Green Product Lifecycle
Environment
- The Konica Minolta Group reduces environmental impact during product use by our customers by not only offering energy-saving products but also from various other angles including reduction of paper use for printing.
Achieving both energy saving and improved user productivity
Konica Minolta’s products provide both convenience and environment-friendliness. For example, we have applied our proprietary “IH fusing technology” to digital MFPs and have achieved faster warm-up time for fusing units. This technological innovation significantly reduces power consumption in standby mode and shortens the warm-up time before printing, contributing to improved user productivity. We strive to achieve even greater energy-saving and improved productivity with every new model.
Lower power consumption and shorter warm-up time, while maintaining output speed
Figure: Comparison of power consumption with conventional models
Launched in April 2009, the digital colour MFP “bizhub C652” is a leading energy-saving and productivity improving product. This model boasts speedy output at 65ppm B&W and 50ppm colour, while achieving a typical electricity consumption (TEC) level of 7.29kWh (*1). Compared to the previous “bizhub C650” model launched in July 2007, annual power consumption is reduced by 18%, despite maintaining the same output speed. The bizhub 652 also warms up in less than 45 seconds when turned on from the main power switch (*2), cutting the warm-up time by nearly half compared to the bizhub C650, thus enhancing usability while also reducing power consumption.
- *1: Based on the energy efficiency guidelines of the new International Energy Star Program
- *2: Sub-power switch: Power source for each machine function, used as the daily power switch.
- Main power switch: Controls the power to all of the machine’s functions and is usually left on at night so that
the machine is able to receive faxes. - Main power switch: Controls the power to all of the machine’s functions and is usually left on at night so that
The bizhub C650 and C550 were awarded the 2007 Energy Conservation Grand Prize
Figure: Energy Conservation
Grand Prize
Figure: Award-winning
bizhub C650
The digital colour MFP “bizhub C650 series” (bizhub C650/C550) has been publicly recognized for its energy conservation performance and won the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Director-General's Award, one of the 2007 Energy Conservation Grand Prizes (in the category of energy-saving equipment and systems) sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The bizhub C650 series was exhibited in the “Environment Showcase” at the International Media Centre during the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in July 2008, an exhibition which introduced our energy-saving fusing technology to the world.
On-demand printing contributes to reducing the burden on the environment
Figure: Testing laboratory in
Remote Centre (Shinagawa, Tokyo)
Recently the commercial printing industry is increasingly focusing attention on “on-demand printing”. Unlike conventional printing which uses “plates”, one of the advantages of on-demand printing is that it allows users to quickly print out the required number of copies due to printing directly from data using digital output devices. From an environmental perspective, on-demand printing has the advantage of reducing unnecessary output and inventories, thus minimizing paper use and power consumption required for printing. By offering on-demand printing equipment and systems, Konica Minolta Business Technologies not only addresses diverse customer needs, but also contributes to reducing the burden on the environment.
