The human impact on global warming is evident in science, and taking proactive steps to protect the environment has become extremely important.

“The pressure is on companies to go green or go extinct,” says Yena Ngidi, Hardware Product Manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa. “Today's savvy customers demand sustainability and environmental action, and we know that the survival of our planet and future generations relies on human-tech collaboration. Forward-thinking businesses that prioritise the environment unlock growth opportunities while empowering customers to save the earth by reducing their own carbon footprint. It's a win-win for businesses and our precious environment,” says Ngidi.

With a philosophy of: "To coexist harmoniously with our society, our global community and nature,” Kyocera has always and will always be fully committed to minimising the impact its products have on the environment.

Kyocera’s products and solutions minimise paper usage and maximise productivity through efficient digital document management and storage. And, to ensure that Kyocera is paying more than just lip-service to the environment, the technology leader adopts a science-backed approach to ongoing technology development and investment in sustainability.

“Key to this is our patented energy-saving iToner launched in 2020. The iToner requires a melting point that is 30℃ lower than most brands, therefore using less energy when applied to the printing process, while simultaneously providing image quality and stability. This toner has halved the typical energy consumption of Kyocera’s printers and multi-function printers (MFPs),” says Ngidi.

Other sustainable advancements include:

Energy-saving ink

Kyocera’s proprietary water-based pigment inks used in its TASKalfa Pro 15000c production inkjet printer demonstrate excellent penetration into paper and dry quickly after printing. These properties reduce the amount of electricity consumed when fixing images onto paper.

Energy-saving controller

To further reduce electricity consumption and CO2 emissions by reducing the standby power used by printers, the TASKalfa 2554ci/3554ci A3 colour MFPs are equipped with an energy-saving controller that further reduces the time it takes to return from sleep mode, while minimising the standby power used during sleep mode.

Thanks to this newly developed energy-saving controller, Kyocera achieved the industry's highest energy-saving performance, with standby power used during sleep mode kept below 0.5W, without compromising the operability and productivity for users.

Titanium dioxide-free toners

Although most of Kyocera’s toners already met legislative and industry regulations specifying that toner can contain maximum 1% titanium dioxide, in 2020 the company committed to a running change to ensure that all its toners will be completely TiO2 free from Q1 2024.

“With these innovations and ongoing research and development, we maintain our commitment to reducing energy consumption and environmental impact through high quality products that continue to maximise performance and improve productivity for clients and customers,” he concludes.