The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government is to deploy recycled green printers from Ricoh that will give it a reduced carbon footprint of 40pc against other printers.
Ricoh recently secured a contract to provide a “green printer” network to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Eco-Line, the green machines
Ricoh’s “green machines”, known as Eco-Line, will reduce energy costs, significantly reduce the number of machines in use, and will lower emission levels throughout the department. This is the first “recycling” printing solution to be rolled out across an Irish Government department.
Ricoh Ireland will implement remanufactured (recycled) multi-function printer, copier, scanner and fax products at Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government locations in Dublin and throughout Ireland.
As part of the Government’s decentralisation programme, the department is in the process of relocating its head office to a Greenfield site in Wexford and took this opportunity to overhaul its entire print strategy.
It is at the forefront of driving the Irish Government’s green policies. This printing initiative will be seen as a showcase for other Government bodies seeking to implement more environmentally friendly practices while also reducing operational costs.
The benefits
By phasing out the current stand-alone printers, copiers and scanners and introducing Ricoh multi-functional products, expectations are for sizeable reductions in power consumption, electricity bills and replacement consumable costs by the end of the contract life.
Ricoh’s 2008 sustainability report outlines that over their entire lifecycle, recycled machines offer a reduced carbon footprint of up to 40pc when compared to the manufacture of a new machine.
“The green printing programme is part of a series of strategic initiatives introduced to fulfil our commitment to energy conservation and to managing the environmental impact of our activities,” a spokesperson for the department said.
“Ricoh’s green technology and managed print services will not only have a positive effect on the environment but will also help us to reduce print costs across the department,” she added.
Going greener
In addition, Ricoh will work with the department to introduce green operational procedures which will include duplex printing as standard, power-save mode on machines and default mono printing.
Áine O’Shea, managed services print manager, Ricoh Ireland, said, “The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been a trailblazer in promoting cleaner and greener business practices.
“Its adoption of Ricoh’s remanufactured printing technology is a further example of its commitment to energy management and also highlights that going green can reduce costs,” O’Shea added.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Áine O’Shea, managed services print manager, Ricoh Ireland.
