Page 250 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

226 C h apter Ele v e n

Patty Calkins points out that, contrary to early predictions, the
advent of digital technology and the Internet has helped to keep
paper in the office—people print less of what they read, but they are
reading a much larger stream of information. Xerox research shows
that office workers discard about 45% of everything they print
within a day. So, paper use will persist much longer than anticipated
because paper is easier to access and annotate, easier to share or
review with others, easier to compare with other documents, easier
to scan, more pleasant to read, and less likely to be forgotten or lost.
However, she says, “Even if the paperless office is a myth, Xerox
believes that the office that uses paper responsibly is a goal that is
within reach.”

Closing the Loop through Asset Recovery
Xerox’s hardware products exhibit a similar concern with total sys-
tem performance. For example in the iGen3 commercial printing
system over 97% of the components are recyclable or remanufactur-
able, and up to 80%, by weight, of the waste that it generates can be
returned, reused, or recycled. Its all-digital technology means virtu-
ally no make-ready waste, and variable data printing means no obso-
lete inventory. iGen3 emits 80% less noise than a typical offset press.
It uses dry inks that are nontoxic and have closed containers with
a transfer efficiency rate near to 100%. This means that there are no
chemicals requiring clean-up or degrading workplace air quality, no
personal protective equipment needed, no regulated waste, and no air
or water abatement capital or operating expenses.
Before sustainability was fashionable and before the term “reverse
logistics” was invented, Xerox pioneered the practice of converting
end-of-life electronic equipment into new products and parts. Xerox
began a systematic “asset recovery” program in 1991, and by 2008
remanufacturing and recycling had given new life to more than 2.8
million copiers, printers, and multifunction systems, while diverting
nearly two billion pounds of potential waste from landfills—111 mil-
lion pounds (50,000 metric tons) in 2006 alone. Moreover, the pro-
gram has saved more than $2 billion over that period. To accomplish
this, Xerox developed a comprehensive process for taking back end-
of-life products, including design methods for ease of disassembly
and recovery as well as systematic processes for remanufacture, parts
reuse, and recycling.
Xerox maximizes the end-of-life potential of products and compo-
nents by considering reuse as an integral part of the design process.
Machines are designed for easy disassembly and contain fewer parts.
Parts are durable—designed for multiple product life cycles. Coded
with instructions on how they can be disposed of, the parts are also
easy to reuse or recycle. As a result, equipment returned to Xerox
at end-of-life can be rebuilt to as-new performance specifications,