Toshiba Carbon Zero Scheme
We are now pleased to announce that EBM has now taken on Toshiba as one of our suppliers. EBM are also committed to promoting Toshibas Carbon Zero Scheme.
The Carbon Zero Scheme aims to offset all carbon produced in the supply of a Toshiba MFP product, right from the manufacturing, shipping, delivering, installing and your first 1 millions prints!
With the help of co2balance.com, Toshiba has invested in projects that save the emissions of, or absorb, an equivalent amount of CO2 to that of your MFP footprint plus the first 1 million prints*. Through this process the emissions are balanced to become ‘Carbon Zero’ which allows for positive printing and copying with no detrimental effect on the environment.
There are a number of projects Toshiba are supporting in the UK and Developing World to offset carbon, these are:
The African Energy Stove Project
This project supplies energy saving cooking stoves to villages in Kenya. The stoves replace traditional open fires, not only are they energy efficient they also create jobs as the stoves are built in the local villages. The end user also has benefits as cooking with the new stoves proves much healthier.
African Energy Efficient Light Bulb Project
Toshiba are supplying low energy light bulbs to households and community groups in Kenya.
Micro Hydro Power Project, China
Situated on Daxije River in the town of Yajiang, the electricity generated by the hydropower tunnel displaces the electricity on the Central China Power grid.
Somercombe Wood Project, UK
Located on the Somerset/Devon border, trees are planted on co2balance’s own land to naturally absorb carbon as they grow.
All projects supported are aiding registered charities, so as well as helping the environment you are also helping people less well off.
*All calculations are based on a 5 year MFP lifecycle.
11 good reasons to use a new Toshiba MFP
- Doing your bit to combat climate change – the carbon emissions from every machine has been offset, including the first 1 million copies.
- Enhance the green credential of your company.
- Marketing your company as running a “CarbonZero Print Fleet” – include it on your website, annual reports, newsletters and staff bulletins.
- Include in future tenders your CarbonZero Print Fleet to boost the green element of the tender – many tenders now include questions about your carbon management, which the CarbonZero Print Fleet covers. Use as evidence of your support for both environmental issues and social responsibility.
- Helps to show your staff that you are an ethical company with strong Corporate Social Responsibilities.
- Helping poor families in Kenya, saving time and money on firewood by providing them energy saving stoves that reduces the amount of firewood they need every day.
- Creating cleaner and more hygienic way of cooking – the World Health Organisation states that cooking on an unregulated open fire is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes a day and was linked to 1.5 million deaths in Africa in 2002 – the energy efficient stoves replaces these open fires.
- Protecting the environment – as well as carbon saving the CarbonZero MFP’s
- Fleet helps to generate green energy, habitat protection and reduces deforestation.
- The latest technology Toshiba MFP’s are more energy and environmentally efficient saving you time and money.
- Consolidation of your existing print fleet into fewer more efficient devices reduces the overall cost of your print output. Typical reductions in efficiency alone up to 30% saving.
F.A.Q.
WHAT IS CARBON OFFSETTING?
It is now very clear that human activities are causing the global climate to warm with potentially dangerous consequences. It is important on all of us to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases. However, it is equally clear that it is not going to be possible for any UK resident to eliminate entirely their carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting exists as a means to enable us to do something about our residual carbon footprints rather than just ignoring them. It works by helping businesses and individuals to assess the size of their residual carbon footprints and then invest in projects around the world that save the emission of, or absorb, an equivalent amount of carbon. Through this process, they balance out their unavoidable emissions and become CarbonZero.
WHAT IS A CARBON FOOTPRINT?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.
The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Co2balance undertake a full Greenhouse Gas Audit in accordance with the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the ISO 14064 standard. A carbon footprint report to this standard can be used in corporate reporting, in the knowledge that the methodologies employed are accepted across the world.
WHY WOULD YOU OFFSET?
Every time we drive, fly, turn on the TV, there are emissions from our cars, this is called a carbon footprint. You can live and work more efficiently, such as using teleconferencing equipment in work instead of driving to clients, to reduce the carbon footprint but it will always be there – a residual carbon footprint. We offset to balance the carbon footprint, so on one hand we create it by driving, flying, using electricity and gas, on the other we balance it and invest in carbon saving projects.
WHAT SORT OF OFFSET PROJECTS DO YOU RUN?
The most popular, and effective, carbon management project is the African
Energy Efficient Stove Project, which prevents the release of carbon dioxide by building energy saving cooking stoves to families in Kenya. The stoves replace fuel intensive open fires (similar to camp fires) and reduce the amount of firewood needed for cooking by 70% – this in turn prevents the release of carbon emissions through the reduction in burning firewood. This project is being expanded into India and neighbouring Kenyan countries.
WHERE IS THE OFFSET PROJECT?
The energy saving stoves are built on the Kenyan coast to the south of Mombasa.
DO I GET ANY CONFIRMATION OF THE OFFSET?
Yes. You will receive a validation sticker which must be placed on the front of the
MFP and a certificate can be downloaded from www.toshibacarbonzero.co.uk.
HOW DO I KNOW THE MONEY GOES TO THE OFFSETPROJECT?
The project is run and managed in line with the internationally recognised
“Gold Standard”, which is an independent standards body which verifies voluntary carbon projects. co2balance, are a leading carbon management company who have offices in Kenya and India to mange project in-house. In addition, these projects benefit from the CarbonTrack system, which allows clients to track the projects using
GPS co-ordinates for each of the energy efficient stoves we install via Google Earth.
HOW “ADDITIONAL” ARE THE PROJECTS THAT YOU RUN?
‘Additionality’ is an essential component of any carbon offset project. This means that the project must not have gone ahead but for the investment of the funds from carbon offset clients; it must represent new activity over and above the baseline or ‘business as usual’ scenario. In order to make this easy to demonstrate and transparent, co2balance’s in-house carbon offset projects are at least 50% funded by carbon offset payments (and are currently 100% funded). This guarantees that the project would not have happened but for the carbon offset investment. We are not aware of any other offset provider with such a high standard.
WHAT MARKETING SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE?
A certificate can be downloaded from www.toshibacarbonzero.co.uk to confirm that the carbon has been offset and the Toshiba carbon zero scheme logo can be placed on websites, letterheads, brochures etc. In addition project information and case studies along with images are available for marketing and promotional work.
AS WELL AS CARBON OFFSETTING, HOW ELSE CAN WE PROTETCT THE ENVIRONMENT?
Step one, the way you drive affects the amount of carbon you produce. Making sure your tyres are properly inflated, not over revving and ensuring you are not carry things you don’t need in the boot all helps to make your car more fuel efficient – lowering your carbon emissions. Off your TV at night saves electricity will lower your emissions, as will turning off the tap when you clean your teeth.
For more information see www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
The second step in carbon management is to calculate your carbon footprint, and co2blance can arrange to carry out a Greenhouse Gas Audit to assess the amount of carbon dioxide the company annually emits.
The third step is to reduce carbon reduction where possible and where practicable. Engaging with your staff is an effective way to carry this out, and co2balance run on-line staff engagement programme to interact with staff and generate a shift in behavioural attitude towards a low carbon culture. The final step is to offset your residual carbon footprint.
