A Greener In-plant
1. Get an energy audit to calculate your energy consumption. Your local electric company may have programs and people in place to evaluate your plant.
2. Calculate your carbon footprint. There are numerous calculators freely available on the Internet to help you determine this.
3. Investigate the level of ozone emissions, noise, dust and heat from your printing equipment. The lower the emission levels, the healthier the environment for your employees. This will help you determine what to look for in your next purchase.
4. Choose equipment that complies with the more stringent 2007 ENERGY STAR requirements. Product listings can be found at www.energystar.gov .
5. Look for RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) equipment, which limits the use of hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment.
6. Acquire equipment that can be remanufactured or has been remanufactured and meets or exceeds current environmental standards.
7. Look for printing equipment that is easy to use and reduces wasted prints by having true WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) functionality. Also look for large-format printers that use multiple media sizes, which can eliminate post-print waste due to trimming.
8 Cut narrow-format paper usage in half by promoting duplex printing.
9. Buy products that can be upgraded as your needs change versus replacement to prevent products from entering the waste stream prematurely.
10. Turn off equipment or use its sleep mode to minimize unnecessary energy usage. Some equipment utilizes “instant on” technology for substantial energy savings.
11. Consider leasing versus purchasing. Leased equipment may be returnable to the vendor at the end of the lease and recycled responsibly.
12. Investigate, test and implement low VOC/HAP (Volatile Organic Compounds/Hazardous Air Pollutant) products.
13. Consider using either recycled paper or paper that originates from responsible forestry initiatives like FSC certification.
14. Look for a vendor that is ISO 14001 compliant. This indicates the company has met one of the world’s most respected standards for environmental responsibility.
15. Create employee programs that encourage environmentally friendly behavior. For example, recycle everything: paper, packaging, PCs, supplies, etc. Or adopt a cause (e.g. adopt-a-highway, plant-a-tree, etc.)
16. Let your vendors and subcontractors know you want “green” supplies, products and processes.
17. Track, report, market, promote and publicize your efforts.
