snell, group product manager for Konica Minolta office products. “The way traditional machines fuse toner to the

page is by heat. If you have to make a faster machine, the page is on the fusing unit for a briefer time, so you have to have more heat.”

In order to meet the need for faster print speeds and greater energy efficiency, Konica Minolta, like other manufacturers, has made it a priority to reduce fusing temperatures and develop more efficient fusing technology.

Its first breakthrough was Simitri polymerised toner, which Konica Minolta introduced in 2006. This has a 40% lower carbon footprint than the old mechanically produced toner and, because toner particles are chemically grown rather than pulverised into small pieces, they are of a more uniform shape and size. This results in improved image quality and a lower melting temperature, which has enabled Konica Minolta to reduce the fusing temperature by 15%.

On its new high speed colour MFPs (the bizhub CF452/552/652), Konica Minolta has addressed the second aspect – fusing efficiency – by using Induction Heating (IH) instead of conventional heated roller technology.

“With rollers, 50% of the energy is wasted in radiated heat, with IH heat loss is only 10%, which means that 90% of heat is directed to where it is needed,” explained Snell. “The combination of these two technologies, gives KM devices a warm-up time of 15 seconds from sleep mode and 45 to 75 seconds from cold. In the old days you would have to wait three minutes to warm-up. This makes it more likely that customers will use energy save settings.”

Sleep settingsTracey Rawling-Church, Kyocera UK brand and reputation director, argues that as an indication of a device’s overall energy consumption, standby and sleep settings are an even more important measure than the power it consumes when printing.

“When assessing power consumption for office machines the peak power consumption level when the device is printing is not the critical number. Devices spend up to 80% of their time on standby or in sleep mode, so it is the power consumption levels in these states that are important,” she said.

This is one of the main arguments against Xerox’s ColorQube solid ink

How manufacturers of A3 colour MFPs are meeting the conflicting demands of faster print speeds and reduced energy consumption.

continued…

As businesses seek to reduce costs and shrink their carbon footprint, all aspects of business equipment are being scrutinised like never before. When it comes to MFPs, arguably the greatest impact on carbon emissions comes from implementing and enforcing a printing strategy that has paper reduction as its primary aim.

…demand is for faster and faster colour devices, which places a strain on R&D…

“


MFPs. For productivity reasons, ink has to be kept molten during working hours, which means that the devices have high energy consumption in both standby and low power modes, resulting in an Energy Star TEC rating 10 times higher than the most energy efficient toner devices – see below. In their defence, Xerox claims that the MFPs have a lower carbon footprint overall thanks mainly to the simpler manufacturing and packaging of solid ink consumables.

Energy Star, the energy certification program run by the US Environmental Protection Agency, used to publish standby and sleep energy consumption details, but it has now moved to a more representative Typical Energy Consumption (TEC) figure.

Based on a testing procedure designed to replicate typical office usage (including breaks between print jobs), the TEC figure shows “the typical electricity consumed by a product in normal operation during a representative period of time (weekly) measured in kilowatt hours (kWh)”.

The advantage of this system is that it makes it very easy for customers to look up and compare the energy consumption of different devices, though it is worth bearing in mind that Energy Star’s testing procedure has its limitations. Even for A3 colour machines, the measurement is based on printing A4 B&W pages; pages are only printed

on one side, whereas most organisation print on both sides the page; and the testing does not take into account the power consumption of optional accessories, such as finishers.

Less is moreThe colour MFP range with the lowest TEC rating is Canon’s new imageRUNNER Advance series, winner of a Sustainable Times Editor’s Choice Award. The 51ppm iR Advance C5051, for example, has a TEC figure of 3.0 kWh/week, compared to 4.7 for the Ricoh MPC5000, 5.9 for the Konica Minolta bizhub C552, 9.6 for the Kyocera TASKalfa 500ci and13.1 for the Sharp MX-5001N – all of which are well below the Energy Star limit of 21.4 kW/h for 55ppm devices.

According to Trevor Dodsworth,

product marketing professional Canon Business Solutions UK, Canon’s good showing in the Energy Star tests is partly down to the efforts it has made to reduce energy consumption when the machine is not actually printing.

“When you look at overall energy consumption in a week, you will take into account how much energy the device is consuming when it is not printing, so it is important to achieve a really low energy consumption in sleep mode. The imageRUNNER Advance sleep mode consumes 1-2 watts per hour.”

Traditionally purchasers have been most interested in measures of productivity, such as the first page out time (FPOT), but Dodsworth believes

that this is changing as environmental matters become more important. “Energy efficiency is increasingly one of the criteria people are basing their decisions on. The criteria people used to look at were the sorts of features you would see on the back of a product brochure.

Now, environmental aspects are more to the fore,” he said.

Reducing paper consumption may be the best

way to lower print costs and carbon emissions, but choosing an energy-efficient MFP and implementing power management features can also make a big difference. www.eu-energystar.org

Less is more... continued

The average UK business can save more than £50,000 per year simply by analysing employees’ use of computers and software and by utilising new technology, Openplain claims in a new report.

The workplace analytics software provider argues that instead of making swingeing cuts businesses should switch off computers at night and stop buying software they don’t need. Its analysis of the computer usage of 12,500 users found that 60% of workers still left their computers on at night. It argues that if PCs were turned off when not needed the annual running cost of a PC would be reduced from £175 to £35. This equates to an annual saving of £14,000 in a company with 100 PC users. Its analysis also shows that the average company only uses 70%

of the software it has purchased. With software expenditure in medium and large sized companies averaging £1,250 per employee, removing all unused software would generate savings of up to £375 per employee.

Another way to reduce the cost of computing is to replace desktop PCs with thin clients. Thin client computing specialist Cutter Project claims a school that replaced 400 desktop PCs with devices like the Sun Ray 270 could save more than £50,000 a year in electricity costs. Thin clients – effectively just a monitor, mouse and keyboard linked to a network – also last longer and need less support.www.cutterproject.co.uk

The need to monitor and change workplace culture is underlined by a new report from EDF Energy, which reveals that nine out of ten people make more effort to reduce energy in the home than in the workplace.

The study of 3,000 professionals found that while more than three quarters (77%) made an effort to reduce energy consumption at home, fewer than half did so in the workplace. Unsurprisingly, nearly nine out of ten (87%) said that they prioritised saving energy at home rather than the office. Four out of ten (42%) respondents said the key reason for failing to save energy at work was forgetfulness, while for one in five (21%), the process feels fruitless as they don’t believe their actions make a difference. Despite the

recession, a further 18% of those surveyed were not concerned about saving money for their employers.

IT and communications provider Redstone Managed Solutions has launched new software that can help customers cut their PCs’ energy consumption by as much as 75%. Ecosoft’s littleFOOT makes it easy for employees to monitor and control PC power consumption and provides a simple web portal through which managers can create, view and export energy usage reports for devices, departments and office locations. The reports capture kWh usage figures, the cost of the energy consumed and the carbon emissions generated.http://wesustain.redstonemanaged.co.uk

In brief... PC Power Savings

…take into account how much energy the device is consuming when not printing…

“

GREENinitiative

WINTER 09/10SustainableTIMES

CanonimageRUNNER AdvanceCanonimageRUNNER Advance

award

Of course, you could put this down to a ‘once in a generation’ event. Except exactly the same thing happened the previous winter in February 2009 when the FSB estimated 20 percent of the UK’s working population, or 6.4 million people, did not make it to work because of snow, at a cost of over £1 billion in lost productivity.

The point is disruptive weather events are not that uncommon and have an impact on work every year somewhere in the UK. So other than accept it as a fact of life with a British stiff upper lip, is there something more that can be done.

The answer is definitely yes! In the past decade there have been huge advances in business communications, but working practices have hardly changed. Most office based workers can be just as productive from home as at an office building. Advances in broadband mean that home-based workers can link securely to their company network, just as if they were at company premises.

For example Spitfire, a leading business telecommunications operator and Internet Service Provider (ISP), offers super-fast ADSL2+ broadband with download speeds of up to 24Mb.

Spitfire can provide ADSL2+ nationally wherever BT has upgraded the local exchange to ADSL2+ compatibility with most of London and many other UK business centres already served.

Maximum download speed for Spitfire ADSL2+ is 24Mb, dependent on customer distance from the local exchange and the quality of the telephone line. Upload speeds are dependent on the Spitfire service selected by the customer:

• ADSL2+ Premium service at £49 per month provides up to 1.2Mb upstream bandwidth.

• ADSL2+ Standard service at £29 per month provides up to 448Kb upstream bandwidth.

In addition, traffic on ADSL2+ Premium is prioritised over ADSL2+ Standard so at busy times it will offer faster speeds and lower latency.

Spitfire’s ADSL2+ is intended for business quality communications with TotalCare 24/7 Support and other high-level support options. For mission critical applications a back-up connection can be provided costing from just £15 per month.

To know more call 0800 319 3333 or visit spitfire.co.uk

No business like snow business from home!The recent heavy snow in December and January is estimated to have cost British business at least £1.2 billion in lost productivity according to The Federation of Small Business (FSB). Initially much of this was due to workers heeding advice to “not travel unless absolutely necessary”. Latterly when many workers were making strenuous efforts to get to workplaces, they were let down by failures in the transport infrastructure.


Visit www.binfo.co.uk to download and share your fully interactive digital copy of Sustainable Times and other leading Workplace magazines.

WINTER 2009/10

Eco plastics: What’s all the fuss about?

Top 12 green PC monitorsVideo meetings that workEnergy-effi cient MFPs make their mark

Keeping Cool How Konica Minolta is reducing the environmental impact of print

IT’S SIMPLE, AND GREEN!Toshiba’s Carbon Zero Scheme offsets thecarbon footprint of your MultifunctionalProduct (MFP), plus the first million pages!At Toshiba we are committed to the environment and with the

help of carbon offsetting experts co2balance we have devised ascheme where we can offset the carbon footprint of your ToshibaMFP plus the first million pages.All you have to do is pick your MFP. Simple!

Simply find out more at:www.toshibacarbonzero.co.uk

Or contact Toshiba on T: 01932 580100 E: [email protected]. Leading Innovation

a Business Info publication

IP & COMMS FOR UK BUSINESS

THE WORKPLACE & TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE FOR SMEs

THE WORKPLACE & TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE FOR SMEs

THE PRINT & MFP MAGAZINE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

IT’S SIMPLE, AND GREEN!Toshiba’s Carbon Zero Scheme offsets thecarbon footprint of your MultifunctionalProduct (MFP), plus the first million pages!

At Toshiba we are committed to the environment and with thehelp of carbon offsetting experts co2balance we have devised ascheme where we can offset the carbon footprint of your ToshibaMFP plus the first million pages.

All you have to do is pick your MFP. Simple!

Simply find out more at:

www.toshibacarbonzero.co.uk

Or contact Toshiba on

T: 01932 580100 E: [email protected]

Toshiba. Leading Innovation

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Sustainable Times Issue 5