Toshiba's Carbon-Free Printing Makes Kenyan Cooking More Sustainable

Toshiba's Carbon-Free Printing Makes Kenyan Cooking More Sustainable   

CHERTSEY, England, June 1, 2010--

    - With Photo

    Businesses that are concerned about the environmental impact of their
office equipment can now print and copy documents carbon-free, following
Toshiba TEC Imaging's decision to roll out a carbon offsetting initiative
across the UK and Ireland.

    After a successful pilot programme last year, carbon emissions produced
during the design, manufacture, distribution and everyday use of Toshiba
multi-function printers (MFPs) in the UK can now be offset through a scheme
that helps villagers in Kenya reduce their own carbon footprint. Even the
paper and toner that the MFPs use is offset.

    The African Energy Efficient Stove project, which is run through an
independent British organisation called CO2balance, supplies domestic stoves
that cut the use of firewood by more than half. Each cooker typically
prevents three tonnes of CO2 emissions every year - equivalent to the
emissions produced by an average UK car doing 9,000 miles a year.

    Four thousand Kenyan households have already switched to this energy
efficient method of cooking thanks to Toshiba carbon-free MFPs - and the
scheme's success means that 30,000 stoves could be installed by the end of
this year. Combined with further innovations in the products themselves it
means that carbon savings are made in both the UK and in Africa.

    Installing the more efficient stoves doesn't just benefit the
environment: it also helps reduces the 1.6 million deaths each year that the
World Health Association identifies as associated with smoke inhalation. In
fact, the WHO states that cooking on an inefficient '3-stone fire' is the
equivalent of smoking 2 packets of cigarettes a day.

    A package of energy-saving measures

    As environmental considerations are already built in to Toshiba's
products, the MFP Carbon zero scheme is just one part of the company's
commitment to social and environmental concerns. Toshiba MFPs already feature
cutting-edge functionality that helps users reduce their environmental
impact.

    Nonetheless, however seriously organisations take their environmental
responsibilities, some level of CO2 emissions are the inevitable consequence
of the manufacture, design and use of office products. Toshiba's carbon zero
programme allows customers to offset such emissions in full, including
servicing and consumables, for five years of the product's life, or one
million copies.

    Beyond carbon emissions

    Steve Hewson, Marketing Director for Toshiba TEC Imaging says: "Most
organisations these days would claim to care about their social or
environmental impact, but even the practical ways they try to achieve their
ambitions - by recycling, or encouraging employees not to print documents
unnecessarily - can only go so far. If you truly care about running a greener
office, cutting your costs and helping the environment, you have to make sure
the products you use have sustainability 'built in' and that any residual CO2
emissions are offset - completely."

    "The African Energy Efficient Stove project delivers savings on two
continents and means that as well as contributing to your own environmental
efforts, you can make a very real difference to the lives of people in East
Africa."

    Note to Editors:

    A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA
Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or
viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.

    For further information please contact Hannah Cross, T: +44(0)1932-580185

Source: Toshiba TEC Imaging

For press information and images please contact Linda Tyrrell, PR Account Director at The Henley Group International, on T: +44(0)1491-570972, or E: linda@henley.co.uk