Inkjet & Digital Printing

Océ Announces Winner of its First Annual “Green Reprographer of the Year” Award

Sunday 01. June 2008 - Reliable Graphics Recognized for Outstanding Sustainability Achievements

Océ today announced the winner of its first annual, “Green Reprographer of the Year” award during the IRgA 2008 Annual Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV. Reliable Graphics, a California-based leader in the reprographics, imaging and document management industry for over 30 years, was selected as the winner from a pool of qualified entrants who submitted applications via Océ’s website, outlining their achievements in the area of green business practices and explaining how these efforts have assisted their customers to meet their own sustainability goals.

“In recognition of their outstanding efforts to promote sustainability via the products used in their business operations, the services provided to their customers and internal employee programs, we are proud to announce that Reliable Graphics is the winner of Océ s first-ever ’Green Reprographer of the Year’ award,” said Sal Sheikh, Vice President of Marketing, Wide Format Printing Systems division of Océ North America. “We received quite a few applications for this award, underscoring the importance today’s reprographers place on environmentally sound business practices. We are confident that Océ can help reprographers reach their sustainability goals, and those of their customers, through products that are environmentally conscious while maintaining the quality and reliability for which Océ is known.”

An independent panel of judges, including Denise Gustavson, Editor of Wide Format Imaging magazine, Dave Barista, Managing Editor of Building Design & Construction magazine, and Ed Avis, author of The Green Reprographics Handbook and contributing writer on green issues for Repro Report magazine, selected Reliable Graphics as the winner based on its enterprise-wide dedication to sustainability.

An American Reprographics Company (ARC) reprographer, Reliable Graphics’ dedication to sustainability is demonstrated through its certification as a Forest Steward Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative reprographer through its active membership in the U.S. Green Building Council and its prominent utilization of the ARC GreenPlan environmental business initiatives.

Editor Denise Gustavson of Wide Format Imaging and award judge commented, “Reliable Graphics has been very proactive when it comes to its policies regarding sustainability. For this shop, being environmentally responsible is more than simply a good idea or an afterthought—they’ve put it into practice. In all aspects of its business, Reliable Graphics keeps the environment in mind—from the products and services it provides to its customers to the energy-saving and environmentally-friendly measures it has taken within its facilities.”

Indeed, Reliable Graphics has incorporated sustainability into nearly every aspect of its business operations-including the products used in its shops and sold to customers. The company has already achieved real results by switching to recycled paper for use on its large format black & white systems (Océ 45-111R recycled paper) and small format systems-saving 1,509 trees, 354,976 KWH of energy and 621,208 gallons of water from June 2007 to February 2008. The company also encourages its customers to embrace sustainable products by offering recycled cardboard binders, CD sleeves, edge binds, tabs and Eco Board for sale in its shops.

“In an effort to minimize its impact on the environment, Reliable Graphics has done an admirable job in re-thinking virtually every component of its business, from the products and services it sells to its green operations practices,” said Dave Barista, award judge and managing editor of Building Design and Construction.

Along those lines, Reliable Graphics has also made strides to re-think traditional reprographics applications and minimize unnecessary printing through the adoption of advanced software solutions. Utilizing digital document management software solutions, including Océ Plan Center and a variety of digital applications developed by Reliable Graphics’ parent, American Reprographics Company, the company enables its customers to order plans and send bid invitations online. Reliable Graphics also promotes digital file archiving and file transfer via an FTP site, Océ Repro Desk software and electronic work orders, with which customers can request order pick-ups and place orders while remaining paperless.

Internally, Reliable Graphics has implemented several facility changes to reduce the company’s impact on the environment-from transitioning to a fleet of hybrid vehicles to selecting cleaning products that are eco-friendly. In February of 2008, Reliable Graphics switched to compact florescent light bulbs throughout its shops and equipped all light switches with occupancy sensors.

Employees of Reliable Graphics are encouraged to support the company’s sustainability goals. Each office location is fitted with a webcam so meetings with employees in different locations can be conducted virtually thus putting fewer cars on the road. When they do travel to the office, employees are encouraged to take part in a ride share program with incentives to benefit those offices that take part most often. Additionally, Reliable Graphics educates its employees and clients on “green” topics of interest on a monthly basis, with timely topics displayed and mounted in the offices’ lobby on Eco Board.

Reliable Graphics has also instituted several innovative “green” programs, including:
A 20 yard, on-site recycle bin where plastic and every type of paper product from customer scraps to cardboard cores are placed.
A “Plans to Pads” program has been put into place to create note pads from clients’ old plans and from the strips of paper created when loading new paper rolls in its Océ printers.
For every three “Digital is Green” tote bags purchased, which the company sells in their shops, Reliable Graphics plants a tree in one of the United States’ national forests.
“Green reprographics is a wave of the future, and it’s wonderful that Océ is recognizing forward-thinking reprographics shops by starting this award,” said award judge, Ed Avis. “We’re hoping this contest will inspire other reprographics shops to consider sustainability issues. One green repro shop alone might not save the world, but if a hundred reprographics shops go green, the impact could be enormous.”

About Océ’s Dedication to Sustainability
Sustainability has been part of Océ’s DNA for the past 130 years. This includes the innovative three-tiered approach to supporting sustainability: 1) Create and design sustainable products; 2) Utilize environmentally conscious manufacturing; 3) Enable customers to operate in a sustainable way (i.e. print with lower heat and energy usage, produce the least amount of detectable ozone, print onto 30% post-consumer waste recycled media 100% of the time).

In addition, Océ’s wide format printers use unique, patented Océ Eco Design technology that helps customers achieve their sustainability goals. Printers using this technology distinguish themselves from conventional printers by complying with the more stringent 2007 ENERGY STAR requirements – setting them apart from similar competitive products – and by their extremely low energy consumption, quiet operation and low ozone and heat emissions.

Using just one Océ Eco Design printer, versus a comparable competitor’s printer, can result in a pollution reduction of greenhouse gases (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO) and more. In a typical low- to mid-volume printing environment, an Océ Eco Design printer saves approximately 320 kW/month, which is equivalent to:

Not driving .6 passenger cars for one year, or
Saving 297 gallons of gasoline, or
Saving 109 home barbeque propane cylinders, or
A household being able to shut off its electricity for 3 months