8 Tips to improve your office sustainability

We’re always looking for ways to improve our sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint. Here are a few simple things to implement in your office to help you achieve a cleaner, greener workspace.

1. Rationalise your office automation

There is no longer a need to buy and run individual printers, photocopiers, scanners and faxes – a multifunctional printer can do it all for you. By consolidating your office equipment with an MFP you’ll reduce electricity, toner, waste materials and, ultimately reduce your bottom line costs.

Ricoh can help you through the consolidation process with a print audit. It’s simple. With no obligation we’ll undertake a comprehensive print cost analysis of all the devices in your printing fleet, including copiers, printers, multifunctional devices, faxes, and inkjets. It only takes a few hours and includes a:

• Site survey
• Software-based printing cost analysis
• Executive summary

You’ll then be able to see where your money is going, and can identify solutions towards cutting your office automation budget while reducing your carbon footprint.

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2. Reduce Paper Waste – Start printing on both sides of a sheet

It’s simple but effective: set ‘duplex’ as your default preference for all your office printers and copiers. By printing on both sides of a sheet you’ll reduce paper usage by as much as 50%.

3. Reduce Paper Waste – Prevent uncollected printouts

Everyone gets annoyed when they see uncollected and forgotten printouts on the office printer and MFP.

One way to prevent this is by using Ricoh’s Enhanced Locked Print(ELP) feature. ELP means that when a document is sent to print, it is stored on the printer and will not be printed until it is ‘unlocked’ by a user at the device.

Punch in a user code, or make your staff ultra efficient by enabling them to release jobs with a simple proxy card swipe. ELP will not only reduce paper waste, but it will also increase your organisation’s security as well.

4. Reduce Paper Waste – Digitally archive documents

By using Laserfiche technology you can eliminate the need of accessing hard copy documents.

Instead of reproducing and storing hard copies of documents, you scan them and use soft copies. All records are archived electronically, alleviating the need to print and store paper documents, with the added advantage of having a fully searchable archive repository.

You can then offer your clients the option of receiving electronic invoices and statements.

5. Reduce Paper Waste – Use recycled or sustainable paper and recycle paper

Embark on an office policy to only use either recycled paper or paper that is certified as sustainable. There are different certifications available, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and ISO 14001.

Contract with a paper recycling service. Then embed paper recycling ‘wheely’ bins for each department and empower each employee with their own paper recycling box.

6. Reduce Power Use – Power Save mode

Make it a mandatory policy in your office to have every office printer on power save mode when it sits idle for 20 minutes.

And to ensure your office remains efficient use Ricoh’s Quick Start-up (QSU) Technology, for a quick recovery from energy-saving mode, allowing users to output and pick up prints whenever they need to.

7. Reduce Land Fill – Toner consumable products recycling

By using Ricoh’s Consumables Recycling Program you can be assured that 100% of toner cartridges, toner bottles, waste toner containers, photoconductor units, fuser units, maintenance kits and other consumable products used will be recycled, achieving a recycling ratio of 100%.

Simply register for a Collection Box to be sent to you. You can place consumables from any manufacturer’s facsimile machine, printer or photocopier for free collection.

8. Reduce Land Fill – Machine recycling

Once a Ricoh machine has reached the end of its usable life we guarantee to recycle up to 95% of the component parts. For Ricoh, recycling doesn’t just mean refurbishment, reuse, or sending machines to landfills in Asia.

Ricoh’s free Machine Recycling Program provides our customers with the confidence that their Ricoh machines will be properly recycled. Since its launch in 2002, we have successfully recycled over 180 tonnes of Ricoh machines into re-useable materials. We accept all Ricoh machines – as well as third party machines.