Océ’s targets:

Short term (2011-2013)

• To stimulate the use of recycled paper among customers, Océ will increase the Océ recycled A4 assortment in Europe to five different grades by 2013 (NEW)
  Status 2011: Océ currently has three grades of recycled A4 paper in its paper portfolio: Océ Recycled Label, Océ Recycled White en Océ Recycled Extra White. Depending on the available stocks in warehouses and the production lead times from the paper mills, Océ hopes to finalize the renewal by the end of 2012
   

• By 2013, Océ will launch a paper eco selection tool for the IS web shop (NEW)
  Status 2011: The paper eco-selection tool target adds to the functionality of the IS webshop. In 2011, Océ further rolled out the IS webshop in several operating companies and started the first pilots with the eco-selection tool.

Medium term (2014-2016)

• Océ will work with media suppliers to explore the possibilities for marketing an alternative, more sustainable printing medium than recycled paper for digital printing by the year 2015.
  Status 2011: In 2011, Océ R&D continued its research into a new concept in which printed media can be cleaned and reused locally many times. This clean and reuse concept can contribute significantly to lowering the eco-footprint of printed media.

Supporting sustainable forestry

Océ paper originates from renewable forests, sawdust and forest thinning waste. Most of these papers originate from the Scandinavian countries and carry their own certification label, Nordic Swan. Since 2006 Océ has also supplied paper under the Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] label, which means that all links in the production and converting chain have been certified according to Chain of Custody certification.

In 2011, Océ Imaging Supplies (IS) renewed its FSC certification for a further 5 years. By the end of 2011, a total of nine countries in which Océ operates, were FSC/PEFC Chain-of-Custody certified: The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Canada. For The Netherlands, both the headquarters in Venlo and the sales office in Den Bosch are certified.

In 2009, Océ Imaging Supplies gained PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) certification for 75% of Océ wide format plain paper media. The certification provides a number of important assurances on the legality and sustainability of the paper, from the forest to final use. The PEFC is a global umbrella organization that promotes sustainable forest management. It is supported by 149 governments worldwide and covers 85% of the world’s forested areas.

Océ also offers EU Ecolabel-certified paper. This European certification system covers the total production process, from the fibers used, to energy usage, emissions of pollutants and waste management.

Reducing paper waste

All the different types of Océ media are put through a thorough testing procedure at the company’s Supplies Knowledge Center to help customers get the best possible performance. This reduces the chance of misprints and paper jams, thus reducing paper waste at customers’ sites.  In addition, Océ has produced a number of solutions to minimize incorrect and unnecessary prints:

• For more than a decade, Océ equipment has featured the mailbox functionality for networked printers. This means remotely submitted prints are made only at the time of collection at the printer. Normally around 20% of prints are never collected, so the savings are clear.

• A key benefit is duplex printing, which can give 40% paper savings in a typical print run. Paper savings are an important aspect of product development at Océ.

• Ease of use, with simple and clear printer operation, helps to avoid misprints. The Océ “Green button” concept means prints are right first time, every time.

• Océ’s print workflow software helps customers avoid misprints: The award-winning Océ PRISMAprepare pre-production software allows users to visually inspect finished documents fully on a computer screen, before sending them to the printer. This “WYSIWYG” (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) visualization eliminates waste caused by wrongly finished documents.

• Another important factor is the matching of the printer to the desired print medium. For example almost all Océ printers can handle recycled paper. The very high volume printers can also handle various special paper grades such as newsprint and ultra-thin paper (32 g/m2) for patient information leaflets with pharmaceuticals.

Recycling

Recycling is an important aspect of sustainability. The biggest advantage of recycled papers is that no trees have to be cut for production, because existing fibers are used. Océ is committed to increase the use of recycled paper. The Océ Recycled Label has been in our product assortment for many years and continues to grow. Next to that we have “white” recycled papers in our assortment. These products have grown in popularity in the past years too.

In January 2011, Océ started with the sales of the first Van Gansewinkel Cradle to Cradle office paper, taking recycling a step further. With Cradle to Cradle, office paper is recycled for reuse as new recycled paper, thus closing the entire production loop: from paper making, to sales, to using the paper, to recycling and closing the loop by making new paper again.

Océ Imaging Supplies also introduced new qualities in recycled paper. The main difference is in the degree of whiteness, to meet consumer expectations of recycled paper across Europe.

One of the steps in the production of recycled paper is the removal of ink from the paper pulp. Océ cooperates with various partners in the field of de-inking. As a member of the Digital Print De-inking Alliance (DPDA), Océ supports research into practical and costeffective solutions for recycling inkjet printed paper.

In February 2011, the Océ ColorWave® 600 received the “deinkability certificate” from INGEDE in recognition for the fact that its prints are very good to recycle. This demonstrates that the Océ CrystalPoint technology, used in the ColorWave 600, makes a positive contribution to the paper recycling process.