PRINTITRESELLER.UK 45 VOX POP Across the industry, claims about carbon neutrality, energy efficiency, recyclability, and the like aren’t always easy to verify PrintIT Reseller: How are your OEM/distribution partners helping you to differentiate with sustainable products, solutions and services, and could they do more? Mark Goulding: The partners we use are active in working on sustainability, which is key to our decision to work with them. We just drive home the message. Liz Budd: On the whole, we’re happy with the support we get and the focus on sustainability that comes from our OEM, but manufacturers can always do more! Across the industry, claims about carbon neutrality, energy efficiency, recyclability, and the like aren’t always easy to verify. It can be difficult for an end-user to compare and contrast brands against specific measures, and we’d like to see more transparency there. There is a tendency from some manufacturers to focus on one particular aspect of a ‘green’ product, but everyone needs to work towards a world where you don’t have to choose to be energy efficient or have recyclable toner, for example. We’re at a turning point where businesses will want to know more about the whole package of services and solutions, including digital footprints relating to cloud technology – policy and ethics are both going to lead us down that path. Andy Ratcliffe: On the print side of the business, we often lead with Epson’s heat-free technology range where best suited – by far the most sustainable products in the marketplace. We also have access to Ricoh’s range of devices which are the most sustainable laser products in the marketplace. They each have great software products that we can set up to default print drivers to duplex print, allow PINrelease printing to reduce waste and also display user education notifications on the operating panels. User education is key to businesses reaching their sustainability goals as they endeavour to win the hearts and minds of their employees to make conscious decisions to reduce wastage. As long as our partners continue to innovate, we will all be successful. Mark Bailey: EBM has taken the decision to only work with ethical partners that are at the forefront of tackling environmental issues. When you see world events such wildfires on the news, it’s even more hard hitting and apparent that everyone, customers, suppliers, the whole supply chain needs to change in some way. No matter how small it is, every little bit of change will help in some way. Therefore, I believe we should all have the continuous improvement mindset. What can we do to improve? Even if it’s a marginal gain, all those add up. David Smith: Certain manufacturers understand the value of this area of technology, and they offer very good details and programmes designed to ameliorate the customer experience. It is fair to say this is not always easy to pick out from the raft of data provided, but if you take time to become subject matter experts you are able to elevate the information and relay it to customers. Distribution focuses on getting the right product, available, at the right price. Terence Hargreaves: Our partnerships play a crucial role in enabling us to offer a comprehensive suite of sustainable options. From eco-friendly packaging to energy-efficient hardware, such collaborations are integral to our sustainability efforts. While we commend the existing initiatives, there is always scope for further action. We advocate for more standardised methodologies for measuring and certifying the environmental merits of our collective offerings, thus facilitating more informed consumer choices. www.urbannetwork.co.uk https://firstcopy.co.uk www.key-digital.co.uk www.ebmltd.co.uk www.xeretec.co.uk https://thedmsgroup.co.uk/ Andy Ratcliffe David Smith
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