With energy costs rising and environmental pressures intensifying, businesses today face a pivotal moment. Demand for energy efficient printing continues to rise, driven not only by economics but also ethics, with organizations both large and small now recognizing the need to minimize consumption and adopt more sustainable practices.
However, in the past, many mistakenly believed that sustainability came at the expense of profits. Some traded green initiatives for short-term savings, only to be outpaced when consumer expectations changed. We have entered a new era in which environmental management is an essential business strategy.
Companies that thrive today have embraced the idea that healthy finances and sustainable operations are mutually reinforcing. By taking a holistic approach focused on renewable energy, material reduction and closed-loop systems, they reduce costs while maintaining their values.
Head of Corporate Sustainability at Epson UK.
The sustainable printing revolution
By driving optimal efficiency and allowing users to meet printing needs in the greenest way possible, inkjet printing is revolutionizing the printing industry, helping to make it as sustainable as possible.
The demand and expectation for more sustainable technology has created an environment where manufacturers compete to deliver the most environmentally efficient and cost-effective technology, while making significant overall contributions to the creation of a circular economy by understanding the importance of achieving sustainability.
For example, in addition to the rise of inkjet, we have also seen new models emerging, such as “short-run,” “personalization,” “on-demand,” and “desktop” printing. These models optimize the use of resources by facilitating printing according to precise requirements.
Industrial printing: using intelligence and improving sustainability
Industrial printing is also being transformed by inkjet technology. This innovation is rapidly replacing traditional contact printing methods and offering more effective alternatives, gaining recognition for its many benefits.
In addition to reducing production costs, digital printing advances environmental sustainability and advocates for localized manufacturing, close to demand. This allows companies to seek to reduce the carbon footprint of their upstream and downstream transportation and distribution.
One area where sustainable benefits are especially notable is in the digital textile printing sector. Using inkjet technology can reduce industrial water use by an impressive 95% and energy consumption by 75%.
Innovative printing technologies, such as heatless inkjet printing, have also been shown to consume up to 84% less energy than equivalent laser devices.
In fact, if every company in the world switched from laser printers to heatless inkjet printers, we could see a reduction of more than 52% in global carbon emissions generated by the printing industry – this is equivalent to 1. 3 million metric tons.
Sustainability at home and in the office
The move towards sustainable practices is not just limited to industrial spaces. Printing solutions for home and office also play a key role in transforming the industry into a more sustainable one.
As the hybrid work model increasingly becomes the norm (leading to an increase in home printing), making informed decisions about printers that consume less energy can have a significant impact. Recently, inkjet products have seen a tremendous increase in popularity in both the home and office, as they use significantly less energy and generate less waste than laser printers.
The surge in popularity shows that in the post-pandemic era of hybrid work and environmental awareness, both businesses and consumers are looking for ways to help with sustainable practices. But it's not just printers that are on the minds of environmentally conscious consumers: software tools are also gaining popularity.
New tools on the market give users a convenient way to track both energy costs and usage. For example, printer software can offer accurate comparisons of power consumption, CO2 emissions, consumables and energy costs of different printing devices, providing invaluable information for those striving to reduce their environmental impact.
The future is sustainable
An industry that was once considered notoriously harmful to the environment is now well and truly on its way to becoming an example of how sustainability can drive innovation. With inkjet technology at the forefront with less energy consumption, less waste and an overall reduced impact on the planet, the next chapter of printing is already underway, with technological innovation focused on compactness, precision and energy efficiency.
The transition of the printing industry shows the immense power of technology to enable sustainability, even in the least likely fields. As more industries follow printing's lead and adopt innovations that reduce environmental impact, they too will be able to future-proof their operations while upholding green values.
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