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Paper Paralysis costs North East £7.4m
North East businesses are among the worst offenders when it comes to wasting paper in the workplace, according to a study announced today by printer manufacturer Lexmark.
The research reveals that on average over a quarter of pages (27%) printed out in the North East are never used, either remaining on the printer tray, getting lost on desks or heading straight for the bin. Across the UK as a whole the picture is only slightly better, with one in five pages printed being wasted.
The cost of this print wastage in the North East is approximately £7.4million*
In-tray Overload
The research also found that a staggering 2.75 billion pages are printed out in the North East by businesses every year. A separate study conducted by Lexmark earlier in the year revealed that the average desk in a North East business contains 149 pieces of paper. 20% of those questioned claimed they had too many pieces of paper on their desk to even count.
In response to the research, Lexmark is working with the Woodland Trust, the UKs leading woodland conservation charity, to help businesses become more aware of print wastage and to help cut their costs.
Print less
“People need to think twice before they press print” said Giovanni Giusti, Managing Director, Lexmark UK. “Document production costs businesses between 1-3% of their revenue, yet incredibly, few businesses are aware of what their organisation spends on documents, let alone the impact of wasted printing.”
Karl Mitchell, Director of Fundraising at the Woodland Trust, says: “It is astonishing to see how much paper is wasted through office printing - this printing excess in the North East alone equates to the equivalent of 32,000 average sized trees**. We are working with Lexmark to raise awareness of the impact of printed paper wastage and help offices to save both money and the environment through better print practice”.
The UK Regional Paper Waste League
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Region
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Total No. Pages Printed
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% Paper Wastage
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Cost Equivalent
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Tree Equivalent
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1. Yorks & Humberside
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7.81bn
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28%
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£21.6m
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93,450
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2. North East
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2.75bn
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27%
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£7.4m
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32,000
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3. Wales
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4.95bn
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26%
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£13.1m
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57,000
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4. East Midlands
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7.37bn
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25%
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£18.1m
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78,500
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5. South East
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19.14bn
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24%
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£45.4m
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196,000
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6. North West
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10.89bn
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20%
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£21.5m
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93,200
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7. South West
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10.67bn
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20%
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£21m
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91,000
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8. East England
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11.11bn
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17%
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£19.3m
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83,400
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9. London
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18.04bn
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17%
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£31.1m
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135,000
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10. Scotland
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7.48bn
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14%
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£10.6m
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46,000
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11. West Midlands
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8.91bn
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14%
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£12.5m
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54,000
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Five steps to better print practice
Lexmark and the Woodland Trust are recommending five simple steps for businesses to help cut the costs and impact of wasted printing:
1. Print on both sides of the page
2. Email printing (4 pages printed on one sheet)
3. Presentation handouts (18 / 32 on one sheet)
4. Pre-printed forms printed on demand, only when needed
5. Default all printers to economy monochrome mode, forcing users to choose colour only if they really need it
The Lexmark research was conducted by ICM Research among 600 office workers across the UK.
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