It’s time for businesses to go green. It isn’t just an environmental responsibility; it’s a financial one. Consumers are choosing to use sustainable brands. They’re searching for them online, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, which found online searches for sustainable goods increased by 71% between 2016 and 2021. Concerns over ethics or sustainability can also drive consumers away from specific brands or products.
Environmentally friendly business decisions and technologies can help reduce your environmental footprint while boosting your bottom line. Here are five strategies that organizations are using to reduce waste, save energy and connect with consumers.
1. Updating office printing solutions
Office printing has evolved over the last few decades as businesses have demanded sharper image quality, faster output and more vibrant color options. In recent years, another requirement has become top of mind: energy usage. New technologies can help businesses minimize consumption and adopt more sustainable practices.
Epson has spent years innovating to offer a printhead technology designed with the future in mind. Epson business printers are powered by simple, smart and clean PrecisionCore® technology for heat-free efficiency and low energy consumption. For example, Epson WorkForce® Enterprise AM Series printers consume the lowest amount of energy in each of their classes.1 Plus, Epson business desktop printers that use high-capacity ink bottles help eliminate millions of pounds of plastic from landfills2, and millions of dollars in replacement ink costs.3 That’s less wasting and more saving.
2. Using smart technologies in the office
Have you ever battled colleagues over the thermostat or found the lights left on in conference rooms over the weekend? Smart technologies are making those challenges a thing of the past. Automated thermostats can keep temperatures at a steady burn while businesses are occupied and then drop the temperature when no one is in the office. Sensors can detect motion and turn lights on only when people are moving around the office.
Tiny devices like these can have a big environmental impact. The World Green Building Council says that building operations account for 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Connected smart building technology is set to substantially save on electrical costs, according to analyst company 6GWorld. Its report predicts around 130 Terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity savings from IoT-enabled enterprise HVAC and building automation systems by 2030.
3. Being aware of energy vampires
It’s not always the big appliances that drive your energy usage. Much of the energy used today is from so-called energy vampires that sip power slowly and steadily. The computer left on over the weekend, the water cooler humming away when no one is in the office, or the display screen that’s perpetually on fall into this category.
Setting devices like these on a timer helps to minimize this vampire energy draw. Smart power strips that turn off when the devices plugged in aren’t being used can also help. Finally, don’t underestimate the power of a good training program. Reminding your team to turn things off when they’re not in the office or to use power-saving modes can have a positive impact on energy use.
4. Looking at procurement policies
The way your business handles its buying and disposal policies can have a significant impact on both your footprint and your profits. Does your company look at the entire product lifecycle, including both green procurement and environmentally friendly disposal?
Regularly upgrading your equipment helps keep your company current. Have a strategy that helps repurpose older furniture or computers your company is getting rid of. The EPA says that the US sends 9.68 billion tons of furniture to landfill each year, representing 80% of all furniture generated. Last year, the world generated 54.7m tons of electronic waste. Reselling or donating your equipment can benefit others while keeping material in the economy for as long as possible. When you do finally come to recycle equipment, use a program that does it responsibly. Many cities and states run programs to help local businesses with this.
5. Evaluating business processes for environmental opportunities
Increasingly, companies are analyzing their business processes to save money and cut down their environmental impact. Tools such as projectors, video conferencing and collaborative software help limit company-related travel while helping to create more immersive environments. The biggest impact for growing organizations comes from looking at the way processes are engineered and decisions are made. Is there an environmentally savvy alternative to your current approach?
Organizations are finding that being environmentally conscious isn’t just good for the planet — it’s helping attract customers who want to do business with companies stewarding the environment. On another level, by saving money, reducing waste, and finding smart alternatives to expensive equipment, businesses can increase their profits to reinvest back into their companies in meaningful ways.
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Compared to similarly featured A3 color laser printers and copiers at 31–40 ppm (AM-C4000), 41–50 ppm (AM-C5000) and 51–60 ppm (AM-C6000) per industry available data as of February 2024. Compared to similarly featured A4 color laser printers and copiers with speeds of 31–40 ppm (AM-C400) and 51–60 ppm (AM-C550) per industry available data as of November 2023. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.
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Based on product and replacement ink bottle sales in North America 2015 –June 2021.
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Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Savings and cost per ISO page are based on the cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough standard cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the MSRP (USD) and yields for Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of March 2024.
