Print.IT Reseller - issue 71

PRINTITRESELLER.UK 43 VOX POP use of online meeting facilities and collaboration tools. We also provide EV charging points at all our main facilities, and our board directors drive hybrid vehicles. “We also try to reduce call-outs by monitoring our customers’ machines remotely to keep them at optimum efficiency. When a visit to a customer is required, we minimise travel by ensuring our engineers are local to the organisation. “We help customers reduce their environmental impact. Through products like PaperCut, a print and photocopy accounting tool, we have helped over 50,000 businesses worldwide reduce paper usage. We partner with PrintReleaf, an innovative platform that converts paper footprint into actual trees. Since March 2019, our customers have collectively offset the equivalent of 3.78 million pages by planting over 450 trees. We operate a 100 per cent cartridge recycling scheme – making it as easy as possible for its customers to recycle by providing and collecting the recycling boxes. “ASL Group recognises that reducing environmental impact doesn’t stop at the front door – we need to look at our whole supply chain. So, where possible, we work only with other ISO 14001 accredited companies, to ensure that the products we supply have as little environmental impact as possible. And of course, this works both ways. For example, we use Ecotricity to supply our green energy, and Ecotricity in turn uses us to supply their print devices. By taking a lead role, and choosing to work only with responsible partners, we hope to encourage others to take sustainability seriously, too.” www.asl-group.co.uk Paul Franklin, Head of UK Production Print Graphic Arts Business Unit, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) “Konica Minolta is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its activities, along with those of its customers and partners, throughout the product lifecycle. We are focusing on the entire end-to-end process, from planning and development, through to procurement and production, distribution, sales, service, usage, collection and recycling. “As well as directly ensuring a very high percentage of our product components can be recycled, we also carefully analyse general input and output, energy and resource efficiency, recycling and waste prevention – ensuring all these factors are fully compliant with all relevant environmental and safety regulations. “Equally, we encourage and support our customers to meet their sustainability targets, including advising on workflow efficiency and making recommendations (such as ensuring inks are economically used and only replaced once necessary). Remote diagnostics also ensure servicing needs are more efficient too. “Konica Minolta is committed to not only meeting the responsibilities of our own environmental impact, but also to that of suppliers, something which is based on a relationship of mutual trust. “As a business, Konica Minolta is very strict on the ethical criteria of our business partners. This includes the consideration of labour issues (and the intrinsic human rights considerations), social and business ethics, protection for the environment, along with sound safety and security across our partners’ business operations. “Right from the start of the supply chain, the company takes a positive stand to protect people and the planet. Konica Minolta has also taken proactive steps to address potential conflict mineral issues with supplies. This includes continually seeking to prevent and counter violations of human rights in conflict areas where some minerals and raw materials are sourced. “Konica Minolta’s sustainable strategy also entails the pursuit of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. printers alongside modern print software that not only allows businesses to improve their security, but also to ‘encourage’ less printing. “Print will be ever present, so it’s all of our responsibility to do it in the best possible way with the least impact. HP and Lexmark’s modern printers do just this with less ink, toner, heat and power. Perhaps their biggest impact is the fuel charge to get new technology installed – and that we haven’t fixed! YET!” www.westcoast.co.uk Mark Garius, Managing Director, ASL Group “We recognise the need to assess the environmental impact of all our activities and have a coherent plan to minimise it. As an ISO 14001 accredited business, we have initiatives in place that identify how we interact with the environment, spot any actual and potential environmental impacts, and measure progress in meeting our environmental objectives. This means monitoring and reducing the environmental impact of customers, staff, suppliers and channel partners – as well as our own. “To reduce our own impact, we use Ecotricity for all our internal energy needs. Ecotricity is arguably the UK’s greenest energy company and ensures it is making a genuine contribution by generating the equivalent in green energy that its customers take out of the grid. We have also switched all our main offices to LED lighting to reduce consumption and placed recycling bins throughout the offices. “To help to reduce our transport emissions and lower fuel consumption, we offer staff the opportunity to work from home and encourage the continued... Mark Garius Paul Franklin By taking a lead role, and choosing to work only with responsible partners, we hope to encourage others to take sustainability seriously