The OEM has released itsCorporate Social Responsibility report for 2017, in which it unveils its progress so far and outlines its targets for the future.
At the start of the report, Lexmark’s CEO, Rich Geruson, explains that in 2017 Lexmark “focused on our core values of innovation, excellence, agility, integrity, community and respect”, and by committing to those values, the OEM has continued “to build upon our many successes in sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).”
Looking to the future, he says that Lexmark “will continue to focus on product sustainability, improved reporting of our global energy footprint, continued interaction with our supply chain, and customer and community partnerships.”
Included in the report were Lexmark’s Key Performance Indicators. These include a 74 percent waste recycling rate (with the goal being a minimum of 75 percent), a reduction of 6 percent of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and an achievement of 80 percent regional cartridge manufacturing. The OEM also reported 28 percent of total cartridge material reuse, a 93 percent reduction in sleep power for colour laser multifunction products, and an 18 percent increase in postconsumer recycled plastic.
When it comes to recycling, Lexmark explains that “Processes created by our engineers recover material from empty Lexmark cartridges through the Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program (LCCP). Cartridges returned by our customers are easily disassembled for possible reuse or remanufacturing. If remanufacturing is no longer an option, the cartridge is sent to be recycled.”
In addition, “Lexmark engineers reclaim post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic from cartridges and return the material to near virgin quality for use in printer components.”
The OEM says its closed loop recycling process “reduces the impact on the environment by increasing our resource efficiency and eliminating the need for fuel to transport the parts.”
Lexmark also explains that it utilises circular economy practices, particularly in the remanufacturing of cartridges. A founding member of the European Remanufacturing Council, and a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Lexmark cites a European Commission report which states, “Lexmark appears to be the clear market leader in printer cartridge reuse, presenting a comprehensive set of re-use statistics.”
Free cartridge collection services are provided by the OEM in 60 nations worldwide, and in 2017 Lexmark collected 7,634 metric tons of returned cartridges from customers, 97 percent of which were then reused and recycled by the company.
Lexmark’s commitment to sustainability is also evidenced by its production of long-life products, such as its imaging components, which “can last up to 150,000 pages depending on customer usage”. Meanwhile, improvements in cartridge design “reduce toner waste by up to 50 percent”.
As for its product standards, Lexmark holds a range of environmental certifications, including the Blue Angel ecolabel, which originated in Germany. The OEM also established a recycling facility in Mexico, which “processes approximately 22,000 empty toner cartridges per day”, meaning that over the past 13 years, Lexmark “has been able to incorporate more than 56 million pounds of materials recovered through the LCCP into the production of laser cartridges.”
In addition, on an annual basis the LCCP “prevents millions of Lexmark print cartridges from ending up in landfills.”
To see the full sustainability report, click here.
