Living the green dream


Jörk Schüßler, European marketing manager for Citizen Systems Europe, explains the need for manufacturers, vendors and value added resellers of printers to look beyond energy efficiency and focus more on the wider sustainability agenda.


need to adopt a more socially responsible attitude. By understanding these important facts and focussing on product sustainability as well as other exciting specification features, the reseller can add value to consumer service.


On the radar Jörk Schüßler: “…understanding the processes involved in equipment


manufacture and the product’s life cycle can have a profound effect on the amount of energy and finite resources used and the waste generated.”


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n the past decade or so, consumers have become increasingly more aware and indeed more concerned about the environmental issues we all face today. Rarely a day goes by without news of climate change trends, rain forest destruction, pollution, or the exploitation of endangered species. Furthermore, we also have to tackle the legacy of man’s inability to coexist with the environment that is causing pollution and waste everywhere. Take, for example, the increasing amount of electronic consumables that we manufacture and throw away. Globally, this e-waste is growing at a rate of about 40 million tonnes per year as consumers in both developed and developing nations experience the digital age. Although many of these issues fall well beyond the remit of the IT equipment reseller, it is worth considering that in light of


34 IT RESELLER – NOVEMBER 2011


these worrying statistics, many consumers may well now be looking not only at product specifications of the latest electronic equipment but also the green credentials such as energy consumption rates. Beyond this, consumers are also interested in manufacturing or operational features such


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With spiralling energy prices, the energy consumption factor is already on the radar for most consumers through the introduction of legislation to promote energy efficiency. Most of you may already be familiar with the Energy Saving Trust Recommended and Energy Star label rating schemes. These now affect a wide range of electrical devices used both in industry and domestically and no doubt influence the decisions of consumers purchasing energy-consuming goods.


However, sustainability is not just cutting power consumption in use; to realise this important objective you need to look beyond comparing energy consumption figures and labels of competing manufacturers and start to take into account some of the wider issues even before the machine is switched on. For


As more and more consumers go for greener specifications on energy consuming products, IT resellers can expect to see an increase in accreditations and standards that regulate the environmental ratings advertised on the products they sell and distribute.”


as environmentally-friendly materials, long life and recycling capabilities that have far less impact on the environment. Indeed, IT resellers must start to realise that consumers are savvier these days and understand the


example, understanding the processes involved in equipment manufacture and the product’s life cycle can have a profound effect on the amount of energy and finite resources used and the waste generated.


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OPINION


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