Office Machines - Laser Printers

Environmental and Health Issues and Recommendations

ENERGY STAR® printers "sleep" or power down when not in use. Printers that comply with ENERGY STAR® requirements can cut energy use by 60 percent and may realize additional savings on air conditioning and maintenance.

• Printers that last longer than their counterparts can save resources that go into making printers. Manufacturers should ensure the availability of spare parts.
• Select printers that have a recyclable design, which may include labeled parts, minimal coatings, and easy dismantling.
• Save paper with printers that feature automatic double-sided printing.
• Less waste occurs when using remanufactured toner cartridges and when color toner modules can be replaced separately.
• Save resources by sharing printers; several computers can use one printer.

Improve indoor air quality by setting performance standards for allowable emissions of ozone, particulate, styrene, benzene, and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Seek quiet printers, especially if they are going to be used in office areas, rather than a separate room.

Ask if printers, toner modules, and packaging are made with postconsumer recycled content materials and are recyclable. Make certain the printer operates effectively with 100 percent postconsumer content paper.

• Do not allow polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) or diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants; pigments with lead or cadmium, or substances which can cause the formation of dioxins or furans.
• Use toners that are free of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic substances.
• Choose printers that contain lead-free solder for their printed circuit boards and contain no lead, mercury, cadmium, or selenium in the photoreceptor.

• At end-of-life, laser printers should be managed in accordance with state laws and regulations (for more information, contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control).
• Leasing or take-back agreements that stipulate acceptable recycling or disposal practices can ensure environmentally responsible management doesn't become a last-minute hassle.
• Recycle laser printers whenever possible. See "Electronic Waste Recycling Services" under the Vendors heading. In addition, you can find local electronic equipment recyclers at eRecycle.org.

See the Introduction for complete descriptions of these environmental and health issues.

• Background and Environmental and Health Issues
• Laws and Guidelines
• Performance
• Availability
• Cost
• Specifications and Environmental Considerations
• Vendors
• Success Story
• Resources and Web Sites

BACKGROUND AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH ISSUES

State agencies purchase on an annual basis more than $90 million dollars worth of Personal Computer (PC) Goods, which includes $7 million in printers. By practicing environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), the state of California could realize great savings by reducing energy consumption and purchasing products that have less hazardous materials.

Environmental and Health Issues

Laser printers are commonplace in workplaces today and have several environmental and health impacts. Laser printers can use significant amounts of energy, even when not in use. During use, printers can emit dust, ozone and other substances from their image projecting process and from their paper handling operations, thereby reducing the quality of indoor air. Paper may be used unnecessarily - especially when the output is only printed on one side. Internally, printer components can contain toxic materials that pose disposal concerns.

Fortunately, there are several ways to address these issues.

Many printer manufacturers participate in the ENERGY STAR® program, a voluntary leadership program established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the United States Department of Energy. This program requires printers to have a power-management feature and establishes maximum energy consumption during "sleep" mode to save energy. This has even greater impact on energy use in offices where printers are left on overnight.

Several environmental labeling programs have set standards for allowable emissions of dust, ozone, and other substances. Furthermore, environmental labeling standards cover much more, such as recyclable design, take back of equipment, repair assurance, energy efficiency, noise emissions, and material requirements for plastics, batteries, toner modules, and packaging. Selecting equipment that conforms to standards helps ensure a healthier workplace and environment.

Finally, purchase fewer printers by linking several computers to a single printer or even a multi-functional device. Larger printers and multi-functional devices operate at higher speeds and offer more features such as automatic duplexing. For more information on multi-functional devices, see the Copiers section.

LAWS AND GUIDELINES

California

Statute

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
California Health and Safety Code section 108922 states "On and after June 1, 2006, a person may not manufacture, process, or distribute in commerce a product, or a flame-retarded part of a product, containing more than one-tenth of 1 percent of pentaBDE or octaBDE, except for products containing small quantities of PBDEs that are produced or used for scientific research on the health or environmental effects of PBDEs."

Recycled Content
Public Contract Code section 12217(f) directs state agencies to remove contract provisions that impede the consideration of recycled products and to replace them with performance standards. For information on procurement requirements for toner cartridges, see the Laws and Guidelines section of Toner and Inkjet Cartridges.

State Agency Waste Diversion
California law [Chapter 764, Statutes of 1999 (Strom-Martin, AB 75)] requires each state agency and large state facility to divert 50 percent of their solid waste stream from landfills or transformation facilities through source reduction, recycling, and composting activities. State agencies can receive source reduction credit for double-sided copying, and equipment that can print double-sided effectively is essential.

Health Standards for VOCs
Proposition 65 defines into code safe harbor levels (PDF, 58 KB) - no significant risk levels (NSRLs) for carcinogens and maximum allowable daily levels (MADLs) for chemicals that cause reproductive toxicity. In addition, Chronic Reference Exposure Levels are defined for implementing the Air Toxics Hot Spots program.

See also End-of-Life Management.

Other

• Sustainable Copy Paper Policy. Department of General Services (DGS) Administrative Order 06-04 (PDF, 57 KB) requires that new copiers and printers purchased by state agencies have automatic duplex capability and that computers are set up to default to two-sided printing.
• Executive Order W-7-91 states, "IT IS ORDERED that all State agencies provide for…use of two-sided copying of all State documents, to the maximum extent feasible."
• Executive Order S-20-04 includes a provision that state agencies, departments, and other entities under the direct executive authority of the governor purchase and operate ENERGY STAR® electrical equipment whenever cost-effective.
• State of California Purchasing Authority Manual. Chapter 3 (PDF, 309 KB) contains environmental policies. Topic 9 requires the purchase of ENERGY STAR® products.
• State of California State Administrative Manual. Chapter 1900 describes waste prevention and recycling policies.
• The ambient air quality standard for ozone can be used as an indoor guideline value for ozone because it is designed to protect the entire population. California has the most stringent standard for ozone in the United States; the 8-hour average allowable concentration is 0.070 parts per million (ppm) (137 µg/m³) and the 1 hour average is 0.09 ppm (180 µg/m³). [1]
• The ambient air quality standard for respirable particulate matter (PM10) is a 24 hour average of 50 µg/m³. This standard can be used as an indoor guideline value for respirable particulate matter (PM10) because it is designed to protect the entire population.

Federal

• Federal Executive Order 13123 (PDF, 107 KB) directs federal agencies to select ENERGY STAR® compliant products, including computer equipment. State and local governments are encouraged to follow this direction for their purchases.
• USEPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone. The maximum 8-hour average allowable concentration is 0.08 ppm (157 µg/m³) and the 1-hour average is 0.12 ppm (235 µg/m³). [2],[3]
• The NAAQS for respirable particulate matter (PM10) is a 24 hour average of 150 µg/m³, and the NAAQS for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is a 24 hour average of 65 µg/m³. [4]

Health Standards for Ozone [5]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that workers not be exposed to an average concentration of more than 0.10 ppm for 8 hours.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends an upper limit of 0.10 ppm, not to be exceeded at any time.

PERFORMANCE

Some top performing printer manufacturers in the United States have printers that conform to environmental standards developed for use in other countries. [6]

ENERGY STAR®
The only difference in the performance of laser printers with sleep features is the few seconds it takes to "wake up" the machine from sleep mode. This is a small compromise for the benefits of saving energy and extending the life of the printer.

Automatic Duplexing
Printers with automatic double-sided printing capability help save paper and energy. Depending upon how frequently the feature is used, double-sided copying or duplexing can reduce paper use [7] and this in turn saves energy because it takes more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to make an image onto it. [8] Beware of the term "manual duplexing." It means the user has to go to the printer and manually feed the paper so printing occurs on both sides. This is very time consuming and results in minimal duplexing. Seek equipment with automatic duplexing.

Duplexing complicates the path that paper must travel before coming out of the printer. This can have two effects. First, it slightly slows down the output of the printer, although the efficiency of models in duplexing mode will vary.

Second, the extra paper handling involved can potentially increase the risk of paper jams. However, if the printer is properly adjusted and good quality paper is used, this risk is very minimal. Proper storage and handling of the paper also minimize jams (see also the Performance section of Copier Paper). Printer performance has improved significantly over the years.

Dedicated Trays
With multiple paper choices, users need to decide which tray to select when they set up each print job. Setting up profiles in the user's software for different types of print jobs makes it easier to take advantage of the paper-saving potential of multiple trays. For example, a profile called "cover letter" can be set up to tell the printer to pull the first page from a dedicated letterhead tray and the remaining pages from the plain paper tray.

When using a dedicated tray for printing on reused paper, it is important to pay attention to paper quality. While most paper that is in good condition should go through the printer without jamming, paper that is in marginal condition, such as paper with folds, bends, dog-eared corners, or ripples, should not be used in a dedicated tray. This paper may instead be set aside for use in the manual feed tray or for scratch paper. Paper with staples should not be run through a printer.

AVAILABILITY

Printers with Environmental Certifications
Numerous laser printers have earned environmental certifications. Germany's Blue Angel certification lists some printers that are available on state contract. For example, Hewlett-Packard (HP) has several printers on state contract with Blue Angel certification.

Automatic Duplexing Units
Typically, duplex units are available on higher-speed printers, such as those rated to print 12 or more sheets per minute, one-sided. Printers rated at 40 or more sheets per minute typically have automatic duplexing as a standard feature.

ENERGY STAR®
Hundreds of laser printers have been certified as ENERGY STAR® compliant. See also Vendors.

COST

Duplex Units
Some of the higher-speed laser printers come with a duplex unit at no additional cost. It is expected that duplex units will become standard on an increasing share of models in the coming years. Adding a duplex unit as an accessory typically increases the cost of a laser printer by about 15 percent to 20 percent ($250 to $400 is common). However, any extra costs for a duplex unit should be balanced with savings in paper costs from regular use of this feature.

Most offices can see a reduction in paper purchase costs of 10 percent to 40 percent because of duplex printing. [9] Even greater savings can be realized in postage and storage costs, since documents printed on both sides mean fewer sheets to mail, file, and store.

Dedicated Trays
Higher-speed laser printers often have multiple paper trays as standard features, but additional trays can be added for $200 to $800, depending upon the features of the tray. Additional paper trays can be added to lower-speed printers, typically for about $100 to $200.

ENERGY STAR®
ENERGY STAR® compliant printers save money by cutting energy costs, and typically cost no more to buy than comparable models without power-management features. Visit the ENERGY STAR® Web site for a calculator to estimate energy cost savings for your office.

Take-Back
Take-back clauses may or may not save money overall. A vendor may seek to charge an upfront disposal fee or incorporate the cost of disposal or recycling in the purchase cost of the equipment. In some cases, there may be no difference in price. However, consider the cost your organization will face for proper disposal and recycling, and the cost of staff time to arrange for it, if your contract does not include a take-back requirement.

Remanufactured Toner Cartridges
In response to the popularity of money-saving remanufactured toner cartridges, some laser printer manufacturers who sell replacement cartridges have issued warranty restrictions on their printers. These restrictions go into effect if used cartridges are not replaced with original equipment manufacturer's cartridges or new cartridges. This move appears to be a reaction to a loss of market share for accessories, rather than a significant history of remanufactured cartridges failing and causing mechanical damage to a printer.

The confidence in the quality of remanufactured cartridges has led many re-manufacturers to offer guarantees on their cartridges to cover any damage to printers that can be attributed to a failed cartridge. However, this does not address the customer's warranty relationship with the printer manufacturer.

It is important that any bid solicitation for laser printers include a requirement that the printer warranty will not be voided or negatively affected in any way if remanufactured cartridges are used. This should ensure that the manufacturer will not refuse to conduct repairs to a printer simply because a remanufactured cartridge is in the machine - particularly repairs that are unrelated to any problems a cartridge could possibly have caused.

SPECIFICATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

California
The Procurement Engineering Team of the Procurement Division of the Department of General Services develops and reviews specifications for statewide commodity standards and information technology. If you have questions regarding developing specifications, or would like a copy of one of their specifications, please contact the team.

Environmental Certifications
Specification writers may incorporate performance criteria by inserting exact text or by reference (e.g., citing a document with specific criteria). Several environmental labeling programs cover laser printers and these programs identify specific criteria that must be met. Topics may include energy consumption, marking of plastics parts, chemical emissions, material composition, repair assurance, take-back of equipment, noise emissions, automatic double-sided printing, and packaging.

• Nordic Swan (Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland) has criteria (PDF, 335 KB) for printers and a list of certified products.
• Eco Mark (Japan) has criteria (PDF, 318 KB) for printers.
• Environmental Choice (Canada) has criteria (PDF, 154 KB) for printers.

In the United States, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is used to certify computer products, but EPEAT doesn't include printers, although it may in the future. Meanwhile, the Federal Electronics Challenge's Product Environmental Information Sheet (PDF, 90 KB) can be used to solicit product information from manufacturers for products not covered under EPEAT, such as printers. It has a checklist covering the elements found in many of the printer environmental criteria used in other countries. For products that are not certified under an acceptable environmental labeling program, consider asking vendors to submit Product Environmental Information Sheets that have been completed by the printer manufacturer.

ENERGY STAR®
It is State policy to purchase ENERGY STAR® products when cost effective. Many manufacturers offer models that comply with the requirements of ENERGY STAR®, a voluntary leadership program established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the United States Department of Energy. To meet ENERGY STAR® requirements, printers must have a power management feature that reduces energy consumption during periods of inactivity. According to the ENERGY STAR® program, printers that have earned the ENERGY STAR can cut the equipment's electricity use by over 60 percent. The ENERGY STAR® program has sample procurement language to use in purchasing ENERGY STAR® compliant printers.

Design for Reuse and Recycling
A variety of approaches are being used to encourage reuse and recycling of equipment and parts. These approaches are sometimes referred to as "design for end of life" or "recyclable design." Approaches include using fewer types of plastics, limiting the use of coatings, and requiring labels on major plastic parts according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard 11469:2000. Additional strategies include designing the printer so it can be easily dismantled by one person using simple tools.

Air Quality
Both the Nordic Swan criteria (PDF, 335 KB) and Blue Angel criteria use the same maximum permissible values of emission rates covering Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), benzene, styrene, ozone and dust in units of mg/hour. Refer to these standards for sample language.

Noise
Noise is defined as unwanted sound and is known to have several adverse effects on people, including hearing loss, speech and sleep interference, physiological responses, and annoyance. Based on these known adverse effects, the federal government, the state of California, and many local governments have established criteria to protect public health and safety and to prevent disruption of certain activities. [10]

Sound is measured in units of A-Weighted Sound Level, commonly called dBA. The dB refers to a measurement in decibels. For reference, the outdoor noise limit in many California communities is 55 dBA and the California Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) set the maximum noise level for unoccupied classrooms at 45 dBA as a prerequisite for the designation of a high performance classroom. [11] Several local governments in California have allowable noise emissions for interior spaces set at 45 dBA. [12] Printers may be located in separate rooms to reduce their impact.

Both the Nordic Swan criteria (PDF, 335 KB) and Blue Angel criteria address noise using a formula to determine the maximum level of noise allowable, which is based on the speed of the printer, expressed in copies or pages printed per minute. Printers that print more pages per minute are allowed to emit more noise.

Additionally, both the Nordic Swan and Blue Angel criteria state the noise emissions from the product must be measured in accordance with the method specified in ISO 7779 and the A-weighted sound level LWAd. Also, it must be declared in accordance with the ISO 9296 in force at the time of application. Refer to these standards for sample language.

Reduce Hazardous Materials
Hazardous materials may be found in several printer components, including batteries, plastic components, printed circuit boards, toner modules, and electro photographic devices. Substances of concern include cadmium, lead, mercury, chemicals used in production, and brominated flame retardants. Both the Nordic Swan criteria (PDF, 335 KB) and Blue Angel criteria address hazardous materials. Refer to these standards for sample language.

Reduce Packaging Waste
A number of steps can be taken to minimize packaging waste. Below is sample specification language from a State of California bid package:

It is desirable that bidder(s) use recyclable, non-toxic packaging and various source reduction efforts as follows:

• Use reduced and/or recycled packaging for shipping, such as boxes that contain a minimum of 35 percent post-consumer fiber for all corrugated cardboard.
• Minimize quantity and weight of any non-recyclable packaging and shipping material; e.g., use molded paper or cardboard substitutes for polystyrene and Styrofoam.
• Provide product user manuals that can be easily recyclable (no difficult binding) and printed on recycled content paper (with at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber content). [13]

• Reduction/elimination of intentionally added toxics in packaging,
• Separable packing materials
• Packaging 90 percent recyclable and plastics labeled
• Declaration of recycled content
• Minimum post-consumer content guidelines
• Provision of take-back program for packaging
• Documentation of reusable packaging

End of Product Life

• Take Back
  A growing number of computer manufacturers and distributors are responding to the environmental and financial interests of their customers by offering to take back their equipment at the end of its service life. In both leasing agreements and purchase contracts, take-back clauses help ensure that a product's disposal is a responsibility of the manufacturer. This in turn can encourage product design that facilitates the recovery of materials and parts. These clauses should ask for a description of a system that is in place to recover and reuse or recycle any toxic or hazardous components and parts. The state of New Mexico has sample specification language that calls for compliance with the European Union's directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE, PDF, 288 KB). Germany's Blue Angel criteria include take back language for batteries, photoconductor drums, and toner modules. [14]
• Reuse, Refurbishment, Recycling, and Disposal
  Although EPEAT currently does not cover printers, it may in the future. EPEAT requires that manufacturers provide a take-back or recycling service that meets the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) "Plug-In to eCycling: Guidelines for Materials Management" (PDF, 159 KB). These guidelines address activities that follow collection: reuse, refurbishment, recycling and disposal, including when materials are exported. Retailers and manufacturers who are partners with the USEPA agree to use these guidelines.

VENDORS

California State Contracts

Printers
The California Department of General Services (DGS) develops and administers contracts for goods and services that have environmental attributes. Many of these contracted products and services are healthier and safer for people, and protect the environment. Printers are included in a mandatory PC Goods Contract. All printers are ENERGY STAR® compliant and some are certified by Germany's Blue Angel program (see also the Availability section); many include automatic duplexing. Automatic duplexing is recommended by the Federal Energy Management Program and required in DGS Administrative Order 06-04 (PDF, 57 KB).

Local agencies may use state of California procurement contracts.

Electronic Waste Recycling Services
The DGS has a Master Services Agreement (MSA) that is designed to provide electronic waste recycling services for a variety of products, including printers. To use this MSA, state agencies must first receive approval for discarding their electronic equipment from the DGS's State Property Reuse Program (via the STD 152 form process). Any local government can use this MSA, if this MSA is acceptable for their purposes. For additional information, visit the DGS's Electronic Waste Recycling Services Web site.

Other

Find local electronic equipment recyclers at eRecycle.org.

SUCCESS STORY

See the Laser Printers section of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide published by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board of Minnesota.

RESOURCES AND WEBSITES

California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
Sacramento, CA
(916) 341-6000

The CIWMB's mission is to reduce waste, promote the management of all materials to their highest and best use, and protect public health and safety and the environment, in partnership with all Californians. Visit the CIWMB's Web site for information on creating a paper reduction campaign, measuring the success of paper reduction efforts, and buying environmentally preferable paper to use in printers.

ENERGY STAR®
Washington, DC
(888) STAR-YES (888-782-7937)

ENERGY STAR® is a partnership program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Energy, and the private sector that secures voluntary participation of manufacturers to meet energy conservation standards for products and equipment.

United States Department of Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
Washington, DC
(800) 363-3732

The FEMP was designed to reduce the cost and environmental impact of Federal agencies by advancing energy efficiency and water conservation, promoting the use of distributed and renewable energy, and improving utility management decisions at Federal sites. The FEMP provides a variety of resources to help purchasers more readily identify energy compliant (ENERGY STAR®) products and find ways to save money, energy and natural resources in the office. See How to Buy an Energy-Efficient Computer Printer (PDF, 67 KB).

How Stuff Works

A Web site that explains how laser printers and other equipment work.

[1] See complete listing of Ambient Air Quality Standards. Available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/aaqs/aaqs2.pdf.

[2] The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) has set National Ambient Air Quality Standards. See http://epa.gov/air/criteria.html#1.

[3] United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mid-Atlantic Air Protection. Frequently Asked Air Questions Web page. Available at http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/faqs/APDFAQ.htm. Accessed on June 1, 2006.

[4] The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) has set National Ambient Air Quality Standards. See http://epa.gov/air/criteria.html#1.

[5] United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ozone Heath Effects and Standards. See http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html#table 1.

[6] E-mail communication with Brian Zuber, Hewlett-Packard representative, and Kathy Frevert, from the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 6/20/06 and 6/21/06. Models with Blue Angel certification are manufactured to those standards regardless of where they are sold. However, take back provisions specific to Germany, would not apply to units sold in the United States.

[7] As explained by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the highest percent of paper reduction from duplexing is 50 percent (even paged document), while it is 25 percent for a 3-image document that goes from four sheets to three sheets. See http://eetd.lbl.gov/paper/ideas/html/duplexrates.htm.

[8] Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Program, Product Information: Photocopier Equipment, Supplies & Service, Energy Efficient (Including Remanufactured) Web page. Available at http://www.mass.gov/epp/products/copier.htm#benefits. Note: this Source says "...it takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to copy an image onto it." Given copiers use more energy than printers (based on the assumptions found in Energy Star calculators), the savings are even greater for printers.

[9] Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board of Minnesota, The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide, 6.3 Laser Printers. Accessed on September 15, 2006. Available at: http://greenguardian.com/eppg/6_3.asp

[10] LSA Associates, Inc. Environmental Conditions Noise, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, April 2003, page N2. Available at: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/500/files/Noise.pdf.

[11] California Air Resources Board and California Department of Health Services, Report to the California Legislature, Environmental Health Conditions in California's Portable Classrooms, Nov. 2004. Page 7. Available at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/pcs/leg_rpt/pcs_r2l_es.pdf

[12] LSA Associates, Inc. Environmental Conditions Noise, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, April 2003, page N11, available at: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/500/files/Noise.pdf. This report shows dBA allowable by several communities.

[13] State of California. IT Hardware PC Goods eRFP # DGS 5007, April 2005.

[14] German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification, Basic Criteria for the Award of the Environmental Label, Blue Angel, Printers RAL-UZ 85, January 2005. Pages 10, 11, 19, and 20.

Special Note: Portions of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Best Practices Manual were borrowed or adapted from the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide published by the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board of Minnesota.