Rising energy costs and the desire to reduce carbon emissions have pushed energy efficiency to the top of the boardroom agenda, yet still one in three managers responsible for energy management questions their employer’s commitment to the cause.

1. SPRING 2012
Rewriting
the rules
From High
Street banks
to the
classroom,
Olivetti
brings the
power of the
pen to digital
processes
INSIDE...
Is recycled paper
over-rated?
Green Office Week 2012
Working
together:
Tata & the
Rainforest Alliance
Is it time to rethink
the company car?
Rexel swings into
action at Coventry
Golf Club

3. SPRING 2012
Received wisdom states that in hard times, sustainability takes a
back seat. Yet, it is also true that in a downturn, many businesses
grab the opportunity to reassess working practices and business
processes with a view to reducing costs, improving efficiency
and eliminating waste – the classic sustainability agenda. At
a Brother press conference last month, Arnaud Gagneux, IDC
director of Imaging Hardcopy and Document Solutions, gave an
overview of printing trends among Europe’s SMBs, which show
that sustainability is once again a priority, with 61% of senior
managers stating that it was either important or very important
to reduce their organisations’ environmental impact through
Green IT (source: IDC Green IT Survey, September 2011 – UK,
France, Germany, Spain). The resurgence of Green IT in 2012 is
being driven by high energy costs and hard economic factors
rather that environmental or CSR imperatives. In other words, it
now rests on very solid foundations and is less and less likely to
be influenced by changes in fashion or the economic cycle.
James Goulding, Editor
CONTENTS
03 Agenda
10 over story
C
Olivetti brings together digital
data and handwritten notes
12 Catering
Tata Global Beverages is
Why
strengthening its relationship
with the Rainforest Alliance
15 Paper
Is demand for recycled
paper being
driven by what’s
best for the
environment or
what’s best for
the user’s carbon
footprint?
18 Phone Recycling
How Purple Gossip is
prolonging the life of
smartphones
20 What’s New
Our
selection
of the best new
products and
services
26 Renewable
Energy
How Coventry
greenAgenda
Lack of investment puts brakes on
drive for energy efficiency
Rising energy costs and the desire
to reduce carbon emissions have
pushed energy efficiency to the top
of the boardroom agenda, yet still
one in three managers responsible for
energy management questions their
employer’s commitment to the cause.
A report by Siemens, the Siemens
Green League, reveals a clear mismatch
between the perceptions of directors
and business managers in 600
businesses surveyed.
While more than eight out of 10
directors (83%) believe their business
is serious about energy management,
almost one third (31%) of those
responsible for implementing energy
efficiency measures say the issue is not
being taken seriously enough.
In support of this argument, the
Siemens report highlights a lack of
investment and manpower committed
to improving energy efficiency: nearly
half (43%) of energy managers admitted
to spending less than 10% of their time
on energy management; and almost one
in three (30%) board directors said a
lack of perceived return on investment
influenced their commitment to energy
efficiency measures.
Even so, 70% of businesses are
planning to invest in energy efficiency
projects in the next three years.
www.siemens.co.uk
In an attempt to become the leading green serviced residence provider, Ascott has
launched a series of initiatives aimed at achieving a 15% reduction in water and
energy consumption by 2015 (calculated per square metre of gross floor area). As this
is from 2008 base levels, Ascott is already almost two thirds of the way there, having
recorded 9% lower energy and water usage in 2011 than in 2008. The ‘Go Green @
Ascott’ sustainability drive is being rolled out across Ascott offices and properties in
70 cities and 21 countries worldwide. It focuses on five main areas: green buildings
and sustainable building materials; environmental and health safety management;
green products; waste reduction and water and energy conservation; and stakeholder
engagement. www.the-ascott.com
Golf Club has cut
energy consumption by a
quarter
28 Green Office Week
Avery has in store
What
Citadines Mount
Sophia Singapore
features sky gardens
and naturally
ventilated corridors
that reduce the need
for air-conditioning
this year
29 Opinion
Why SecurEnvoy says the
future of authentication is
by mobile phone
30 Company Cars
Steve Hewson picks his Top
10 for a green fleet
18 Mailing
Franking is the smart choice
Editor: James Goulding
07803 087228 jamesg@binfo.co.uk
Advertising Director: Ethan White
01474 824711 ethan@binfo.co.uk
Publishing Director: Neil Trim
01732 759725 neil@binfo.co.uk
Group Sales Manager: Martin Jenner-Hall
07824 552116 martin@binfo.co.uk
Advertising Executive: Brett Blake-Morris
01732 759725 brett@binfo.co.uk
Sustainable Times is, published by Kingswood Media Ltd.,
Amhurst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT
Tel: 01732 759725. Email: info@binfo.co.uk
No part of Sustainable Times can be reproduced without prior written permission
of the publisher. © 2012 Kingswood Media Ltd.
Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk
The paper used in this magazine is obtained from manufacturers who operate
within internationally recognized standards. The paper is made from Elementary
Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp, which is sourced from sustainable, properly managed
forestation.
PC power management a question of trust
Fear of disruption to core IT
operations is causing organisations
to miss out on power consumption
savings of 40%, Ovum claims in a
new study of 11 leading PC power
management (PCPM) systems.
In Selecting a PC Power
Management Solution Vendor, Ovum
states that by managing PC power
consumption US businesses can look
forward to annual energy savings of
around $36 per PC and associated
reductions of 380kWh and 586 pounds
of CO2 per PC per year. It adds that the
payback period for many solutions is no
more than six months.
Even so, Ovum’s research shows
that many IT decision-makers remain
reluctant to implement a PCPM
solution.
Rhonda Ascierto, Ovum Senior
Analyst and author of the report,
said: “There exists a general mistrust
among IT departments and a fear that
power management solutions may
disrupt core IT operations. But this is
a misconception: none of the power
management solutions we review in
this report disrupts maintenance or
other IT processes.”
Another reason for low levels of
adoption, she suggests, is misplaced
confidence in PCs’ built-in powersaving technologies which, although
improved, are largely unable to tackle
‘PC insomnia’ that occurs when a
machine is idle yet unable to shut
down or switch into a low-power
mode.
www.ovum.com
sustainabletimes 03

4. greenAgenda
Greenpeace urges IT
companies to improve
energy choices
Greenpeace has analysed the energy
supply chains of more than 80 data
centres run by 14 global IT companies
and uncovered a growing split
between companies like Google, Yahoo
and Facebook that aim to power data
centres with clean energy and others,
such as Apple, Amazon and Microsoft,
that use energy from coal and nuclear
power.
The How Clean is Your Cloud? report,
following 2011’s How Dirty is Your Data?
study, states that if the cloud were a
country its electricity demand would be
the 5th largest in the world, adding that
electricity consumption in data centres is
expected to triple by 2020.
Already, some data centres are so
large that they are visible from space and
consume as much electricity as 250,000
European homes.
Greenpeace is urging cloud providers
to ally energy efficiency with a
commitment to clean energy, for example
by prioritising renewable energy access
when choosing locations for data centres;
by investing in renewable energy; and by
pressurising Governments and utilities
to increase the amount of renewable
electricity available on the grid.
www.cleanourcloud.com
UPM turns factory waste
into bio-fuel
This summer UPM is to start construction of a biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland that converts residue
from its pulp mills into advanced bio-diesel that can
decrease greenhouse gas emissions from transport by up
to 80% compared to fossil fuels.
The hydrotreatment biorefinery on the site of UPM’s
Kaukas mill will produce UPM BioVerno from crude tall oil, a
by-product of chemical pulp production, mainly generated in
the production of sulphate cellulose from softwood. This will
allow UPM to utilise the wood it uses for its pulp production
in a more efficient way without increasing wood harvesting
When it is completed in 2014, the EUR 150 million
bio-refinery is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of UPM
BioVerno annually, representing approximately one quarter
of Finland’s biofuel target. Finland has a target to increase
the share of biofuels in transport fuels to 20% by 2020
compared to an EU target of 10%.
UPM President and
CEO Jussi Pesonen said:
“The biofuels business has
excellent growth potential.
Lappeenranta is the first
step on UPM’s way in
becoming a significant
producer of advanced
second generation biofuels.”
The company plans to
build another biorefinery
either in Rauma, Finland
or Strasbourg, France,
but based on different
technology and using
energy wood as the raw
material.
www.upm.com
04 sustainabletimes
Mondi green
quiz raises funds
for Guatemala
Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper is
marking the fifth anniversary of
its Green Range with the launch
of an online training tool and a commitment to donate
1 euro to OroVerde reforestation projects in Guatemala
for every member of the public who participates. For
every quiz completed correctly, Mondi will donate an
additional 10 euros to the NGO’s ‘Guatemala – Tree for
Tree’ project.
Mondi’s Green Modules give members of the public
an opportunity to learn more about sustainable paper
production, including information about the FSC and PEFC
certification schemes; environmental myths and facts about
the paper industry; carbon offsetting; and the credentials of
Mondi’s Green Range.
Mondi hopes to raise enough money for the planting of
more than 10,000 trees in Guatemala.
www.mondigroup.com/greenmodules
Advantia launches electronic green guide
The Advantia office products dealer group
has produced an electronic version of
its Green Guide for the first time. The
‘flicky’ contains 10 sections full of green
products and services including Closed
Loop copier paper made from waste
paper collected from customers and
new recycling services resulting from a
partnership with Truline.
Advantia achieved the environmental
standard ISO14001 in 2009 and in 2010
made a commitment to fund and plant 500
trees in The National Forest in Leicestershire.
It has planted 300 so far and plans to plant
the remaining 200 at the end of the year.
The National Forest Company aims to plant
16 million trees in woodland covering one
third of its 200 square mile area.
Bob Geens, Chief Executive, Advantia
Business Solutions. Photo credit: Jacqui
Rock and The National Forest Company.
Working conditions added to TCO criteria
Following concerns about labour practices at Apple supplier Foxconn, third
party sustainability certification company TCO Certified is demanding
independent verification of ethical working conditions from electronics
manufacturers applying for certification for notebooks, desktops, PCs, tablets,
projectors, computer displays and phone headsets.
Beginning immediately, manufacturers will be required to meet enhanced
social responsibility criteria in addition to baseline TCO Certified environmental,
ergonomic and health and safety requirements.
These include compliance with the eight ILO core labour standards, UN child
convention article 32 and health and safety regulations and labour laws, including
minimum wages and social security in the country of manufacture; stricter criteria
for verification and on-site inspections; and freedom of worker organisation in
countries where no free trade unions are allowed.
www.tcodevelopment.com
01732 759725

5. Duraweld celebrates five
years of green thinking
Green paper for
digital presses
In the five years since launching its Twenty Step
Environmental Management Programme Duraweld has
reduced its carbon footprint by a massive 36%, with a 21%
reduction in 2011 alone.
To celebrate the first five years of its programme, Duraweld’s
in-house Green Team has released figures showing how the
company’s environmental impact has been reduced in all areas,
from the introduction of sustainable manufacturing processes to
streamlined office printing. Using January 2007 as the baseline,
highlights include:
n gas usage reduced by 44%;
n electricity usage reduced by 27%;
n water usage reduced by 28%;
n A4 paper purchased reduced by 37%;
n cardboard boxes purchased reduced by 50%;
n number of pallets purchased reduced by 48%;
n landfill skips reduced by 75%; and
n waste for recycling reduced by 20%.
In addition, Duraweld has set-up a Bicycle User Group to give
practical support to employees who cycle to work; bought hybrid
company cars; promoted the use of Skype to reduce the need for
face-to-face meetings; become involved in local ‘green initiatives’
including the North Yorkshire Green Business Club and the ‘Dell’ve
into Nature’ project; and funded Gold Standard Carbon Offsetting
projects through co2balance.
Duraweld achieved ISO 14001 accreditation in 2008 and in
2011 was ranked 28th in the Sunday Times Best Green Company
list, 11 places higher than the year before.
Following the recent addition of Save!
and Image Recycled to its portfolio
of green office papers, Antalis
Macnaughton has announced the
first 100% Digital and 100% Green
coated paper for wet and dry digital
printing technologies including HP
Indigo presses.
Suitable for newsletters, brochures,
on-demand books, calendars, magazines,
cards, invitations and other applications,
Digigreen is a premium, multifunction
coated paper that comes in gloss and
silk finishes in a range of sizes and
weights from 100-350gsm.
Environmental accreditations include
100% FSC Mix Credit
certification, European
Ecolabel and NAPM 50%
Recycled certification
(minimum 50% postconsumer fibres).
Duraweld Environmental Co-ordinator Victoria Pitts with some
factory recycling bins
Carbon neutral
packages
FedEx Express has become the
first global express transportation
company to offer carbon neutral
envelope shipping at no extra cost to
the customer, following an agreement
with BP Target Neutral to offset
carbon emissions from more than 200
million envelopes shipped annually.
It will do this by helping to fund
a series of low carbon development
projects that reduce or prevent
carbon from being released into the
atmosphere. These include a biogas farm
facility in the Netherlands; reforestation
in the Tanzanian Southern Highlands;
and a landfill gas collection system at
Thailand’s first sanitary landfill.
In its role as the Official Carbon
Offset Partner for London 2012, BP
Target Neutral is inviting London 2012
ticketholders to set a new world record
for the largest number of individuals
to offset their travel carbon to a single
event – at no cost to themselves.
BP’s not-for-profit organisation
will calculate the travel-related CO2
emissions of ticketholders coming to
the Games and provide the funds to
offset them.
Arjowiggins Graphic has topped
the table for fine papers in the
second WWF Environmental Paper
Company Index. The ranking of
19 paper manufacturers in the
fine paper, tissue and packaging
sectors rates companies according
to their record in fibre sourcing,
emissions from manufacturing
processes and corporate
transparency. Arjowiggins Graphic
recorded the best results in the
fine paper sector with a score of
73.86% and was also included in
the tissue results.
Pre-owned buildings for growing businesses
Arjowiggins targets 23%
carbon reduction
Arjowiggins Graphic has followed the example of companies
like Coca-Cola, Volvo, Sony and Nike and joined the WWF
International Climate Savers program, which sets CO2
reduction targets in conjunction with independent technical
experts.
In its case, Arjowiggins Graphic has a commitment to cut
absolute emissions by 23% from 2007 levels by 2014, with
a secondary target of a 10% reduction for each ton of paper
produced.
The paper maker expects to achieve these savings through
an increase in recycled paper volumes; the use of wood residue
rather than natural gas to produce steam at the Dalum mill; and
the replacement of synthetic binders with natural ones.
www.panda.org/climatesavers
www.binfo.co.uk
Foremans Relocatable Building
Systems, the UK’s largest supplier
of recycled and refurbished modular
buildings, is doubling its stock
of single modular buildings in
anticipation of increased demand
from growing businesses.
Available in sizes from 10ft to 60ft
long, the pre-owned Portakabins are ideal
for businesses that wish to expand yet
keep overheads to a minimum.
Mike Williams, managing director of
Foremans Relocatable Building Systems,
said: “We are the largest stockist of
pre-owned Portakabin buildings in the
UK, simply because we believe they
are the best. When you are recycling
modular buildings, it is really important
the products were manufactured to
the highest quality standards and are
fully traceable. Single modular buildings
manufactured by Portakabin all have
serial numbers, but that is not always the
case with modular buildings from other
sources.”
In addition to its range of single
cabins, Foremans provides recycled and
fully refurbished modular buildings for
purchase or hire in single and multistorey configurations.
www.foremansbuildings.info
greenAgenda…
sustainabletimes 05

6. greenAgenda
Evance passes 1K milestone
Evance Wind Turbines has installed its 1,000th small wind
turbine at a house and caravan park in Derbyshire.
Anthony Barratt has erected one of the company’s R9000
turbines to provide green power for his home in Tansley near
Matlock and for five hook-ups in the adjoining caravan park.
The turbine is expected to generate 13,000kWh
annually, meeting 80% of Mr Barratt’s energy requirements
(10,000kWh for his home and a further 6,000kWh for the
caravan park).
Leicestershire-based Evance Wind Turbines, the leading UK
manufacturer of small wind turbines, enjoyed a record year in
2011, increasing sales by 200% and expanding its workforce
by 25%.
It claims that the installed base of Evance small wind
turbines in the UK, Europe and North America collectively
generates around 11,000MWh of electricity annually
(assuming an average wind speed of 5.5m/s), saving more than
4,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions (based on DEFRA’s figure of a
CO2 emissions reduction of 0.43kg per kWh).
www.evancewind.com
Toshiba shines a light on energy savings
Family-run furniture store Stokers Fine
Furnishing is looking forward to a 75%
reduction in its annual energy bill after
replacing the halogen bulbs used in its
stores with Toshiba LED lighting.
Stokers’ LED pilot scheme achieved
savings of more than £1,000 a month in
its Southport store alone. When extended
across all 11 stores, LED lighting is
expected to produce annual savings of
£132,000.
Following the success of the pilot,
Power Solutions is replacing more than
10,000 100 watt halogen lamps with
dimmable, 19.7 watt Toshiba PAR38 LED
lamps that use 75% less energy and
last 20 times longer. They also generate
70% less UV light, greatly reducing the
amount of heat emitted, which will allow
Stokers to turn off its air conditioning for
eight months of the year instead of the
usual four.
Jonathan Stoker, joint managing
director of Stokers Fine Furnishing, said:
“The pilot scheme instantly reduced
our carbon footprint, will pay for itself
within nine-and-a-half months and has
dramatically cut the cost of our energy
bills without compromising on the quality
of light throughout the store.”
Edward Lees, Product Manager,
Toshiba Lighting Systems UK, said: “With
traditional lighting accounting for around
20% of a retailer’s electricity costs, LEDs
offer a rapid return on investment and
long term cost savings, from both a
maintenance and energy consumption
point of view.”
Wind power still exciting SMEs
Energy register
Following the Carbon Trust’s announcement that it is to close
its register of energy consultants, the Energy Institute (EI) and
the Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) have
joined forces to create a directory of accredited professionals.
The move gives businesses the assurance that they are
getting high-quality, reliable advice on saving energy and
cutting bills.
Sarah Beacock FEI, International and Professional Affairs
Director at the Energy Institute, said: “The EI is the accrediting
body for the energy industry and the consultants on this
register will have been carefully assessed before their
membership is confirmed. All of them are highly qualified,
usually to Chartered status or equivalent. They have the
extensive training, knowledge and in-depth experience to
provide expert guidance to any organisation.”
www.energyinst.org/rpec
06 sustainabletimes
The opportunity to generate
renewable energy remains an
attractive proposition for small and
medium-sized businesses despite
recent reductions in feed-in tariffs,
according to business-to-business
energy supplier Opus Energy.
Its survey of 500 SMEs in November
revealed growing interest in renewable
energy generation with one third (32%)
planning to install solar panels, wind
turbines or anaerobic digestion and
38% expecting to be generating their
own renewable energy within five years.
Four out of 10 (42%) respondents
said they would switch to generating
some or all of their own power from
renewables if it could be proven they
would make money out of it; and
59% said they would be interested
in generating their own power if the
Government provided subsidies.
Louise Boland, Director of Risk
Management at Opus Energy, said that
cuts in feed-in tariffs (FIT) introduced
since the survey was carried out have
had an effect, but that not all areas
were affected equally.
“Since the changes to the FIT tariff
we’ve seen a drop off in the number of
applications from customers with solar
PV. The pipeline for wind still seems
strong,” she said.
As an example of how small
businesses can exploit the opportunities
presented by renewables, Opus Energy
cites the case of Lincolnshire farmer
Craig Birch. A 55KW wind turbine
installed at his 600-acre farm in
Sproxton, Leicestershire generates
enough power for half the village and
brings in £40,000-£50,000 in additional
income.
www.opusrenewables.com
01732 759725

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sustainabletimes 07

8. greenAgenda
FIRA fails in quest for comparable
carbon footprints
The Furniture Industry Research
Association (FIRA) has failed in
its attempt to find a consistent,
affordable methodology for
calculating the carbon footprint of
furniture products after deciding
that the cradle-to-gate approach it
favoured was potentially misleading.
FIRA set up its Product Carbon
Footprint Benchmarking Project to see
if there was an easy way to measure
the carbon footprint of furniture
products that could be used across
the industry in a way that would
allow specifiers to compare the ecocredentials of different products.
Currently, manufacturers use a
range of methodologies to calculate
product carbon footprints, making
comparisons difficult.
For its study, FIRA used established
Furniture Footprinter software and
limited carbon footprint measurements
to the point of despatch, known as a
‘cradle to gate’ approach.
This approach has the virtues of
affordability, simplicity and practicality,
but FIRA found that failure to take into
account lifecycle considerations, such
Abuse, reuse, recycle
The Furniture Industry Research
Association (FIRA) is aiming to
reduce its own carbon footprint
in partnership with Recycling
Furniture Ltd.
As a leading authority on furniture
and flammability testing, FIRA faces
unique waste disposal problems, as the
nature of its business means that much
of the furniture that passes through its
doors can’t be re-used or re-sold.
“At the FIRA testing centre we
test thousands of furniture products
to life expectancy and in some cases
destruction, testing them in terms of
strength, safety, stability, durability
and flammability. This makes them
08 sustainabletimes
as a product’s durability or its ability
to be re-cycled or re-used, meant
that assessments were potentially
misleading.
For the time being, it is advising
companies to use a ‘cradle to grave’
approach, with the caveat that because
it looks at much wider factors, the cost
and complexity of producing footprints
will be greater.
One positive outcome of FIRA’s
analysis of 26 manufacturers of
domestic, contract and office furniture
products is the observation that in
most cases the greatest contributors
to a product’s carbon footprint are
the materials used and manufacturing
processes, rather than other factors
such as utilities or transportation.
From this, FIRA concludes that the
best way to shrink a product’s footprint
is to focus on reducing materials usage
or to switch to low carbon alternatives.
01438 777 700 www.fira.co.uk
dangerous for future use, meaning
in the past FIRA had no choice but
to dispose of them if they were not
collected by the manufacturer,”
explained Paul Soley, Operations
Manager for FIRA Testing Services.
He added: “Sending furniture to
landfill creates a huge problem for
everyone involved. Not only does this
harm the environment, but it’s also a
massive waste of natural resources.”
Last summer, in an attempt to
reduce the impact of its activities,
FIRA started working with Recycling
Furniture, which recycles 98% of any
item of furniture that they collect.
So far, it has collected and recycled
more than 400 pieces weighing a
total of 16,218kg.
www.recyclingfurniture.co.uk
UK furniture industry calls for
changes to biomass subsidies
The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) and FIRA are
calling on supporters of the UK furniture industry to sign a
petition calling for changes to the Renewables Obligation
Woody Biomass Subsidy.
They argue that subsidies introduced in 2002 to encourage
power companies to burn renewable fuel, including wood, are
distorting the market for new timber and forcing up prices for
furniture manufacturers.
According to the FIRA report, Biomass Subsidies and
their Impact on the British Furniture Industry, in the last five
years wood prices have risen by 55.1%. The additional cost
has reduced margins for manufacturers, increased prices for
consumers and damaged the competitiveness of British-made
products in the UK and overseas.
In the report, FIRA and the BFC call on the Government to
set a binding limit of 10% on the amount of biomass large
energy generators can source domestically; to undertake a
thorough review of the economic impact of the wood biomass
subsidy; and to impose a planning moratorium on dedicated
woody biomass energy plants while conducting the review.
The report also questions the environmental justification
for the subsidy, claiming that burning woody biomass
creates significantly more CO2 emissions than wood panel
manufacturing and that biomass stations that rely on wood
imports from abroad are a threat to the world’s forests and
may even increase climate-change emissions.
Another problem is the burning of virgin timber. Because
the most sustainable life-cycle for wood is to go from planting
to manufacturing, to recycling and then incineration at end of
life, FIRA and the BFC are calling for virgin fibre to be excluded
from subsidies and for greater effort to be made to divert wood
products from landfill to energy generation.
Supporters of the British furniture industry can add their
names to FIRA and BFC’s campaign by signing a petition at
www.biomass-petition.org
RWE npower has converted the Tilbury B power station in
Essex to run on biomass. Before a fire shut down two of the
three generating units on February 27, the converted plant was
expected to provide enough power for 1.5 million homes and
generate 10% of the UK’s total renewable energy output in
2012. The use of wood pellets, at least 90% of which will be
sourced from North America, is expected to produce 70% fewer
greenhouse gas emissions than coal, as well as fewer SO2, NOX
and dust emissions. Even so, critics have expressed concerns
about the environmental impact of burning virgin wood and
the impact of biomass subsidies on the competitiveness of
the UK furniture industry. RWE npower is hoping to renew full
operations in the summer.
01732 759725

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AND FRANKED MAIL IS GETTING WIDER
AND WIDER........... AND WIDER...
ROYAL MAIL HAVE INCREASED THE PRICE
OF STAMPS FROM APRIL 30TH 2012
Changes to how Royal Mail is regulated means they
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1st class mail.
mple
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10. cover story
Olivetti leads the way in
digitisation of signatures
Banks and building societies are some
of the biggest consumers of paper.
By law, they are required to save
written evidence of all financial and
legal transactions and many customer
interactions are printed and stored in
multiple copies. However, managing
the paper trail can cause delays in
processes, be costly and have an
adverse impact on the environment.
To date, handwritten signatures
have made customers feel safe, whilst
also being a simpler option than digital
signatures that have required the use of
a smart card or a USB stick. As customers
already comfortable with chip and pin
systems and smartphones embrace
online banking, could an easy-to-use
digital signature system be the next
development to make transactions
quicker and arguably more secure
for financial organisations and their
customers?
European regulations state that
an electronic document signed with a
qualified electronic signature, or digital
signature, can be as legally binding as a
document signed in the traditional way.
Olivetti, part of the Telecom Italia Group
and a major provider of IT products to
the banking sector with a 70% share
of the global pass-book printer market,
has been championing the move
towards digitisation in Italy through the
development of a secure, time-saving
digital signature solution.
Called Graphometric Signature,
Olivetti’s system saves a signature
digitally and produces a digital
certificate for the user that saves time
at the counter by removing the need for
customers to bring proof of identity to a
bank or building society.
The pad features special sensors that
gather every detail of how a person
actually signs their name, including the
speed, writing angle, pressure and even
the rhythm of the writing. By recording
the unique characteristics of every
signature, Graphometric Signature makes
it virtually impossible for a signature to
be forged.
Olivetti has been working closely
with selected banks to make sure the
system works and that it conforms
to all requirements. The first bank to
implement the Graphometric Signature
Pads in all 13,000 of its branches is Intesa
San Paolo. Since launching the Paperless
Branch Project in October 2011, 96% of
customers have joined the service.
Olivetti d-Color MF2603en
and MF2604en
Perfect for small workgroups,
the new d-Color MF2603en and
d-Color MF2604en colour A4 systems
are compact, high performance office
tools, with low power consumption
when copying and scanning thanks
to the use of energy-efficient white
LEDs that also generate less heat
for a more comfortable working
environment.
Key features
• 6 pages per minute in colour and
2
mono
• olour printer, copier, scanner and
C
Super G3 fax (d-Color MF2604en only)
• tandard duplex ADF (35 ipm in
S
mono/25 ipm In colour)
• aper weights up to 220gsm
P
• rint quality up to 9,600 dpi
P
• ompatibility with a variety of
C
ID Card Readers
10 sustainabletimes
LOGOS 904T
Olivetti’s ECO-FRIENDLY range of
calculators contain no toxic substances and
help prevent the spread of agents harmful
to people’s health. They deliver impressive
quality, performance and reliability levels;
offer greater energy efficiency; and are
made from recycled and easily recyclable
materials.
LOGOS 902: Features a large display that
shows calculations in two colours and in
bright, extremely clear characters that are easy
to read in all lighting conditions.
LOGOS 904T: Designed for intensive use,
this model has a fast, silent alpha-numeric
thermal printer and is equipped with advanced
calculation functions.
01732 759725

11. A tablet for
corporate users
The Olipad Graphos, an evolution
of the Graphometric Signature, is a
mobile solution designed specifically
for applications that require a
handwritten signature, such as a
contract or purchase order.
Users can interact with corporate
applications and documents via the
high luminosity capacitive touch screen
display and virtual keyboard. In addition,
a special sensor extends the touch screen
function so that the entire screen can
be written on with the bundled stylus,
enabling the Olipad Graphos to be used
like a paper notepad for
writing or sketching.
“
The Olipad
Graphos runs
Android 4.0,
the latest
operating system
developed
by Google
specifically for
tablet PCs.
Editor’s Choice Award
Sustainable
Key features
Digital signature
Documents can be signed with the
wireless, battery-free stylus included
in the package. The image of an
individual signature and its graphometric
characteristics (pressure, rhythm,
movement, speed and acceleration) are
stored on the device.
Natural handwriting
Unlike traditional tablet displays that
require users to write with a capacitive
stylus (typically with a large soft point),
the Olipad Graphos implements special
technology that enables signatures to
be written with a hard, fine
point stylus, making the
process identical to signing a
sheet of paper.
Connectivity and browsing
on the move
The Olipad Graphos provides full
connectivity including Bluetooth
support; 3G connection integrated
with voice and SMS services for
users on the move; and a
Wi-Fi b/g/n connection for users
at home or in the office.
The device features a USB 2.0 port
with a standard connector for external
devices like USB flash drives and a micro
SD memory card slot, guaranteeing the
flexibility and storage capacity to meet
Olivetti Olipad Graphos
all requirements. It also supports Adobe
Flash Player for unlimited browsing
and full access to web content.
Multimedia
The Olipad Graphos is equipped with
a five megapixel camera for taking
photos, recording video footage and
acquiring images of attachments to
append to documents to be signed.
Users can view multimedia content
including video and photos on the
device itself or, thanks to the builtin HDMI interface, on an external
monitor, projector or normal TV set.
Security
The Olipad Graphos is equipped with a
fingerprint scanner for secure, validated
access to the device. The scanner can
also be used by applications to acquire
and compare clients’ fingerprints,
enabling the implementation of highly
sophisticated systems to guarantee
identity and minimise the risk of fraud.
Futureproof
The Olipad Graphos runs Android 4.0,
the latest operating system developed
by Google specifically for tablet PCs,
and includes a 1 GHz nVidia Tegra
processor, making it one of the most
technologically advanced touch screen
tablets on the market. A wide choice
of apps are available from Olivetti and
numerous ICT partners.
01908 547980 www.olivetti.co.uk
Durability and speed
The Olivetti OliBoard range of
digital interactive whiteboards
is described as one of the most
durable and reliable on the market.
The OliBoard 78 and OliBoard 95
are robust interactive boards that can
be wall mounted or used on a stand,
for added flexibility. They offer a high
level of writing accuracy, with 300dpi
resolution and a choice of two sizes,
78” and 95”, respectively.
The boards are available with full
dual pen usage, enabling two people
to write on the board simultaneously,
or as single pen boards. Designed to
be hard-wearing and scratch resistant,
they offer a fast tracking rate for
improved activity and have a stable,
locked projector.
The boards are designed to
www.binfo.co.uk
prevent errors being made: if your hand
accidentally brushes a board while
writing the pressure won’t be hard
enough to be registered.
The whiteboards can be linked to the
Olivetti OliPad Touch Tablet and Laptop
range. OliBoard software is available to
create teaching materials in Windows,
Linux and Mac formats and offers a
range of expandable educational libraries
which are simple and easy to access.
Access to the internet is also possible
allowing information to be researched
on demand, in the classroom.
Various accessories are available
including three sets of integrated
mounting kits; a shelf and compartment
for a laptop; and a mobile, heightadjustable stand.
sustainabletimes 11

12. One giant leap
for sustainability
Tetley, the world’s second largest manufacturer
and distributor of tea, has committed to
purchasing all of the tea for its branded teabag
and loose tea products from Rainforest Alliance
Certified™ farms. All Tetley branded black, green
and red (Rooibos) teas, including flavoured
and decaffeinated varieties, are part of the
certification programme. Here, Ria Kearney,
Sustainability Manager Tata Global Beverages,
answers some key questions around the issues of
sustainability, ethical sourcing and certification.
Q. hy take the decision to obtain
W
Rainforest Alliance certification for
the Tetley brand globally?
A.
Recent surveys suggest 57% of the
public believe tea drunk out of home
should be ethically sourced. I believe
figures like this will only continue to
increase. People are starting to ask
a lot more questions about where
their food and drink comes from
and they’re looking for independent
assurances of a company’s sourcing
policies and sustainability activity.
That’s where schemes like the
Rainforest Alliance can play a key role.
Tetley commitment means that
Our
the number of cups of tea from
Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms
will increase to circa 100 million in
the UK. Supporting farms to become
Rainforest Alliance Certified™
benefits our business, the tea estates
and the tea pickers we work with.
Over 82,000 smallholder farmers
were trained under our 2010/11
certification programme with
Rainforest Alliance.
Q. he Rainforest Alliance
T
commitment which will eventually
see 100% of the Tetley blends
coming from certified farms is
scheduled for completion by 2016
– why will it take so long?
A.
Given the size of the Tetley brand and
the volumes of tea that we source,
there is a significant amount of work
to be done on the ground to ensure
farms become and remain certified.
It’s been a long journey to get to
12 sustainabletimes
where we are today, but that’s a good
thing. What we’re trying to achieve
is big – it’s not about a lick of paint
on the odd farm fence but significant
long term changes for the farms and
farmers.
order for a farm to be accredited,
In
it has to meet the environmental,
social and economic standards of
the Sustainable Agriculture Network
(SAN). These standards cover ecosystem conservation; worker rights
and safety; wildlife protection; water
and soil conservation; agrochemical
reduction; decent housing; and legal
wages and contracts for workers.
“
... 57% of the
public believe
tea drunk out
of home should
be ethically
sourced
Q. ritics have questioned the cost of
C
some ethical schemes and asked
whether they are robust enough –
what are your thoughts?
A. aim is to help embed more
The
sustainable agricultural practices and
help farmers improve their efficiency,
quality and yield, which in turn
can lead to improved profitability
and more sustainable livelihoods.
There are costs associated with
certification, some of which are
picked up by the estate itself, the
rest by other players including
companies like ours. For us, the cost
to our business should be seen as
an investment in making our supply
chain more sustainable over the
long term.
Q. thical labels can be a minefield;
E
at the last count there were more
than 80 ethical and food assurance
schemes – why choose the
Rainforest Alliance?
A. considered all available, relevant
We
certification schemes in detail, taking
into account a range of criteria and
we decided the approach taken by
Rainforest Alliance is best able to
support the Tetley brand.
Q. hat does this mean for
W
consumers?
A.
Our consumers will be able to enjoy
their favourite Tetley blend knowing
it has been produced in a way that
respects the environment and the tea
growers and pickers. We are delighted
to be working with the Rainforest
Alliance who is well positioned to
support a brand with the scale and
reach of Tetley in providing this
assurance.
Achieving 100 per cent inclusion
for all Tetley packs will provide us
with a major supply chain that is
better secured. At the same time our
customers will know that by choosing
it they have helped to protect the
environment on tea estates and
provide sustainable livelihoods for the
people there.
Q. ow are you engaging with
H
consumers so that they can make
an informed and ethical choice?
A. part of communicating our
As
collaboration with the Rainforest
Alliance, Tetley has developed
a social media initiative called
‘Farmers First Hand’. It is a Facebook
campaign that enables consumers to
communicate directly with some of
the communities that produce tea as
they work towards Rainforest Alliance
certification. This helps to open up a
dialogue between tea producers and
tea drinkers rather than relying solely
on communicating our work with the
Rainforest Alliance on pack. You can
join the page and chat to some of
the farmers at www.facebook.com/
TetleysFarmersfirsthand.
01732 759725

13. advertorial
How green is
your data..?
As a UK leading provider of IT Communications we at
Broadfire Technologies are always looking for ways to reduce
both our customers’ our own carbon footprints. Our drive for
efficiency comes from both a concern for the environment a
straightforward desire to save costs.
The use of cloud services can considerably cut down on your
business’s annual e-waste. This includes servers, network equipment
and PBX. Also real-time communications, web conferencing, chatting,
and synced mobile phones can eliminate the need for expensive
business trips and unnecessary commuting. The cloud will reduce your
carbon footprint as well.
How can the Cloud help
your business reduce its
carbon footprint?
Virtualization is a foundational
technology for deploying cloudbased infrastructure that allows a
single physical server to run multiple
Operating Systems or Virtual Machines
(VMs) concurrently. As an enabler of
consolidation, server virtualization
reduces the total physical server
footprint, which has inherent green
benefits, in turn reducing your carbon
footprint.
From a resource-efficiency
perspective, less equipment is needed to
run workloads, which proactively reduces
data centre space and the eventual
e-waste footprint. From an energyefficiency perspective, with less physical
equipment plugged in, a data centre will
consume less electricity.
It’s worth noting that server
virtualization was the most widely
adopted green IT project implemented
or planned, at 90 percent of IT
organizations globally into 2011.
Is it expensive to migrate to
the Cloud?
No. Because ultimately the pay-as-yougo nature of cloud-based infrastructure
encourages users to only consume what
they need and nothing more, and “turn
off” these resources with set expiration
times.
Our services will improve resiliency.
Consolidation and improved utilization
create more space, more power and
more cooling capacity within the same
facility envelope, and you only pay for
what you use as and when you use it
saving you time, money and resources.
Per Kw of IT load, the data
centres we use consume five
times less energy than the
average data centre...
The Data Centres Broadfire use for cloud
activities use five times less power per
Kw than the average data centre. The
heat that is produced by the data centre
is used when required to heat the main
building. We also used the most efficient
UPS systems available in order to keep
losses to a minimum.
In addition to the above we
are constantly striving to improve
our efficiencies impact on the
environment and we are currently
looking to introduce LED lighting
systems BIO-fuel generators.
www.broadfire.co.uk
To discuss how your business will benefit
from the Cloud call Broadfire Technologies
on 0203 510 0203 or email our team on
info@broadfire.co.uk for a free consultation.
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 13

14. Recycled Office Papers
A new range of top quality recycled office papers available
exclusively from the Premier Paper Group
160 CIE Whiteness
Available sizes
A4, A3, SRA2 SRA1
Available weights
80, 90, 100 120gsm
150 CIE Whiteness
Available sizes
A4 A3
Available weights
75 (A4 only) 80gsm
150 CIE Whiteness
Available sizes
A4 A3
Available weight
80gsm
Manufactured without chlorine bleaching. High whiteness is achieved thanks to a special converting process for the
recycled fibre. These papers have high opacity and good sheet formation in addition to maximum ageing resistance.
Excellent runnability on all types of machines.
For samples and details of the range contact your local branch or email evolution@paper.co.uk
www.paper.co.uk

15. Making the grade
Choosing recycled paper is often the first thing a business
does to make its workplace greener. But is recycled paper
really the most sustainable option or would it make more
sense to use recycled fibre in lower grade paper and board
products? Sustainable Times asks the experts
We can all agree that recycling paper
is good practice – recycling one
tonne of paper saves about three
cubic metres of landfill space. But
what about buying recycled paper?
Is that also a good thing and, by
inference, better than buying virgin
paper grades? Given that the paper
stream needs input of new fibre,
wouldn’t it be better to recycle
waste paper into newspapers,
packaging etc. rather than high
quality office paper?
John Sanderson, Director of Global
Market Support, Environmental Affairs
at UPM, says that the case for recycling
paper cannot be questioned and there’s
certainly no environmental or ethical
argument why we wouldn’t aim to
recover and recycle as much waste paper
as possible, rather than burying such a
valuable resource in landfill.
However, he points out that the
question of where recycled fibre is best
used is less clear-cut, and that in practice
it often ends up in paper and board
products that don’t deliver the optimum
environmental benefit.
“We need to think less about pushing
recycled fibre into the mix regardless of
the grade and think instead about how
best to ensure a sustainable balance of
recycled and virgin fibre across the whole
paper spectrum,” he said. “The question
is not really whether one fibre has less
environmental impact than another, but
how best to use that available basket
of recycled and virgin fibre to give the
lowest overall environmental impact for
paper products as a whole,” he said.
“If you were to ask me which was
the most environmentally appropriate
fibre for newsprint, then I’d say that
would be recycled fibre, because it is
the most appropriate quality for the
product and would replace the need to
use mechanical fibre which has a high
energy demand. But if you were to ask
me the same question about fine papers,
then I’d say that virgin fibre would be the
most appropriate, because it places that
essential input of virgin fibre as high as
possible in the paper quality spectrum
and still leaves it available to be recycled
after use into other less demanding
grades.
“The result of placing recycled fibre
in the wrong grades of paper will, at
best, mean that fibre is not available for
more appropriate grades and, at worst, it
will actually increase the environmental
footprint of paper overall,” he said.
David Jones, marketing director of
Premier Paper Group, makes the same
John Sanderson,
Director of Global
Market Support,
Environmental Affairs
at UPM
“
Paper fibre can
only be recycled
five or six times
before the
fibres become
unsuitable for
paper making.
point: “Paper fibre can only be recycled
five or six times before the fibres become
unsuitable for paper making. There is a
view that the best use of recycled paper
fibre is in cartons, boards and newsprint
where the technical demands are more
suited to recycled content than those for
producing ‘fine’ papers destined for office
use,” he explained.
“The recycling rate for paper in the
EU is 72% and the fibre recovered from
this makes up 56% of the fibre mix
used for paper manufacture in the EU.
As certain papers, such as tissue, are
impossible to recycle and therefore lost
from the paper cycle, it’s estimated that
at best we will only ever be able to push
the recovery level to 80%. As society’s
use of tissue increases and its use of
graphic paper levels off or declines,
the reality is likely be a slightly lower
recovery rate.
“For the sake of argument, let’s say
that the optimum amount of recycled
fibre we have available will supply 60%
of the fibre we need. This means that to
be sustainable, even in environmental
terms, we will always require at least
40% virgin fibre in our paper mix. In
essence, recycled fibre is not sustainable
without virgin fibre.”
He added: “The environmental
argument of using recycled over virgin
fibre products is very complex as many
mills, integrated mills in particular, offer
many other environmental benefits.”
A clear message
For most private and public sector
organisations, these arguments are
secondary to what recycled paper
says about the user’s environmental
commitment, which is why demand for
recycled paper has remained stable.
“In round figures we estimate the
UK office papers market to be 600,000
tonnes,” explained Jones. “Some 72,000
tonnes (12%) of this are recycled
papers. Our analysis suggests that office
papers consumption dropped by about
1% in 2011, yet demand for recycled
continued...
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 15

16. Making the Grade
continued...
papers has remained unchanged,” Jones
explained.
Steve Lister, Business Development
Director at Robert Horne Group, says the
perceived benefits of recycled paper are
such that businesses will specify them
regardless of broader arguments.
“The key benefits attributed to
recycled paper are that it uses less
resources – trees, water, energy – and
critically reduces waste to landfill. In both
the public and private sectors, purchasing
criteria are set so that organisations
can meet their environmental and
corporate social responsibility goals. And
so specifying and using recycled paper
at work has become second nature for
many of us,” he said.
High grade
To meet this demand there is now a wide
choice of recycled papers that will satisfy
all tastes and preferences, including a
liking for high white grades that require
the best quality office waste.
“Consumption of recycled graphic
paper in Europe is growing and there is
now a wider range of papers available,
including everyday office paper, digital,
offset, pre-print, creative and coated silk
and gloss papers,” explained Matthew
Botfield, Environment Manager at Antalis
McNaughton.
“Some countries like Germany prefer
16 sustainabletimes
Matthew Botfield,
Environment Manager
at Antalis McNaughton
“
The wave of mill
closures has
undoubtedly
affected the
availability
of recycled
papers...
recycled papers to look less white,
whereas in the UK we prefer recycled
papers to be bright white. Generally,
the quality of the recycled paper relies
on the quality of the recovered waste
paper and the de-inking technology used
by the paper mill. If the mix of waste
papers consists of newsprint, magazine
and graphic papers, the mix produces a
grey shade pulp compared to pulp made
from sorted office papers, which is much
whiter,” he said.
Lister, too, cites advances in paper
making technology as a significant factor
in the use of recycled paper, pointing out
that they enable companies to make an
environmental statement without having
to compromise on performance.
“We have seen a marked
improvement in the quality of the
finished product. There is a huge
difference between the dull, grey
offerings of old and the brilliant white,
heavyweight, smooth finish and ‘hard-totell-the-difference’ recycled papers that
are readily available today,” he said.
“Today’s recycled papers are equal
in appearance, performance and
reliability to virgin stocks: there really
is no difference and organisations no
longer need to compromise on look
and feel in order to tick the green box.
However, the economic climate is driving
purchasing behaviour and cost is key.
Traditionally, recycled paper products
carried a premium price tag but we are
seeing a shift here and the premium is
not as great as is commonly perceived.
For example, if you compared the
price of a 70gsm recycled paper with a
standard 80gsm non-recycled ream, the
differential would be insignificant.”
Filling the gap
Recently, there have been a number
of high profile closures of mills where
recycled paper is made including
Inveresk, Hermes, Alizay, Vertaris
and Sappi Nash. This has created
opportunities for other manufacturers,
for example Lenzing, to enter the market
with brands such as Evolution from
Premier Paper, whilst also making it
worthwhile for existing players to expand
their ranges.
“The wave of mill closures has
undoubtedly affected the availability
of recycled papers and, as a merchant,
we’ve responded to that,” Lister
explained. “Robert Horne Group’s Revive
brand, the best known recycled paper
within the commercial print market, is
now available as an office paper range:
100% recycled Revive is available in
three grades, natural, everyday and
business, and in weights from 70gsm. We
recognise the need for heavier weights
in recycled grades and Revive business is
also available in 80, 90 and 100gsm.”
Whatever the rights and wrongs of
using recycled fibre to make high quality
office grades, the pressure on businesses
to select recycled office papers as part
of a sustainable procurement or carbon
reduction strategy means that demand
for such products is likely to remain
strong.
www.paper.co.uk
www.upm.com
www.roberthorne.co.uk
www.antalis.co.uk
01732 759725

17. Our Products Protect Your Products®
The team that delivers
AirCap®
Barrier-Sealed Bubble Packaging
MailLite®
Lightweight Bubble-Lined Protective Postal Bags
Self Seal Strip
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Air retention
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Non Barrier Bubble
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Kraft Outer
Air loss
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Thickness loss =
Loss of cushioning =
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• Ideal for void-fill, surface protection
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AirCap® High Slip Bubble Film
• Outstanding product protection
• Practical and easy to use
• Light weight for postal cost savings
+44 (0)1536 315700 ppdeuromktg@sealedair.com www.sealedair-emea.com
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 17

18. Purple patch
Purple Gossip has been selling refurbished mobile
phones to consumers for several years and is
now expanding its offering to include repairs and
dealer sales. Sustainable Times spoke to Purple
Gossip’s Cassandra Gonzalez about developments
at the company.
Dynamic Cassette International
(DCi), the Lincolnshire-based
printer cartridge recycler and
remanufacturer, is best known for
its Jet Tec range of inkjet and laser
toner cartridges, but it also has a
thriving mobile phone business that
offers an affordable and eco-friendly
alternative to new devices.
Purple Gossip collects, refurbishes
and sells used mobile phones via
a recently revamped website,
www.purplegossip.com, eBay and
Amazon. Customers can exchange
their unwanted phones for hard cash
or nominate their favourite charity to
receive a donation from Purple Gossip.
It also receives used devices from DCi
subsidiary The Recycling Factory, which
each year collects and recycles more
than 8 million cartridges and phones.
“The phones that we receive might
have scratched screens and cosmetic
damage,” explained Purple Gossip’s
Cassandra Gonzalez. “Where they can
be refurbished they will be, for example
by replacing the screen, the housing or
the software. Anything that can’t be
fixed is broken down and sold to brokers
who can use the plastic and metals.
Nothing ends up in landfill.”
Once phones have been refurbished,
Purple Gossip grades them according to
their cosmetic condition (A, B or C) and
sells them with a 30-day guarantee.
Mailing:
time to act
18 sustainabletimes
Purple Gossip offers a huge range of
mobile phones and tablets, including
unlocked and SIM-free models, and
caters for a broad spectrum of users
from older customer who just want
a very basic, simple phone to imageconscious iPhone and iPad fans.
“We mainly sell to individuals
who want a replacement phone on
a temporary basis; who want an
affordable phone; or who want to buy
a smartphone or tablet more cheaply,”
Cassandra explained
“Demand for refurbished phones is
increasing as people look for cheaper
alternatives, especially with higher
end products. Buying an iPad brand
new is very expensive so giving people
somewhere they can buy them more
cheaply is part of our appeal.”
There is also the environmental
benefit of prolonging the life of
a handset, which Purple Gossip is
enhancing with the launch of phone
repair and SIM unlocking services that
will enable customers to use their
phones on other networks.
“Instead of buying something
brand new, we now give customers
two options: to refurbish their current
phone and prolong the life of the
handset; or they have the option to
buy a refurbished phone that has been
mended in some way,” said Cassandra.
www.purplegossip.com
C
IN BRIEF
M
Mobile phone recycling, repair and refurbishment services,
including corporate and fully managed solutions, are also
offered by 20:20 Mobile. It was recently selected to provide
Currys and PC World with a trade-in service featuring a
fully-branded website; customer fulfilment and call centre
support; and mobile phone disposal. Customers can trade in
unwanted devices in return for a gift card that can be used
in any Currys, Dixons Travel or PC World store.
www.2020mobile.com
Smartphonestore.com, a Corporate Mobile Recycling
subsidiary, has launched a new online store selling used
and refurbished smartphones as an affordable alternative
to brand new devices. End user research conducted by the
company found that 82.1% of small businesses believe
smartphones bought outside a contract are too expensive.
More than a third (37%) have had to replace a device before
the end of a contract – a third within the first six months.
www.SmartFoneStore.com
Franking is not just a convenient alternative
to stamps that can save businesses the
time and trouble of walking or driving to
the nearest Post Office. It is also a lot more
affordable.
Neopost has calculated that following Royal
Mail’s latest price rises, franking is an economical
option for a business sending as few as 5 letters
a day, even when you take into account franking
machine rental and consumables costs.
In April, Royal Mail increased the price of a
1st class stamp by 30%, from 46p to 60p, and
the price of a 2nd class one by 39%, from 36p to
50p. Increases for franked mail were significantly
lower, 13% for a First Class letter (39p to 44p)
and 10% for a Second Class letter (28p to 31p).
A second class frank is now 19p cheaper than
a second class stamp, with more discounts on
offer for businesses that prepare their mail in
a way that can be read by Royal Mail sorting
machines.
The latest price hikes mean there has never
been a better time for businesses to start
managing their mailing activity. Doing so will
almost certainly bring big financial savings
and by exploring different services offered
by Royal Mail and its competitors, such as
hybrid mail, businesses should also be able to
reduce the environmental impact of postal
communications.
01732 759725
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K

20. what’s new...
Editor’s Choice Award
Sustainable
Snorm
Power supply not included
Snom is to stop providing external power supplies with its 3xx and 7xx
series IP phones as customers switch to Power-over-Ethernet (PoE).
Snom COO, Dr. Michael Knieling said: “Feedback from our customers
has revealed that the vast majority use PoE to power their phones.
This means that many thousands of power supplies have probably been
produced and never been used.” For every phone bought without an
additional power supply before June 22, the IP phone specialist plans
to donate £1 to the German branch of the Earth Day International
environmental initiative. Customers who don’t take advantage of
PoE can request an external power supply unit. www.snom.com
Sound and vision
Cool lighting
from Philips
Philips and Ecophon have
combined their areas of expertise
and created an acoustic ceiling
panel with integrated LED
lighting. Soundlight Comfort
free-hanging panels have several
benefits including lower energy
consumption, reduced clutter, an
attractive design and enhanced
employee well-being. The panels
are claimed to be ideal for
buildings with Thermally Activated
Building Systems (TABS), such
as Concrete Core Activation
which uses the concrete core of
a building to retain heat and cool
the interior. To work properly, the
ceiling structure must be exposed,
which tends to increase echoing
and noise levels, while partially
exposed ceilings make it hard
to integrate office lighting in an
aesthetic way.
www.philips.com
www.ecophon.com
Oktav class A sound absorbers
from Kinnarps are an eco-friendly
solution to the problem of noise
in open plan offices. Designed by
Christian Halleröd and featuring
Kinnarps re:fill, a special padding
made from waste fabric, the
contoured wall panels absorb
sound and help keep noise levels
down. They are available in a
range of colours and fabrics and
can be arranged in interesting and
decorative patterns and colour
combinations.
Editor’s Choice Award
www.kinnarps.com
Sustainable
Kinnarps Oktav
Top of the class
The NEC U Series of ultra short throw
(UST) projectors has received TCO
certification – the first in its class to
do so. Following the introduction of
the TCO Certified projectors program,
TCO Development has defined unique
criteria for UST projectors relating to
luminance uniformity, colour gamut and
energy consumption. The projectors’
short throw distance allows them
to be placed close to the projection
surface, making them ideal for use with
interactive whiteboards and in small
meeting rooms.
www.nec-display-solutions.com
www.tcodevelopment.com
Seven green bottles
Vapur has re-invented the water bottle for
the twenty-first century. The Vapur ‘antibottle’, marketed as an eco-responsible
alternative to plastic water bottles, is
foldable (when empty), flexible, freezable
(for ice-cold drinks), dishwasher-proof and,
most importantly, re-usable. Vapur comes
in a range of colours including a cyan
blue Henley Royal Regatta limited edition
available for £14 from the Regatta Gift
Shop and on the HRR website.
www.hrr.co.uk www.vapur.us
It’s your choice:
recycle, compost or burn
Shiny Stamp has expanded its ECO line of rubber stamps with a
new Hybrid range made from PLA bio-plastic mixed with sawdust.
One of the advantages of this material, says Shiny Stamp, is that
unlike petroleum polymers it is natural, non-toxic and can be
incinerated, composted or recycled. Shiny Stamp’s ECO line also
includes stamps made from recycled ABS plastic derived from
consumer electronics goods such as televisions and printers;
recycled PET from old water bottles; and compostable PLA bioplastic from corn starch. www.stampsdirect.co.uk
20 sustainabletimes
01732 759725

21. Say goodbye to the
cardboard box
The Notbox Company aims to
persuade businesses to replace singleuse cardboard boxes with re-usable,
recyclable Notboxes that can be
bought outright or leased. Available in
over 20 colours and a range of sizes,
the boxes can be customised with a
company’s branding or manufactured
to suit a specific requirement. Notbox
claims its products will save money
and reduce carbon emissions, citing
the example of one customer that has
saved £200,000 a year by replacing
one million cardboard boxes used to
transport goods between its distribution
centre and retail store with re-usable
Notboxes. For every 100 boxes it
has taken out of its supply chain, the
retailer claims to have reduced annual
CO2 emissions by 74kg.
www.thenotboxcompany.com
Recycling news
The City of London is hoping to reduce
litter from free newspapers handed to
commuters by installing a network of
200 recycling points in its streets. It has
awarded a 21-year contract to Renew,
which has developed bomb-proof
pods combining bins for unwanted
newspapers with LCD screens on either
end for displaying news, information
and advertising. Renew plans to cover
the cost of installing and maintaining
the kiosks through advertising and
sponsorship. Twenty-five pods have
been put in place so far, with a further
75 expected to go live before the
summer. Renew is hoping to establish
similar schemes in New York, Tokyo
and Singapore.
www.renewsolution.com
Editor’s Choice Award
In the loop Sustainable
Duraweld Feelin’ Green
Duraweld, a UK manufacturer
of presentation, packaging and
stationery products, has launched
the Feelin’ Green brand of
recycled presentation products.
Comprising ring binders, tabbed
dividers, document boxes and
notepads, the range makes
use of Duraweld’s own 100%
recycled polypropylene as well
as recycled board and paper.
Even the ring binder mechanisms
are 55% recycled. Another
interesting feature is the use of
biodegradable jute to reinforce
binder spines. All products in the
range are recyclable.
www.duraweld.co.uk
just 2 watts per person. This is made possible
by the integrated second generation Numo 2
System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers three
dedicated graphics, video and user sub-systems
on a single chip. NComputing is targeting the
M300 at workgroups with 3 or more users in
classrooms, laboratories, libraries, shared offices
and call centres. NComputing’s vSpace Server
6.6 software supports up to 45 concurrent
M300 desktop sessions on a single consumerclass host PC.
www.ncomputing.com
Three-in-one thin client
NComputing describes its M300 virtual
desktop device as the first 3-in-1 thin client
for workgroup computing with PC-level
performance and HD video. Requiring one plug
and a single LAN port and with built-in ports
for keyboards, mice and peripherals, it can be
shared by three users simultaneously, giving
a rich PC experience for one third of the cost
and energy consumption of three separate thin
clients or PCs – energy consumption is typically
Friend or foe?
Harnessing the power within
Sony engineers have found a new use for waste paper by
developing a bio battery that creates electricity from the
cellulose in cardboard. The working prototype produces
enough energy to power a small fan, but Sony is hoping
Desk
that in the future it could be used on a larger scale with Top
Whiteboard
old cardboard, newspapers, magazines and other waste
paper. The concept uses the cellulase enzyme to convert
cellulose within paper into sugar (glucose). Further
enzymatic reactions decompose the glucose, generating
electrons and hydrogen ions that the battery uses to
produce electricity. This development builds on an earlier
study in which a Walkman was powered by fruit juice.
www.sony.net
Imspired’s Desktop Whiteboard has
been developed as an eco alternative
to Post-it Notes, but who would bet
against it becoming a Post-it Pyramid
– there is even space inside to store a
pad of sticky notes. Its four wipe-clean
sides are designed to be written on
with a marker pen, but in practice they
could also be used to display Postits. The Desktop Whiteboard comes
with a marker pen, which can be kept
inside the pyramid along with small
stationery items such as paper clips or
staples. www.imspired.com
NEXT
CLOSE
tom
sal orro
w
es
@ 2 repor
t
.00
pm
(W125x130mm)
sg .
www.binfo.co.uk
nfo .
oodle
sustainabletimes 21

22. advertorial
The Portucel Soporcel Group
The Portucel Soporcel Group is one of Portugal’s
strongest players on the international stage.
The Portucel Soporcel Group is the
leading European manufacturer of
uncoated woodfree (UWF) printing
and writing paper and the 6th
largest producer in the world. This
has placed Portugal at the top of
the European ranking of countries
manufacturing this type of paper.
The Group is also Europe’s leading
manufacturer, and one of the largest
producers in the world, of bleached
eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP).
22 sustainabletimes
The Portucel Soporcel group is one
of Portugal’s three leading exporters,
and possibly the exporter generating
the most national value added. The
Group accounts for more than 3% of
Portuguese visible exports.
The Group currently boasts
production capacity for 1.6 million
tons of paper, 1.4 million tons of pulp
(of which 1.1 million is integrated into
paper) and power generation of 2.5
TWh, adding up to annual turnover of
approximately 1.5 billion euros.
The Group has successfully
pursued a strategy of innovation
and development of its own brands,
which today account for 64% of sales
of manufactured products. Special
mention should be made of the
Navigator brand, the world’s bestselling product in the premium office
paper segment.
The Group’s sales are made to 115
countries across five continents, with
Europe and the United States as the
two main destinations.
The Group
currently
boasts
production
capacity for
1.6 million tons
of paper
The Group is committed to
improving and protecting Portugal’s
forests, by pursuing its own research
programme and managing forestry
holdings of close to 120 thousand
hectares. The Group’s sustainable
management model has been certified
under the internationally recognized
FSC® and PEFC™ schemes (license nos.
FSC C010852 and PEFC/12-23-001).
The Group is also a frontrunner
in the energy sector and Portugal’s
leading producer of “green energy” from
biomass, a renewable energy source.
www.portucelsoporcel.com
01732 759725

23. advertorial
Paper is worth its weight
One way of reducing the environmental cost of paper is to use a lighter weight
than the standard 80gsm (grams per square metre). The use of office papers with
lower grammages is standard in some parts of the world like North and South
America, South Asia and Japan and is becoming increasingly common in Europe.
Many of the main office equipment
manufacturers operate in both the
USA and Japan and it is therefore a
reasonable assumption that there
should be no technical reasons why
lower grammage papers cannot
be used in office machines – fax,
copiers, printers, etc. – available in
Europe. However, across European
countries the standard grammage
for office printer and copier papers is
still 80gsm. Why is Europe different?
The reason is simple: tradition.
When the first office papers were
developed, their production was mainly
concentrated in Central and Northern
Europe. The raw materials widely
available in that region could only
produce the quality needed for
an office paper at 80 grams per
square metre.
Over the past two decades, a
significant number of producers have
tried to develop an office paper with
the lower weight of 75gsm. However,
a credible alternative to 80gsm has
failed to materialise, as manufacturers
could not achieve the critical factors
of thickness, stiffness and opacity of
paper; characteristics that have an
immediate impact on runnability and
print quality.
The majority of the 75gsm qualities
available in the European market came
mainly from outside Europe and were
used as low cost, short-term attempts
to counter pricing problems. As they
did not possess the average quality
requirements demanded by discerning
copier/laser paper users, they tended to
be perceived as being of inferior quality.
But tradition is no longer what it
used to be.
Changing the status quo is very
difficult and challenging, but that
was the goal when Discovery was
launched, back in 1995. Discovery is
a standard quality brand with only
two grammages available: 70gsm and
75gsm.
Discovery is now the best selling
75gsm office paper in Europe. Its sales
growth has been very interesting,
clearly reflecting the changing
perceptions of end users towards
lighter grammages and a growing
realisation that Discovery is a paper of
the highest quality.
Here, Ashley Miller, Sales
Manager UK grupo Portucel
Soporcel, explains how
Discovery paper combines
quality and perfomance
with sustainability.
Q
Why does Discovery have
the same (or even better)
performance than a competitor
80gsm office paper?
A
hen used for printing or
W
copying, quality of output
depends on the stiffness and
thickness levels of the paper used,
not the weight. In that sense,
Discovery was a real innovation
in the market, as it combined a
lower grammage (70 or 75gsm)
with high levels of thickness
and stiffness; better than most
standard 80gsm grades.
Q
hy is the quality of Discovery
W
paper so high?
A
n two words: eucalyptus
I
globulus – the tree species
used to produce Discovery. The
wood from this specific species
of eucalyptus has very unique
characteristics that provide
excellent stiffness, thickness
and opacity levels to the paper,
even at lower grammages. The
continued...
Portucel Eucalyptus Globulus nurseries
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 23

24. advertorial
...continued
Q
Eucalyptus globulus fibres are
very short, increasing the number
of fibres we can include in a given
area, resulting in better fibre
orientation and porosity. These
fibres also have a very thick cell
wall, resulting in higher levels of
thickness and stiffness.
A
Q
Does this mean that any
producer with access to
the same type of fibres can
produce a 75gsm office
paper of the same quality as
Discovery?
A
o, because besides the raw
N
materials (eucalyptus fibres
and a fine selection of other
ingredients developed over time
and scientifically blended to
optimise quality), grupo Portucel
Soporcel has impressive knowhow accumulated over many
years of intensive research and
development that has proved
to be extremely valuable in
producing a paper like Discovery.
This know-how, combined with
state-of-the-art paper machines,
enables us to make the most of
the excellent raw materials we
use to produce our papers.
papers, this can be done without
impacting paper quality and
office equipment wear and tear.
Using recycled fibre for these
papers alone would be enough to
achieve the maximum theoretical
recycling rate for paper and board
in Europe.
esides the obvious quality,
B
what other important attributes
does Discovery have?
“
Discovery
has the EU
Ecolabel;
and Discovery
75gsm is also
FSC certified.
roducing a lower grammage
P
paper has a lot of environmental
benefits making Discovery a strong
ecological paper. The use of less
wood fibre, combined with the use
of the most efficient tree species
– eucalyptus globulus – results in
a higher number of reams for the
same quantity of wood – when
comparing Discovery 75gsm
(+48%) or Discovery 70gsm
(+58%) with an alternative 80gsm
paper. Changing from 80gsm to
75gsm or 70gsm is also a simple
way of reducing paper waste.
Q
s Discovery a good choice
I
for organisations with green
procurement strategies?
A
bsolutely. By specifying Discovery,
A
organisations are demonstrating
environmental responsibility and
minimising environmental impact
as the manufacturing process
consumes less resources.
Q
s the use of recycled office
I
paper more ecological than the
use of Discovery?
A
o! It’s vital that we recycle paper
N
as much as we can, but also that
we use the recycled fibres where
it makes more sense. Packaging,
newspaper and tissue account for
almost 70% of the total amount of
paper used in Europe. All of these
types of paper can be produced
in some cases with almost 100%
recycled fibre. In contrast to office
Q
o you are saying that we
S
should use recycled paper, but
not for office paper?
A
hat’s right. Office paper
T
represents a mere 4% of European
paper and board consumption
and has more demanding quality
characteristics. There is no
sensible rationale for promoting
the use of recycled fibres to
manufacture office paper to strict
standards with longer life cycles.
This could ultimately mean that
valuable timber resources would
be used to manufacture lower
quality paper products which
have shorter life cycles or which
can no longer be recycled. Office
papers produced with new fibres
provide an excellent resource
for recycling into products with
progressively less demanding
quality characteristics.
Q
hat kind of environmental
W
certifications does Discovery
have?
A
iscovery has EU Ecolabel
D
certification and Discovery 75gsm
is also FSC certified. Ecolabel is a
European label which guarantees
that the product is produced
in accordance with strict
environmental rules.
Q
s Discovery only available
I
in A4?
A
o. Discovery is also available in
N
A3, 2- and 4-hole punched and
fast-pack versions. Fast-pack is a
very useful solution that includes
2,500 sheets of unwrapped paper,
perfect for high volume machines.
The special packaging saves time
feeding the printing machines
and minimises waste packaging
materials.
www.portucelsoporcel.com
24 sustainabletimes
01732 759725

25. Lighter weight,
more eco-efficient.
Discovery: another perspective on looking after the environment. We take a low
grammage paper made from a high quality, high bulking wood (Eucalyptus globulus),
made in Europe’s most modern equipment, and you get a paper using up to 37%
less wood and producing up to 13% less waste. Not to mention jam-free performance.
Discovery – the real eco-efficient paper.
Satisfaction
guaranteed.
Europe’s best selling 75g.m-2 paper
discovery-paper.com
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 25

26. Driving down costs
How Rexel has helped
Coventry Golf Club achieve a
25% reduction in its energy
bill and shrink its carbon
footprint by 5 tonnes.
It’s not just the immaculate fairways
that are green at Coventry Golf
Club. Having already received an
English Golf Environment Award
in recognition of its wildlifefriendly grounds, the club recently
implemented a far-reaching and
aggressive carbon reduction
programme.
“We are committed to trying to
reduce our consumables both on and off
the course,” explained course manager
Phil Weaver. “As such we decided to
undertake a complete audit of our
electricity consumption. We wanted to
radically downsize our carbon footprint
and of course save on energy costs as
bills continue to rise.”
The club invited Rexel to conduct a
full survey of its facilities to see where
energy-saving technologies could be
deployed.
Following an analysis of Coventry
Golf Club’s past electricity bills
and current usage, measured using
an advanced current transformer
monitoring reader, Rexel recommended:
n nergy-saving lighting for the
e
clubhouse and outside buildings,
including LEDs, presence detection
and daylight harvesting to reduce
electricity consumption;
n olar photovoltaic panels on the
s
roof so that the club could generate
its own electricity and additional
revenue; and
n metering and controlling
consumption, for example by
installing water heating timers and
A-rated energy efficient appliances
and rearranging maintenance to
coincide with the lowest energy
tariffs.
A natural fit
After a unanimous agreement from the
board, the project went ahead. Working
with Rexel as the project manager
alongside partner suppliers and installers,
Coventry Golf Club installed new
energy-efficient lighting and a 16-panel
solar photovoltaic system capable of
generating 3.6 kilowatts per hour.
This gives the club free electricity as
well as an additional source of income
from the solar feed-in tariff (FiT)
scheme. As the project was implemented
before the Government halved feedin tariffs for solar, the club enjoys a
guaranteed annual payback of 43.3
pence per kilowatt hour compared to the
new rate of 21p per kWh.
Brian Smithers, business development
director at Rexel UK, said: “Coventry
Golf Club is a perfect candidate for
solar panelling because of all the natural
light. The lack of shade on the roof
provided an ideal environment for the
photovoltaic solar panel array, not only
reducing the club’s carbon footprint but
also generating long-term revenue.”
“
We are
committed
to trying to
reduce our
consumables
both on and
off the course
The results
As a result of installing energy efficient
lighting and metering, the club has been
able to reduce its annual electricity bill
by £4,646, helping to save five tonnes of
CO2. In addition, in just twelve months,
it generated income of £1,500 from FiT.
Over the next 25 years, the club expects
to make £42,500 from the solar panel
installation.
“Rexel’s recommendations have
proved hugely beneficial and point
to substantial short and long-term
cost savings,” explained Weaver.
“Understandably, in these economically
challenging times, golf clubs nationwide
are focusing on reducing costs across
the board – Coventry Golf Club included.
From our perspective the technology
makes sound fiscal sense. Helping to
save the planet while saving money is an
absolute no-brainer.”
He added: “Here at Coventry
Golf Club we believe that we have a
responsibility to manage the golf course
using environmental best practice. Rexel
has demonstrated perfectly how modern
technologies can save money without
impacting the manner in which we go
about our daily life at the club.”
The power above
The 12th century St. Michael and
All Angels Church in Withington
has become the country’s first ‘zero
carbon’ church.
As part of a renovation project, the
900-year old building was fitted with
solar panels and a biomass boiler and
is now powered entirely by renewable
energy.
Twenty-four Kyocera solar modules
were installed using a special ladder
system that did not adversely affect
the structure of the building or its
visual appearance.
26 sustainabletimes
01732 759725

27. What we offer
We offer a variety of tried and tested refurbished mobile
phones from all your favourite brands and stock a wide
range of styles, colours and grades. All of our refurbished
handsets are either unlocked, SIM free or network locked
so there are no monthly charges.
Customers can save up to 60% on RRP compared
to purchasing a handset brand new, simply visit
www.purplegossip.com or call our team today
for help and advice on purchasing a high quality
refurbished mobile phone.
Environmentally Friendly
We provide users with an environmentally friendly alternative
to buying new mobile phones, safe in the knowledge that by
choosing Purple Gossip, the lifecycle of a handset is prolonged,
helping to reduce the amount of hazardous waste that would
normally end up in landfill. In addition to this by reducing the
number of new phones made and distributed we are able to
decrease the volume of raw materials taken from the earth,
saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases.
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 27

28. Time to make a
difference
Taking place on May
14-18, Green Office
Week is your chance
to implement ecofriendly practices in your
workplace. Inspired by
Avery, the week unites
office workers around the
country in an effort to
raise awareness of energy
and resource efficiency
and demonstrate practical
steps that can be taken to
work in a greener and more
sustainable way.
THE ECO SIN-BIN
TOP 10 NON-GREEN THINGS
WE DO AT WORK
1. hucking away paper rather than
C
recycling it
2. Not having a recycling bin
3. Throwing away food packaging
4. Throwing away cans and cartons
5. Not printing double-sided
6. Leaving things on standby
7. sing non-environmentallyU
friendly products
8. orgetting to turn off the lights
F
when leaving the office
9. eaving the heating on with the
L
windows open
10. ot reusing envelopes or
N
jiffy bags
28 sustainabletimes
This year’s event is being held against
a back-drop of apathy and missed
opportunities, as a national survey
commissioned by Avery reveals that
office workers’ green habits are
forgotten the moment they leave
for work.
The study found that while we are
generally green at home, recycling as
much as we can and conserving energy,
our habits in the workplace are very
different: nearly a quarter of respondents
said they print things when they don’t
need to; and four out of ten forget to use
company recycling bins.
Yet when at home, eight out of ten
manage to separate recyclable goods
from non-recyclables.
This wasteful attitude appears to
come from the top, with four out of
five office workers polled expressing
disappointment that their company is
not leading the way with green initiatives
and nearly half worrying that their
employer doesn’t take its environmental
responsibilities seriously enough.
Despite evidence that being green can
bring cost savings, 41% said that their
attempts to implement green practices at
work had caused conflict with a manager.
Over 50% of respondents said they
would feel happier and more positive at
work if the company they worked for was
more supportive of their efforts to be
green. One in ten went so far as to say
that they would look for another job if
they felt their company was not serious
about its environmental responsibilities.
Sixty per cent stated that a company’s
eco credentials would influence their
decision on whether to apply for a job
there, suggesting firms that don’t take
the environment seriously could be
missing out on the best talent.
With a third of our lives spent at
work, Green Office Week aims to alter
attitudes and champion change across
the UK. According to Avery, Green Office
Week 2012 will be bigger and better than
ever. Highlights include a unique Green
League with points and prizes for the
greenest office workers and a special Junk
Modelling Challenge to prove that being
green can be great fun too.
In addition, there will be loads of
hints and tips on how to green one’s
workplace, with a different theme
addressed each day.
www.greenofficeweek.eu
Power to the people
Carbon Trust has launched a new online tool for
office workers that it claims could save employers
£500m and two million tonnes of CO2 each
year – equivalent to the combined annual carbon
emissions of all the households in Birmingham.
‘Carbon Trust Empower’ aims to inspire employees to
implement measures to reduce energy use, paper waste
and travel, potentially cutting 15% or £6,000 from the
energy bill of a typical small business. Larger businesses,
says Carbon Trust, could save £150,000 and over 500
tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
It does this by means of an animated tour around
a typical workplace with tutorials, quizzes and other
interactive elements. As well as helping individuals
create personal action plans, Empower enables office
managers to view the sum of individual employees’
energy savings.
Carbon Trust says that by following five top tips for
office energy efficiency, companies could make annual
savings of over £200 per employee:
1. urn off your PC and monitor in the evening
T
(saving £39/yr per person);
2. eep blinds open and turn off lights when there
K
is enough daylight or when areas are unoccupied
(saving more than £10/yr per person);
3. ccept a 1°C reduction in workplace temperature
A
(saving over £4/yr per person);
4. the phone or video conferencing to avoid four
Use
car journeys (saving £150/yr); and
5.
Reduce paper use by printing only when needed
and on both sides of the page (saving £20/yr per
person).
www.empower.carbontrust.com 0800 085 2005
01732 759725

29. OPINION
Token
Green
SecurEnvoy argues that authentication using
physical tokens is damaging our planet and that
tokenless, mobile-phone based alternatives are
both cheaper and greener.
In June last year HSBC Bank unveiled
a new weapon in its security arsenal
– the Secure Key. Introduced to add
an extra layer of security to online
banking, it’s being billed as a way
of ensuring ‘customers are one step
ahead of online fraudsters’.
Every one of HSBC’s five million
active online users in the UK will
eventually receive one of these small
electronic devices. If more of its 15
million UK customers choose to bank
virtually, and with the group looking to
extend two-factor authentication on a
case-by-case basis globally, the number
of devices eventually in use will be
considerably higher.
Deploying tokens is time-consuming
and expensive. It’s not known exactly
how much each HSBC Secure Key costs,
but the price of the device itself is just
one factor that needs to be taken into
consideration. There’s also the cost of
the marketing to make users aware
of the devices; the cost of mailings
to the customer; the physical cost of
distribution; and ongoing support costs
to help those who have difficulty using
the token. Typically 10% of physical
tokens fail and need replacing every
year – for HSBC that would amount to
50,000 tokens annually. On top of this,
physical tokens like Secure Key have a
typical lifespan of three to five years.
It’s easy to see how conservative
estimates put a figure for physical
token deployment at £100 per device.
That’s not just for HSBC, but for any
organisation that uses physical tokens as
a two-factor authentication solution.
More than money at stake
But there’s much more to consider
than just the monetary cost of
physical authentication devices. The
environmental cost of producing and
distributing 4,000 tokens works out
at around 4.3 million tonnes of CO2,
the equivalent of chopping down 240
million trees.
We have calculated that HSBC would
need to plant an 18,970-acre forest
to offset the emissions created by its
decision to issue UK customers with
a Secure Key, even before taking into
consideration its global plans.
And that’s just for HSBC. If every
organisation that allows individuals to
access its systems first issues them with
a physical token, each person would
have a separate device for their bank,
the NHS, HMRC for tax returns, utility
companies to access and pay bills,
employer network etc.. That’s a lot of
plastic and associated emissions.
A logical alternative
While it’s true that you can’t put a price
on security, we all have a responsibility
to consider our impact on the planet.
We’re not condemning authentication as
an additional layer of security, just the
choice of physical tokens as the means
of delivery.
Practically every pocket holds the
perfect key: SMS technology. With five
billion mobile handsets in use across
the globe, it’s a fair assumption that
the majority of people have a handset
capable of receiving text messages.
Organisations can easily make use of
customers’ existing mobile technology
to replicate a physical token by sending
a passcode to the user as a text
message, effectively turning the mobile
into a ‘soft’ token. Because there’s no
need for additional software on the
user’s phone, complex testing, support
and training issues are eliminated – an
important consideration, as phone
interfaces change with each new model.
It is estimated that moving from
physical to soft token authentication
will reduce ongoing running costs by
40-60%; dozens of soft tokens can be
carried on a single device; and if an
individual loses a mobile phone they
will notice much more quickly than if
they lost a piece of plastic, thus reducing
the chances of a token falling into the
wrong hands.
www.securenvoy.com
The environmental cost of producing and distributing
4,000 tokens works out at around 4.3 million tonnes of CO2,
the equivalent of chopping down 240 million trees.
www.binfo.co.uk
sustainabletimes 29