From cradle to grave

We hear a lot about how ‘green’ large-format printers are in terms of their running efficiencies, inks, and output capabilities etc., and as we run up to the major trade shows we’ll no doubt hear a lot more, but PSPs still have very little information on the whole cradle-to-grave eco aspects of what they are buying. In an attempt to shed more light on that we asked all the major manufacturers for their take. Perhaps it was just a timing thing, but you may be unsurprised to learn that even some of those singing loudly to the eco tune fell quiet when it came to commenting on how increasing environmental concerns - and supply issues - are impacting and changing their parts sourcing, manufacturing/assembly locations and methods, shipment distances etc. But some were vocal, providing what’s at least a starting point for deeper conversations that need to be had if, as a sector, if we are serious about reducing our overall carbon footprint.

Mike Horsten, global press and PR manager (digital print/inkjet) spoke for Agfa, pointing out that “changing locations is not easy as it involves staff and buildings. We believe in our people so there are no changes there. To produce more ecologically we have implemented many things like solar arrays, the reduction of energy consumption and the use of recycling. We use electric vehicles on the sites. We are doing everything possible to reduce our footprint but exact examples are complicated as they affect many things, but we work on this every day.

He continues: “As all of Agfa has issues with the supply chain, getting parts for our hardware is not as easy as in pre-Covid times. The sourcing of parts, that come from around the world, has made it more critical that we look at all the chain and how we can improve logistics. Also, the lockdowns in China and Asia in general have made it more difficult to source parts - even if they are being made they haven’t been able to transport them out due to Covid restrictions.

“Agfa has a good position as we do manufacture many of the components ourselves, and we manufacture all inks in Belgium so we can control the supply a bit easier on that side, but even there the prices of ground/raw materials have gone up as a result of the war in Ukraine and Covid. Although we have worked hard to maintain the pricing as it was, there are too many extra financial impacts like energy and salary cost that has driven the manufacturing cost of these goods up.”

Mathew Faulkner, director marketing and innovation wide-format group at Canon EMEA, says that “as with all manufacturers, we continually monitor our supply chain to anticipate and prepare for any potential disruption and take steps to deal with the situation, such as adjusting product designs and placing orders with different suppliers. An example of an area where we have had to adapt is the well-documented global shortage of semiconductors. In response Canon is building a new semiconductor equipment plant in eastern Japan, which will begin operating in the spring of 2025.

“We benefit from having manufacturing plants both in the Far East and in Europe - manufacturing in multiple regions has allowed us to both lower our carbon footprint through shorter shipping routes, as well as increasing the efficiency of our maintenance and installation services. In addition, our product portfolio is built with serviceability and field upgradeability in mind.”

Faulkner reiterates: “Canon’s corporate philosophy ‘Kyosei’ - living and working together for the common good - means that the principles of sustainability and responsibility are etched into our innovations. We always consider the environment when producing, transporting, using and recycling our solutions. We’re also committed to contributing to Canon Inc.’s target to achieve net zero by 2050 by reducing CO2 emissions across our corporate operations and throughout our product lifecycles.

“This includes innovating in areas such as product design to take into account the environmental impacts at each stage of the product lifecycle - and working to reduce them. We are also committed to expanding the use of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and cutting CO2 emissions from logistics through the use of more environmentally friendly transport methods. Where possible, we also design our products to help save space and improve efficiency during transport.

“Our wide-format graphics solutions are developed with durability, longevity and sustainability in mind. We have strong systems and processes in place to responsibly manage environmental impacts across our operations and supply chains. This is reflected in the product lifecycle of our Arizona family of flatbed UV printers and our UVgel Colorado roll-to-roll printers. During the design stages, R&D is actively working towards a target of cutting lifecycle CO2 emissions by 3% year-on-year. Additionally, we work with our manufacturing sites to lower their energy consumption with a target of 1.2% per year - we also endeavour to bring down waste discharge, water consumption and chemical substance emissions. Our Canon production printing manufacturing site in Germany also uses 100% renewable electricity.

“It’s our ambition to become a circular business, meaning that every single product and material is designed, created, reused, repaired and recycled in a closed loop. We’re working towards this by creating and delivering refurbished and remanufactured devices and growing our portfolio of products suitable for remanufacturing and with improved upgrade, service and repairability. For example, the latest Colorado range of models are upgradeable in the field to add new innovations such as FLXfinish+ matte and gloss printing, double-sided printing and additional media drawers. This not only allows the technology capabilities to develop in line with our customers business needs but is also a much more sustainable way to get access to new innovations than buying a replacement printer.

“When our print devices reach end of life, they can be returned to Canon, where they will be refurbished, remanufactured, or parts reused depending on their condition. We have been remanufacturing devices for more than 20 years to help extend the lifetime of our products and we currently remanufacture products at centres in Venlo, The Netherlands and in Giessen, Germany.

“We’re also expanding our recycling and refilling programmes across the EMEA region and reducing the amount of single-use plastic used in product packaging materials and at operational sites.”

Joey Kim, managing director of Korea-based InkTec, whose European operations in Oxfordshire was established in 2006, points out that “in 2022, InkTec expanded its European operation by having a base located on the mainland in the Netherlands. This means it can now rapidly bulk distribute its inks across Europe, while offering faster delivery options and no duties or taxes within the European distribution zones.”

He adds: “With a significant number of Jetrix printers operating across Europe, InkTec continues to invest in its support team, in order to maintain and extend the lifetime of all its kit. This even includes supporting some of the original printers, such as the Jetrix 2513 which was launched in 2008. Equally, where printers are looking to invest in the latest technology, we are working with them to look at options for part exchange and re-sale of their existing machines, therefore avoiding scrapping them prematurely. This is opening up the options for smaller businesses or for those wanting to enter the large-format printing arena.”

On the supplies side Kim says that while the current economic climate is proving challenging, InkTec has taken several steps to mitigate this. “We are in the fortunate position of manufacturing our own inks and media so we produce to order. This ensures we manage the whole process, the result of which is that from an environmental perspective any ink wastage is minimised, with very limited supply stock going out of date.”

Rob Goleniowski, head of sales at Rolad DG stresses that “in a world increasingly aware of the impact of environmental concerns, businesses are under pressure to print responsibly and establish environmentally sound business practices. In light of this, Roland DG has adopted various ways to cater to the needs of its customer base. Our cloud-based Roland DG Connect app includes new features for accurate fault logs and diagnosis, helping increase first-time fix rates and engineer mileage. Moreover, our proprietary ink dot control technology limits ink use while maintaining high-definition print quality. And our move to a pouch-type design compared to plastic cartridges makes sorting and disposal of used inks easier. Additionally, all Roland DG printers feature sleep mode to minimise power consumption when on standby, leading to lower costs.

“In fact, we comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations (WEEE) to reduce energy and resources during each stage of our products lifecycle - from using recyclable boxes through to product size packaging design for optimal loading during transportation and disposal. And unlike some manufacturers, we do not advocate a throw-away culture by managing the lifespan and support of older products with a new lease of life from another owner.”

He continues: “Even by simply moving our engineering fleet over to hybrid alternatives, and our Japanese headquarters relocating to a ZEB (Zero Energy Building) certified building, we can make huge leaps forward to reduce our CO2 footprint.”

At swissQprint chief sales and marketing officer Carmen Eicher, says “we are dependent on global structures and feel the bottlenecks in procurement. That’s a fact. However, there are circumstances benefiting us at swissQprint. We are sourcing from Switzerland - and locally - to the greatest extent possible. There is hardly anything we can improve. Some things, like inks or printheads, are simply unavailable in Switzerland, but we have long-standing partnerships with suppliers.

“Our purchasing and logistics teams know the machine parts inside out. If delivery problems become apparent, they quickly initiate measures to find a solution with suppliers, or a temporary change to internal work processes. We have everything under one roof at our HQ in Switzerland which makes us flexible. So, if the only and last option is to use an alternative product, our development teams perform the necessary technical adjustments.

Eicher points out that the company’s building in Kriessern is heated and cooled via groundwater heat exchangers, making it independent of fossil fuels. “That far-sighted investment of yesteryear is now helping us to avoid the global energy squeeze. Also, by adopting small measures, each and every one of our staff contributes to reducing electricity consumption.”

Asked if swissQprint is considering any ‘take-back’ and recycle programme for large-format kit Eicher says simply: “There is no such programme as there is currently no need for it, given that all of our machines are still operating. What is more, there is a big demand for our secondhand (and even third-hand) machines. We offer spare parts for as long as we can to keep these machines running. The longevity of our machines keeps their overall carbon footprint small.”