Office Workers Document Their Green Concerns

CHERTSEY, England, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Concern for the environment is having a major impact on office working habits according to research conducted by Toshiba Tec, which reveals that 57% of office workers often or always decide not to print out documents out of concern for the environment. The online survey of over 800 British office workers also revealed that over 1 in 4 (27%) would be more likely to print out documents if printing was carbon-free.

The research suggests that UK businesses face a particular challenge in balancing the environmental concerns of their workers with the fact that many (25%) still prefer to commit business documents and emails to paper, rather than reading them on screen.

Of those office workers who ever print at work, nearly 1 in 2 (48%) regularly print out important emails while 38% print out maps and directions - despite the growing use of mobile devices to access email on the move and GPS-enabled smartphones. Other studies have suggested that workers read faster and retain more information from a printed sheet of paper compared to reading directly from a computer screen.

Toshiba's research suggests that, as long as workers express a desire to print out important office documents, businesses should ensure that office printing is as environmentally-friendly as possible - requiring plans that go beyond merely recycling waste paper and consumables or simply switching printers off over night.

"Office workers want to print out important documents - yet are sufficiently worried about the environmental impact of printing, that they are compromising their effectiveness at work," noted Steve Hewson, Marketing Director of Toshiba Tec.

"Given that over 1 in 4 (27%) office workers would be more likely to print out documents if printing was carbon-free, businesses need to look at a Carbon Zero printing scheme to both prove their green credentials and address the understandable concerns we found in the workplace," said Steve Hewson.

Toshiba Tec's Carbon Zero scheme offers such a solution, allowing office workers to print with a clear conscience. The scheme offsets all the carbon associated with the manufacture, transport, servicing and daily use of its copiers and printers over a period of 5 years, or 1 million pages.

The gold-standard certified scheme supplies villagers in rural Kenya with domestic stoves that cut the use of firewood by more than half. Each cooker typically prevents three tonnes of CO2 emissions every year - equivalent to the emissions produced by an average UK car doing 9,000 miles a year.

The scheme also brings social and health benefits. Once the new stoves are fitted, children and young people who would otherwise be out collecting firewood are free to attend school, while the scheme also helps reduce the 1.6 million deaths each year that the World Health Association identifies as associated with smoke inhalation.

About the survey:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2031 adults of which 821 ever work in an office. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th - 13th January 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

About Toshiba Tec

Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 730 companies, with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$67 billion.

Toshiba TEC UK Imaging Systems Ltd is part of the globally operating Toshiba Corporation. Toshiba TEC is a leading supplier of information technology and office equipment products ranging from multifunctional print and copying devices (both B&W and Colour), to fax machines and digital document management products. Toshiba TEC UK Imaging Systems is headquartered in Chertsey, UK. Further information is available at http://www.toshiba.co.uk/imaging