Océ’s sustainability expertise singled out in Green IT awards
Venlo, The Netherlands, 26 April 2010 - Océ has beaten off international IT competitors to land a ‘Green IT’ award that also recognizes its world-leading sustainability measures benefiting customers. Described as a company ‘deserving recognition’, Océ’s international expertise in making a significant contribution to improving the IT industry’s environmental performance has been singled out in the government-backed Green IT Awards 2010.
Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, scooped the ‘Editor’s Choice’ accolade at a black-tie event before 200 guests and VIPs at the Prince Albert Suite, London Zoo. Voters among the publication’s 70,000 readership had nominated Océ for the Green IT Magazine Product of the Year (Océ PlotWave) and the Recycling Scheme of the Year (Caring by Nature).
Brian Wall, Editor of Green IT magazine, commended Océ for its sustainability ethos, which he pointed out had been running within the company long before the environment had become such a hot topic in the world. At the awards ceremony, he said: “Océ is a company that builds in sustainability and its staff apply that to how they deliver solutions to their customers. Océ deserves recognition and, in this case, the accolade of ‘Editor’s Choice’.”
Computer and software companies, including giants such as Microsoft and Dell, as well as other digital print manufacturers, were among those who also made it through to the finals. But there was only one winner in the ‘Editor’s Choice’ category – Océ.
Green IT Awards acknowledge the “outstanding environmental products, suppliers and projects of 2009”, as well as highlight companies and teams that have made a “significant contribution to improving the IT industry’s environmental performance”.
Océ’s Caring by Nature Program involves a series of initiatives that underlines its commitment to sustainability. Océ is focused on creating value for all stakeholders by realizing profitable, sustainable growth. Its strategy is aimed at optimizing business processes, strengthening its product portfolio and boosting distribution power. Océ’s green ethos involves providing innovative print and document management products and services for professional environments, while acting as a responsible corporate citizen.
Examples of Océ’s own sustainability work include:-
Launching Océ Green Services, a new development in eco-friendly management services
Ten companies achieving ISO 14001 accreditation
Reducing the CO2 footprint of its products. Cutting emissions of ozone, dust, toner and noise are integral to Océ product development
Scaling down electricity consumption at its UK head office by 23% in a year
Reducing paper consumption by 650 tons at a R&D department in Germany
Setting up ‘green awards’. For instance, Océ North America Wide Format Printing Systems division hosted the ‘Green Reprographer of the Year Award
Organizing Océ Sustainability Week, a campaign providing employees with information about how they can make a positive impact on the environment
Being featured by Carbon Disclosure Project as part of its approach to climate change disclosure
Océ’s PlotWave 300 large format monochrome printer was launched last summer. It has a much smaller footprint than its predecessors, and has a number of green features, such as purpose-built patented Océ Radiant Fusing technology that provides the most efficient way to fuse toner onto paper. The system also uses a catalytic convertor system so that virtually no ozone emissions are produced.
Bron Curley, Managing Director of Océ UK Ltd, said: “It’s a recognized fact that a strong performance in sustainability contributes to operational efficiency as well as generating stronger product propositions and a more powerful market image. It is no coincidence that Océ embraced sustainability as part of its core proposition decades ago. Indeed, it is in the DNA of our company that has a long and proud history stretching back more than 130 years. Integrating sustainability into our offering has become one of our key priorities. We recognize our corporate duty to actively help manage our clients’ environment.”
The key sponsor of the Green IT Awards was the British Department of Energy and Climate Change, which is responsible for UK energy policy and for tackling global climate change on behalf of the UK. According to Alastair Darling, the UK Government Chancellor and former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, “Green IT magazine is an indispensable source of information for anybody who is interested in IT and the environment.” Green IT magazine is dedicated to improving the IT industry’s environment performance.
About Océ
Océ is one of the world's leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The broad Océ offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display graphics. Océ is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the world’s Fortune 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Océ customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Océ is active in approximately 100 countries and employs some 22,000 people worldwide. Total revenues in 2009 amounted to € 2.6 billion. Océ is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam. For more information on Océ, visit www.oce.com.
For further information, please contact:
Nick Gale
Manager Media Relations
Tel. +31 77 359 56 28
e-mail nick.gale@oce.com.
