Mitigating climate change with original toner
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023 reads a bit like a science fiction novel with talk of a looming ‘polycrisis’ in which a group of related global risks have compounding negative effects on climate action, human development and future resilience.
The report represents the results of the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) in which survey respondents voted the cost-of-living as the most severe immediate risk, followed by extreme weather events in second position. Of importance to environmental factors we potentially can control, failure to mitigate climate change came in at fourth and failure of climate change adoption at seventh.
As humans, we are generally aware of environmental issues and understand that everyone has a part to play in productive change, but what the report highlights is the need to amplify these efforts if we are to mitigate the extreme risks of climate change.
What it boils down to is making sustainable choices at all times for all decisions. It even comes down to the decision to buy non-original toners. Although they may cost less initially, they come at significant cost to the environment and a hidden cost to you.
Non-original toners are often produced using toxic chemicals, which have a significant environmental impact. These toners can contain harmful substances, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals and carcinogenic chemicals. The manufacturing process releases these chemicals into the air and water, polluting the environment and posing a health hazard to humans and wildlife.
In contrast, vendors like Kyocera prioritise sustainability in their manufacturing and are committed to waste reduction and using more
environmentally-friendly designs, materials and processes.
Vendors producing original toners also invest more in research and development and quality raw materials to produce toners that are specifically designed to work with their printers. The result of which is product longevity and less e-waste.
The disposal of non-original toners is a major environmental concern because there are no formal processes to collect and properly dispose of the cartridges. Improper disposal such as incineration or adding them to landfill can release harmful chemicals into the environment, contaminating soil and water and contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
What this proves is that every decision has consequences. It’s up to you whether your decision will add to environmental devastation or help to minimise it.
When deciding to purchase an original toner, customers are not only investing in higher print quality, printer protection against breakdowns and reliability of the printing processes, they are also decreasing waste generation, and actively participating in mitigating climate change.
Yunus Docrat - Service Operations Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa
