Energy conservation out of the box: How green gets the job done

You do your best to be "green,” but what happens when green just isn’t good enough?

When it comes to energy conservation, we can be left wanting more from our equipment in terms of both get-the-job-done performance and conservation. According to GreenBiz, after people get to their third energy-efficient purchase, they typically don’t see the impact they expected — and they stop buying eco-friendly and stop making energy-efficient improvements.

Throughout recent focus groups, Americans have said that “green products just don’t work as well” and those who are in the market for a specific green product will find numerous complaints in consumer reviews about a product's quality and lack of performance.

According to GreenBiz, when asked what we want in an eco-friendly product, the answer is simple:

1. Bake sustainability in — meaning that eco modes should be automatic, not a setting or add on.
2. Make sure the product performs well and does what it’s supposed to do.

Sounds easy enough, right? Yet, green initiatives continue to challenge manufacturers and frustrate us eco-conscious consumers.

Thinking differently

At Ricoh, we take the decision-making out of choosing the right piece of equipment because we build energy conservation directly in — not only keeping the performance of the equipment intact, but using green initiatives to improve it.

In 1999, we won the International Energy Agency's “Copier of the Future” competition. It was a pivotal moment that got us thinking about designing our equipment differently.

“Before that, you’d have this energy-saving feature and just wouldn’t use it,” says Kousuke Ito, Director, Environmental Sustainability and Product Compliance. When energy saving features affect performance, we tend to opt out. The way eco modes were being offered had to change — and we've done just that.

The Ricoh Way

We’ve been green before it was the “thing” for companies to do. We’ve even called it “The Ricoh Way,” which in our world means doing what’s right for the planet and supporting a sustainable society.

“We incorporate our environmental responsibilities into our global efforts in environmental conservation activities, which we believe to be as significant as our business operations,” says Michael George, Accessibility & Green Marketing Mgr. Product Marketing.

Green means good for business

Energy and resource conservation is not only a step in the environmentally friendly direction; it’s also something consumers are taking an active interest in when deciding what companies to support and where to shop.

55% of global online consumers across 60 countries say they are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact, according to a new study by Nielsen.

Our products and programs are designed to help companies like yours reduce their carbon footprint. Our recycling and toner take-back programs, for example, allow you to recycle your used consumables and packaging. And our equipment features energy-saving options like Sleep Mode and Quick Start-Up, and resource-saving options like automatic duplexing — all without sacrificing your productivity.

Some of these features include:

Sleep Mode

Our MFPs enter a low power sleep mode after a pre-determined amount of time of going unused. Since you're only running at full power when someone submits a job, you're conserving energy in between uses.

Quick start-up

With our innovative motion sensor technology, our newest MFPs detect an approaching user and awakens from Sleep Mode, turning on the operation panel within one second — so your equipment is ready when you need it, without any wasted energy. When devices need lengthy “warm-up” times after sleep mode, it not only slows down productivity, but can also tempt users to disable sleep mode altogether to avoid the inconvenience. Our quick start-up technology speeds job queues and maximizes user satisfaction, while making sure that your energy-saving features are properly used.

Low temperature fusing

Our multifunction printers (MFPs) use a fusing process that helps printer toner melt and adhere to paper at a lower temperature. As a result, you spend less energy per page — all while still achieving consistent print quality across various media.

Smart operation panels

Our MFPs now include an innovative, award-winning Smart Operation Panel. You can track paper usage and display eco-statistics via the Eco-Friendly Indicator screen, which shows your users the environmental impact of the jobs they produce, helping to increase awareness and promote responsible printing behaviors. The simple and intuitive panel also features easy-touch quick copy and scan and fax functionality, and can help to enhance productivity, expand your capabilities, and enable wireless mobile printing.

The recognition to prove it

We do more than strive for energy conservation — we achieve it. That’s why we’re continuously recognized by leading environmental agencies and energy conservation organizations.

In 2014 the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) named us a 2014 ENERGY STAR® award winner for Excellence in Energy Efficient Product Design. In 2016 the EPA recognized us with the highly coveted 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for our outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by:

• Manufacturing energy-efficient products.
• Offering sustainable services and solutions.
• Educating consumers about energy efficiency.

“Ricoh has been a strong supporter of ENERGY STAR and we strive for ‘practical’ energy performance to achieve the ENERGY STAR qualification while maintaining ease of use attributes,” says George.

We are also one of the first companies to reach the gold level of the EPEAT® (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) program which looks at 10 environmental attributes including design, energy use and recycling. By utilizing EPEAT standards, we continue to enhance our complete portfolio of products and services to better manage and reduce environmental impact and cost while first meeting our customer’s needs.

With Ricoh, you’ll no longer have to choose between energy and resource conservation and business productivity. We design our equipment, services, and solutions with both you and the planet in mind so you know your equipment will perform as you need it to, helping you to accomplish a full range of document-related tasks without compromising the environment — or your bottom line.

Source : https://www.ricoh-usa.com/en/insights/articles/energy-conservation-out-of-the-box