Lexmark's eco-simulator helps businesses print less and save more

The educational tool allows companies to move towards a more sustainable future and reduce their carbon footprint by improving printing systems and document workflow.

The eco-simulator automatically calculates the environmental impact of a user and translates it into global warming potential and non renewable resources depletion. It also puts the results into context by comparing the company's printing impact with other activities, such as driving a car or using crude oil.

To help managers and employees understand why it is important to print less, the eco-simulator tool starts with two simple questions:

1. How many pages do you print per day?
2. How do you use your Lexmark printer? (Double-sided printing, high-yield cartridges, etc.)

The eco-simulator then calculates users printing environmental impact based on a full Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) of a Lexmark laser printer . The LCA examines every stage of its existence, from production to disposal.

Beatrice Marneffe, Director of Sustainable Affairs for Lexmark in EMEA, explained:

"Sustainability has a lot to do with education and individual behaviour, but before changing their behaviours, printers users need to be aware of the impact of their current practices. Research conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Lexmark showed that 90% of European employees are worried about the environmental impact of their printing."

"Lexmark created the eco-simulator to address these issues, helping Lexmark to determine the best priorities in term of Environmental efforts, and helping businesses to print less and save more," she added. "Even though, as shown by the LCA, paper is relatively speaking the major impact, Lexmark long-term, company-wide commitment is spelled out in our Extended Producer Responsibility agreement. It requires that at every stage in a product's lifecycle we evaluate the core components of environmental stewardship, in terms of overall reduction of the ecological footprint and toxicity, i.e., consumption (resources such as water, energy...), emissions (Greenhouse gas, C0² emissions) and waste minimisation."

Some Lexmark customers can also include the eco-simulator in their internal communications, such as on employee desktops or on their company intranet.