Xerox turns a deeper shade of green at drupa

The company's sweeping initiatives included a stand that was designed, constructed and staged in a sustainable way, and a range of offerings to help Xerox customers go green. These include a broad focus on products, services and applications that are eco-friendly, and new educational materials and training sessions on sustainability.

"At Xerox, we take a three-pronged approach to sustainability," said Chris Govier, General Manager - Production Systems Group Xerox Middle East and Africa.

"First, reducing our own environmental footprint throughout our operations has formed the basis of the way we have run the company for decades. Second, it's about working with suppliers to help reduce their environmental footprint. And third, the most compelling area is supporting our graphic communications customers to respond to their customers' growing demand for green printing by introducing and educating print providers to digital opportunities."

Green stand

All three prongs were represented in the Xerox stand, beginning with the stand itself. Xerox has enhanced its events marketing and trade show practices with a more environmentally sensitive approach to materials, energy usage at the exhibit and its carbon footprint in planning and staging its participation.

The 3,500-square-meter stand was built almost exclusively from recycled or reusable materials and components. The two-story exhibit structure was assembled using reused steel formed beams, and the sheet materials in the walls and displays use recycled board and sustainable forest timber. Xerox plans to reuse a lot of the structure at future events and to recycle most of the remaining materials, reducing waste and environmental impact.

Energy-efficient overhead lighting and video screens use 40% less power and generate 60% less heat than more conventional alternatives. To minimize its carbon footprint, Xerox sourced builders, materials and products locally, and used a virtual platform for planning and designing the stand, reducing air travel by more than 170 flights.

Eco-friendly products

Many of the Xerox products on display at drupa were environmentally sustainable. They included:
• More than 80% by weight, of the waste generated by the Xerox iGen3 110 Digital Production Press, including consumables (dry ink) can be returned, reused or recycled. More than 97 percent of the components in the iGen3 press have been designed to support multiple lifetimes and minimize waste.
• EA Toner is the dry ink used by many Xerox printers, and it uses an estimated 25 percent less manufacturing energy per pound of toner produced than conventional toner.
• Xerox offers paper with Forest Stewardship Council Certification, assuring it comes from forests with sustainable management practices.

In addition, Xerox showcased 50 print applications using digital and print-on-demand technologies that reduce paper usage and storage, eliminate waste and avoid chemicals associated with traditional printing. On display are books and manuals, collateral, transpromo pieces and direct marketing applications.
Many other Xerox products in the stand offered green qualities such as two-sided printing to reduce paper consumption and use of non-toxic toners.

Sustainability guidance

At drupa, Xerox has a number of resources for educating customers about sustainability.

In the stand, daily seminars were conducted about "Greener Ways of Working with You and Your Documents," and an area is dedicated to environmental communication, showcasing key milestones in sustainable development.

In addition, Xerox is introducing a new educational brochure, "How Green is Your Print Shop?" offering insight, tips and techniques for sustainable printing and communication services.

Also, the company announced a new category in its annual Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) awards recognizing environmentally sustainable print practices.