With businesses increasingly focusing on reaching sustainability goals – and being able to demonstrate that – office equipment forms an important part of the equation, including the printer fleet. OEMs are bringing out energy-efficient printers that can make an appreciable difference.
Sustainability is an embedded part of business strategy today, and proof of what a company doing to become more sustainable is increasingly needed by potential customers before a contract is awarded.
As a result, businesses are looking at all aspects of the operations to reduce energy, carbon emissions and the like, including printers.
Tony Ko, Katun’s vice president of hardware and business solutions, reports that demand for energy-efficient MFPs remains strong across Europe. “This is driven by evolving environmental regulations, growing ESG commitments and rising energy costs,” he explains.
“Customers are looking for devices that reduce energy use while lowering operating expenses and supporting circular economy goals. Energy efficiency is now a key consideration alongside reliability and total cost of ownership, especially when sustainability features can provide clear, measurable savings in both cost and resource use.”
Angela Heather, senior product marketing manager at Ricoh UK, says that energy efficiency has become a standard ask from customers. “However, we have seen a growing emphasis on the circular economy credentials of technology products,” she adds.
“Demand within the public sector has increased, being driven by the tightening UK legislation around emissions, waste and packaging. ESG data requests are accelerating fast, driven by regulation, with EU rules alone expanding reporting requirements from 11,000 to 50,000 companies in 2025. This shift demonstrates the push for ESG to be built into the foundations of organisations.”
Lynne Brown, channel sales, UK and Ireland at Xerox, agrees that demand is growing. “It is increasingly a core requirement, driven by rising energy costs, sustainability goals and regulatory expectations,” she adds.
“Sustainability requirements are often a component of enterprise and public-sector tenders, commonly carrying a meaningful weighting and energy efficiency is positioned as a core part of that expectation. It is typically evidenced through recognised standards (e.g. Blue Angel/Energy Star/EPEAT) and measurable reductions in electricity use and associated emissions. For many partners and clients, energy efficiency now ranks alongside reliability, security and total cost of ownership. Xerox sees it as a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.”
What difference does it make?
Energy-efficient printers can make an appreciable contribution to a business’ ESG and sustainability targets. “Energy-efficient printers directly reduce electricity consumption (Scope 2), support use-phase carbon reduction, and can help cut paper, consumables and service-related impacts (Scope 3) when deployed as part of a managed print ecosystem,” explains Lynne.
“Importantly for tender and stakeholder communications, these outcomes can be supported by independently recognised eco-labels and analytics/dashboards that enable quantified reporting.”
Tony adds that as multi-function printers (MFPs) are embedded across most office environments, their energy efficiency can make a meaningful contribution to targets. “Lower energy use directly reduces operating costs and carbon emissions across the print environment,” he says.
“The impact is especially significant at the fleet level, where incremental reductions scale quickly and help demonstrate measurable progress against ESG goals and operational efficiency targets. Many OEMs also offer sustainability programs like Katun’s ‘Katun Collects’ programme for recycling consumables, or the ‘Print It, Plant It’ programme, which helps offset emissions by planting trees based on print volumes.”
Angela notes that design choices play a critical role in reducing lifecycle emissions. “Devices built with modular components with remanufacturing in mind, and higher levels of recycled materials can significantly extend product life and reduce embedded carbon,” she explains. “Independent validation has shown that our IMC range delivers up to 50% lower lifecycle carbon emissions than less efficient alternatives.”
OEM response
As Angela describes, OEMs are employing various strategies to bring energy consumption down in printers, including innovations in hardware and smarter device designs.
“Energy efficiency in printing is no longer measured by kilowatt-hours alone,” Angela says. “OEMs are now embedding sustainability across the entire product lifecycle. For example, the latest generation of Ricoh MFPs is assembled using 100% renewable energy, the mainframe is made with 50% recycled plastic and is designed to consume 50% less energy during sleep mode. The cumulative impact on energy consumption is considerable, given that office devices spend most of their working day in this state.”
Lynne notes that Xerox has made strides in advancing its hardware energy efficiency features and toner conservation capabilities to reduce energy consumption. “Advanced toner such as Xerox Emulsion Aggregate and Lexmark high-yield Unison™ toners enable low temperature fusing, which reduces power consumption,” she adds. “We also offer services, solutions and programmes that reduce paper consumption, promote efficient use and help reduce the environmental impact of printing and imaging activities.
“Because our devices are enabled with the Internet of Things, sensors gather data that allow us to anticipate and correct disruptions and breaks before they occur. When issues with a device do occur, we are able to diagnose and fix it remotely 70% of the time. This results in fewer calls that require a technician to visit on site, saving energy, money and fuel consumption.”
Tony adds that MFPs like Katun’s Arivia range are Energy Star compliant and include features like auto-on detection to reduce unnecessary standby power, as well as optimised power management to minimise energy waste. “Technologies such as low-melt toner and LED print engines help lower energy consumption while extending product lifespans,” he says. “Many OEMs are also incorporating recycled materials, including post-consumer plastics into the devices to further support broader sustainability and circular economy goals.”
More than just energy savings
But energy efficient printers can bring more than just energy and carbon savings to businesses – they can also bring down costs, which is crucial in the current uncertain economic times.
“Modern energy-efficient print technology is engineered to lower consumption without compromising performance,” says Lynne. “Xerox energy-efficient printing products are designed to operate at approximately 25–30% below Energy Star electricity consumption limits, helping organisations cut the energy associated with everyday document workflows and demonstrate consistent year-on-year reductions. In addition, our cloud-based programmes deliver energy savings by eliminating dedicated, site-based print servers and leveraging shared computing resources in the cloud.”
Tony agrees that energy-efficient MFPs can deliver meaningful cost savings while also reducing energy consumption. “Lower power usage directly cuts energy bills, particularly in high-volume environments, while efficient technologies typically require less heat, fewer moving parts and less maintenance,” he adds. “This can extend device lifespan, reduce downtime and improve overall productivity.
“Over time, these combined benefits – lower energy costs, reduced service needs and increased uptime – can significantly lower total cost of ownership, especially across large printer fleets.”
Angela agrees that costs can be reduced in practical ways: through lower energy consumption in day-to-day operations, reduced paper use through duplex printing and longer-lasting components that lower the total cost of ownership over time. “We have had customers report that a reduction in printer fleet and paper use helped them reach net-zero goals and save six figures annually,” she says.
Reseller tactics
For resellers selling to customers that are looking closely at any spend, there are certain qualities of these printers they should highlight to help close the sale. “Resellers should position energy-efficient MFPs as environmentally responsible while also having the potential to lower operating costs,” says Tony.
“The focus should be on total business value, in addition to sustainability. Key points to highlight include lower total cost of ownership through reduced energy use, less maintenance, and longer device lifespans, translating into cost savings, reliability and less downtime. It’s also important to connect these benefits to customers’ ESG goals and regulatory requirements, supported by clear, measurable data.”
Angela notes that Scope 3 emissions, lifecycle costs and ESG credentials are now standard considerations in procurement decisions. “Customers need to understand that the right device choice has a direct impact on their carbon reporting, their energy spend and ability to meet supplier requirements further up the supply chain,” she says.
Lynne adds that resellers should also emphasise that energy efficiency now goes hand in hand with performance, security and reliability. “They can help customers modernise their print environments without trade-offs while meeting sustainability-related expectations,” she adds.
