Few companies embark on enterprise-wide “green” initiatives just out of the goodness of their hearts – there has to be a sound business case for making wholesale changes in the organization.

The benefits of environmental sustainability – from small efforts like switching off room lights, and from big deals like reorganizing delivery schedules to manage your cars and trucks on the road – add up quickly, particularly when scores of companies undertake similar measures.

But within the green campaign is an opportunity to cut costs and improve efficiency. Nowhere is this more apparent than in your print fleet. Take, for example, the city of Hamburg, Germany. After cutting its overall consumption of ink, toner and paper by going digital, Hamburg expects to save more than US $14 million over five years.

While Hamburg’s may be a dramatic example, the scale by which you rethink your print fleet can also reap advantages to the bottom line, and the first step is determining where you can optimize your document process.

Steps toward success
Happily, you can call on the expertise of a managed print services (MPS) professional to assess your workplace and recommend green options designed to save you both time and money.

· The key could be as simple as installing multifunction devices (known as “all in one”) that combine the functions of print, copy, scan, fax and email. In doing so, you can phase out obsolete older models of individual devices, sending them for recycling.

· From there, you might have your MPS provider train your staff on money-saving print habits, like using Print Preview to check the layout for wasted paper space, printing on both sides of the paper, and using the grayscale or “fast draft” setting to conserve toner.

· Taking it a step further, you could transition your high-volume paper projects to a more digital process. DocuShare technology paired with multifunction device makes possible a fast, efficient online network of employees, vendors, customers and other stakeholders who can share, review, approve and publish content with little or no hard-copy getting in the way.

Optimizing your print fleet for an environmental cause also includes enterprise-wide modifications that can deliver long-term benefits:

• Print device recycling: A printer more than three years old is subject to wear in its everyday use. Constant downtime and costly repair are drains on productivity. Your MPS solutions may qualify you for a print device-recycling program that monitors the equipment and ensures that you constantly have the most energy-efficient and dependable hardware at your workplace.
• Print fleet optimizing: Along with providing the most efficient documentation devices, a managed print services provider can demonstrate how consolidation can cut down on the actual number of printers, copiers and scanners in the workplace. In many cases, a new physical layout can consolidate all the document management functions in one place – reducing the need for redundant devices and even cutting down on the electricity needed for multiple “copy rooms.”

Green pays off
Your environmental concerns – and your concerns for the bottom line are shared by your MPS provider. Ask about how you can promote sustainability while saving material cost and fostering a more efficient office.

Click here to find out how your business can save up to 30% in print costs in 30 days: