UXBRIDGE – UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has selected Xerox technology as part of its drive to combat the effects of climate change and reduce waste through its five year ‘eco-plan’ Plan A. Xerox’s environmentally friendly solid ink printers are helping to support M&S’ Plan A commitments.

M&S has installed 1,050 Xerox Phaser 8560 colour printers using Xerox’s patented solid ink technology across all 602 M&S stores nationwide. The devices are used primarily for printing high quality coloured shelf edge labels.

Crucially for M&S, the solid ink sticks used in the printers help to reduce waste output significantly. Cartridge-free, with minimal packaging, solid ink sticks equate to a 90 per cent reduction in landfill per device. In addition, a study1 estimates that solid ink printing uses nine percent less lifecycle energy and produces 10 percent fewer greenhouse gases than a comparable laser device.

Xerox’s solid ink technology also makes colour printing for M&S a lower cost solution than competing laser technology. The solid ink imaging process is also highly efficient, producing nearly 100 per cent ink-to-page transfer which results in superior quality printing, a fundamental requirement for M&S.

Xerox has also installed its award winning device management software CentreWare Web to help M&S monitor and measure print activity and provide pro-active fleet monitoring and reporting.

As a result of M&S’s Plan A, and Xerox’s own environmental commitments, both companies have been listed highly in the latest ethical rankings from Geneva-based Covalence, taking 4th and 5th places respectively.

Carmel McQuaid, M&S Sustainable Development Manager, said, “We’re very pleased with the new Xerox printers installed across the network of UK stores. Not only are the devices providing us with significant cost savings, vital at this time of economic instability, but they are helping us with the successful execution of Plan A.”

Mark Duffelen, director and general manager, Office Group, Xerox UK commented, “Xerox is deeply committed to helping companies like M&S become more effective, efficient and sustainable. We were able to provide M&S with a colour solution without any compromise on cost or performance. Plan A is the perfect reflection of Xerox’s own drive towards more environmentally friendly business practices. As such, it’s a great accolade for both our companies to be recognised by Covalence.”

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1 Life Cycle Assessment of a Solid Ink MFD Compared with a Color Laser MFD, Xerox Corporation, May 2009. Peer reviewed by the Rochester Institute of Technology.

About Marks and Spencer’s Plan A
Marks & Spencer’s ‘Plan A’ is a business-wide 200m ‘eco-plan’ that was launched in January 2007 with the aim of positively impacting on every part of M&S' operations. Plan A involves M&S working with its customers and suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, safeguard natural resources, trade ethically and build a healthier nation.The 100-point plan means that by 2012 M&S will:
  • Become carbon neutral
  • Send no waste to landfill
  • Extend sustainable sourcing
  • Set new standards in ethical trading
  • Help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle.
For more information on Plan A visit http://plana.marksandspencer.com/about

About Covalence
Covalence’ s ethical quotation system is a reputation index based on quantifying qualitative data, which is classified according to 45 criteria such as Labour standards, Waste management, Product social utility or Human rights policy. It is a barometer of how multinationals are perceived in the ethical field.

Covalence’ s annual ethical ranking covers an enlarged universe of 541 multinationals within 18 sectors and based on a renovated calculation methodology combining popularity and diversified performance.

The system integrates thousands of documents found among media, enterprise, NGO and other sources, for producing the EthicalQuote score which serves as a base for calculating Covalence rankings. This score reflects the historical evolution of multinational companies’ ethical reputation. It is given by the cumulative addition of positive news (documents coded as “ethical offers”, which are weighed as +1) and negative news (“ethical demands” weighed as -1).

About Xerox UK
Xerox UK, the UK operation 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 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.co.uk

Xerox is a trademark of Xerox Corporation. All non-Xerox brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Prices, features, specifications, capabilities, appearance and availability of Xerox products and services are subject to change without notice.

Media Contact
Robert Corbishley, Xerox Europe, T: +44 (0) 1895 843239, email: robert.corbishley@xerox.com Laura Lynne, Trimedia Ltd, T: +44 (0) 207 025 7546, email: xerox.@trimediauk.com