Printing Efficiently and Greener Minimising the environmental impacts of printing (EAUC) 14 December 2010

Buildings Energy and water Waste and recycling Biodiversity Transport Sustainable Procurement Fairtrade Do the Green Thing

Key Impacts of ICT

Printing Efficiently and Greener £50k grant funding approved from JISC. Brought together Facilities, IT, Print Unit, Procurement, London South Bank University and Global Action Plan. Overall aim is to investigate how barrier to Green ICT can be overcome through cross-departmental working when implementing staff behavioural change programmes. Trialling printer consolidation from desktops to MFDs in a number of departments. Save energy, save resources and improve efficiency e.g. provide duplex function, scanning facilities.

Facts and figures Site audit surveyed 2108 desks and found: imaging devices - 72% were desktop printers different models from 21 manufacturers - Account for 70 tonnes CO 2 - Energy costs approx £10k Spent over £58,000 on printer cartridges last year. Use 150 boxes of paper per week.

Consultative Approach Online staff survey with incentive – 18% response rate. Questions around printing behaviours, opinions on changing to MFDs and general environmental support. Followed by two focus groups to further understand knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around staff printing.

What Staff Say Generally want better information e.g. on recycling facilities, how to duplex etc. Reliable equipment, no queues, backup in case of technical problems. Confidentiality, monitoring of volumes, duplex, colour, scanning and fax facilities. Training on more efficient printing methods.

Implementation Chosen three trial departments. Identified environmental champions. Senior-level support. Needs analysis for best solution. Communication is key! Higher level technical support. Emphasise benefits.

Lessons learned Cross departmental working can be challenging – engagement and communication is key! Don’t take the technical solution for granted – this can be just as complex as the behavioural change campaign. Identifying risks isn’t enough, as much as possible must be done to reduce them. Perseverance is essential!

Do the Green Thing Sara Kassam Energy & Environment Manager