Launched in 1991, long before sustainability was on most companies’ radar screens Xerox’s environmental program achieved 900 million kilos by waste avoidance in two areas: reuse and recycling in imaging supplies and product take-back and recycling and parts reuse. In addition, Xerox integrates innovative environmental priorities into manufacturing operations to add to its recycling efforts.
“Xerox’s experience with reuse, recycling and remanufacturing has not only kept waste out of landfills, but saved the company more than $2 billion as it did so,” said Patricia Calkins, Xerox vice president, Environment, Health and Safety . “If that amount of waste were loaded into waste collection trucks, it would fill more than 160,000 trucks, stretching more than 1,000 miles. We believe sustainability is an integral part of developing products, serving customers and posting profits.”
Xerox Green World Alliance
Central to the company’s commitment to waste-free products is the Xerox Green World Alliance , a reuse and recycling program for printer cartridges and toner. The program kept more than 2.7 million cartridges and toner containers and nearly 5 million kilos of waste out of landfills last year alone.
The Alliance is composed of two components – the remanufacturing of cartridges and the recovery and reuse of toner. When a cartridge is at the end of its life, customers send it to Xerox, which then cleans, inspects and remanufactures or recycles the cartridge. Remanufactured cartridges contain an average of 90 percent reused/recycled parts and are built and tested to the same performance specifications as new products.
Equipment remanufacturing and reuse of parts
More than 15 years ago, Xerox pioneered the practice of converting end-of-life equipment into new products and parts. That approach has translated into significant environmental and financial benefits, preventing millions of kilos of waste from entering landfills – 50 million kilos in 2006 alone – while reducing the amount of raw material needed to manufacture new parts.
For these machines, Xerox equipment recovery/recycle operations disassemble parts that can be reused, adhering to stringent standards for quality and performance. The remaining components are disposed of or recycled. Of the 43,000 metric tons designated as equipment waste in 2006, Xerox reused or recycled 96 percent.
Environmentally-sensitive manufacturing processes
Recognising that eliminating waste is not only good for the environment but also a smart manufacturing practice, Xerox’s waste-free factory initiative has focused efforts on reducing the amount of non-hazardous waste generated by Xerox operations and on responsibly managing waste that cannot be eliminated. In 2006, Xerox recycled 91 percent of its non-hazardous waste, up from 80 percent in 2000.
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About Xerox Europe
Xerox Europe, the European operations of Xerox Corporation, markets a comprehensive range of Xerox products, solutions and services, as well as associated supplies and software. Its offerings are focused on three main areas: offices from small to large, production print and graphic arts environments, and services that include consulting, systems design and management, and document outsourcing.
Xerox Europe also has manufacturing and logistics operations in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands, and a research and development facility (Xerox Research Centre Europe) in Grenoble, France. For more information visit, www.xerox.com
Xerox is a trademark of Xerox Corporation. All non-Xerox brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Customer Contact
For information on Xerox products, call 0870 873 4519 or visit www.xerox.co.uk
Media Contacts:
Kevin Perlmutter, Xerox Europe, tel: +44 (0) 1895 845 219, email: kevin.perlmutter@xerox.com
Matthew Wright, Trimedia Harrison Cowley, T: +44 (0) 207 404 6777, email: matthew.wright@trimediahc.com
Tim Duncan, Trimedia Harrison Cowley T: +44 (0) 207 404 6777, email: tim.duncan@trimediahc.com
