One 6-country regional survey shows how eco-awareness in paper usage and printing sustainability factors are important to respondents, but with caveats…

Based on a survey of 1,500 office equipment decision makers and end-users across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam on attitudes and mindsets around sustainable printing in the workplace, a manufacturer of printers and related equipment has published some findings from the data.

First, an average of 40% of respondents across the surveyed region cited printing on paper on a daily basis at work. This trend was a result of hybrid-working arrangements and digitalization where printing in the office was reduced. Respondents in industries such as construction (39%) and retail (40%) cited a slower to switch to softcopy consumption, compared to those in consulting and professional services (50%) and advertising and marketing (48%). The size of a business also mattered: 41% of respondents from small businesses (1–50 employees) and 48% of medium-sized businesses (51–500 employees) while 45% of those from larger businesses (501+ employees) cited depending more on softcopy documents.

Second, 50% of respondents cited wanting more sustainable office printing process, followed by 45% wanting more digital integration processes such as cloud printing in their workplace. Additionally, about 80% of respondents cited wanting more compact printers in workplace printing in line with space constraints. 

Other findings

Third, the abovementioned trends reflected changing printing habits, including a preference for more convenience (46%), cost effectiveness (44%) and the sustainable printing practices (41%). Also:

  • 66% of respondents stated that sustainability was an important factor when using or choosing an office printer, with 74% of individuals and companies in the survey citing they were ‘very’ and ‘moderately’ aware of the environmental impact of printing, and 63% claiming to ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ pay more for sustainable printing solutions.
  • 38% were considering more sustainable practices such as increasing use of double-sided printing, while 34% were citing participating in paper recycling initiatives.
  • 34% of respondents cited believing laser copiers have a lower environmental impact than inkjet printers, while 29% believed inkjet printers to be better for the environment. The remaining 29% were unsure which type of printing technology was more environment friendly.

According to Jester Cruz, Senior Regional Manager (Corporate Products), Epson (Southeast Asia), the firm that commissioned the survey: “In today’s offices, only central air conditioning and lighting consume more energy than office automation equipment. In fact, printers and multifunction printers account for as much as 10% of power consumption,” noting that one third of respondents in the survey cited “they were willing to pay for more sustainable measures, leaving a wide gap for inaction.”