Working Together with Our Clients to Protect the Planet: Lexmark Reduces Printing One Page at a Time

Introduction
Protecting our planet is certainly a shared responsibility. As individuals, and as employees of corporations and government agencies, we are all concerned about the impact our daily lives have on the environment. At home, we recycle. We plant trees. We conserve water. But in the office, it seems to be more complicated and unclear. But is it? Does it have to be? What role do Information Technology (IT) departments play in supporting an organization’s overall sustainability practice? And with all of these questions considered, what is the probable pay-back on IT projects that are launched from an eco-friendly point of view?

As energy resources become more expensive over time, as economic challenges persist, and as other costs continue to increase, the pressure to rein in expenses across an organization takes on renewed urgency. At the same time, organizations are being expected to operate responsibly. These considerations weigh heavily on product and stock purchase decisions. While server virtualization and replacement of inefficient data center cooling systems projects are growing increasingly popular, these efforts require significant capital outlays, implementation of complex and expensive software, and modernization of aging refrigeration equipment.

There is a far easier path to achieving immediate sustainability recognition and financial savings with the huge added benefit of simultaneously raising productivity: simply printing less.

Reducing the need for printed output (including print, copy and fax) is good for the environment and it is good business. Lexmark has helped organizations around the globe reduce costs and give back to the environment by optimizing the effective use of output. A basic strategy starts by finding ways to simply print less. Slashing paper consumption means using less toner, fewer cartridges and less electricity. Reduced printing demand, in turn, leads to lower maintenance costs and a reduction in the number of output devices that need to be deployed.