Print Green, Save Green

Verizon Press Release:

September 4, 2013 - News Article

Print Green, Save Green

By Leon Akhsanov, Ricoh Global Accounts Relationship Manager - In this guest blog, Leon Akhsanov of Ricoh shares the business benefits of going green. For the past three years, Leon has collaborated with Verizon on the company’s paper and ink cartridge reduction goals. Responsibility

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Clear Goals. Real Metrics. Solid Results. Verizon is committed to using its resources to improve the lives of individuals and the communities it serves. Ricoh is proud to be working alongside Verizon, as a valuable resource in its sustainability initiatives.  In the past three years, we have some sustainability results that we would like to share.

Ricoh and Verizon teamed on a sustainable environmental management program, and focused on two cost-saving and sustainability initiatives:

When it comes to paper consumption, we all must consider the environmental impact. There is also another benefit that comes with paper reduction, and that is the cost savings.

 

Two-sided printing In the past three years of using two-sided printing as a default, Verizon has saved a staggering 92,713,000 sheets of paper -- that is the equivalent of 12,000 trees! For a better visual, think of it this way: 92,713,000 stacked sheets of paper would be 30,904 feet tall, or the combined height of 21 Empire State buildings. Being green saves green.  In the past three years, Verizon has saved $600,000 by leveraging Ricoh’s Smart Print Initiatives. Using Verizon accountability metrics and working closely with IT, we have been tracking the meter reads of the entire copier fleet and break down the metrics by regions, departments and what percentage of their output is duplex-printed. This allows us to track year-over-year and determine whether a department increased or decreased their duplexing, how much money was saved and how much more they could save.

Toner cartridge recycling Toner cartridge recycling has also made a significant impact for Verizon. As part of this project, Ricoh deploys free shipping containers to mail rooms in 60 Verizon buildings. The mail room employees collect every single toner cartridge that comes into the building. The used cartridges are then placed into a box and shipped free of charge to a third party company where the entire cartridge is recycled. In the past three years Verizon has recycled 17,298 toner cartridges. Each cartridge represents approximately 3.4 pounds of plastic; which means the efforts of Verizon employees have diverted 58,813 pounds of plastic or metal from entering landfills.

From a global perspective, Ricoh has installed "eco billboards" in Times Square in New York, London, and Sydney, which are 100 percent lit with natural energy. Although the eco billboards have only a small direct effect on reducing our environmental impact, we hope that the messages communicated through the billboards will help make more people aware of environmental issues and lead to a greater movement toward the creation of a sustainable society.

Ricoh is pleased to share a common vision with Verizon and to have the opportunity to work alongside this great company to implement new sustainability initiatives throughout its locations. 

This teamwork is a great example of how companies can work together to do their part for the environment and truly make a difference for their customers.

Learn more about Ricoh’s environmental initiatives at http://ricoh-eco.com.