• In recent years more companies across the world have been pushing sustainability as the big focus moving forward.
• The printer industry is no different, and now Epson says it is in the process of ending its sale and distribution of laser printer devices.
• The company says this process will take until 2026 to complete.

Sustainability is the buzzword in technology at the moment, with a great many companies across a myriad industries placing it at the top of the agenda. It has also taken different guises, with smartphone makers for example ditching wall chargers in packaging. For Japanese printing specialists Epson it means a move away from the laser printer.

This as the company confirms that it is in the process of ending the sale and distribution of its laser printer offerings moving forward, with the timeframe of 2026 being outlined.

Here Epson explains that inkjet printers present a greater opportunity in terms of sustainability, with the company already putting down a ¥100 billion investment into sustainability.

“The decision to leave the laser market has been inevitable. As a company we’ve committed to sustainable innovation and action, and laser printers don’t fit within that. They consume more energy than business inkjets and use more consumable parts,” said EMEA SVP, Rob Clark, in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“Our printing business will instead focus 100% on piezo Heat-Free inkjet, leveraging our propriety technology to deliver efficient, sustainable print solutions for our partners and end users,” he added.

With inkjet printing expected to grow in Western Europe at ~5.1 percent per year, Epson will be bringing more multi-function printers (MFPs). While the anticipated growth for EMEA has not been disclosed, Epson will also be bringing these new devices to the region and South Africa in particular. 

“These new products complete our business inkjet MFP line up, from small work-group units to high-speed departmental machines, meaning that no matter the business function or print demand, we have a product to suit,” highlighted Timothy Thomas, Epson South Africa country manager.

“Each product that we offer in our business inkjet range provides businesses with the technology they need to help meet their own sustainability goals. We’re passionate and proud to produce sustainable technology for our partners and customers that really makes a difference in reducing power consumption and CO2 emissions. Every business that switches to inkjet technology contributes to a more sustainable society,” he concluded.

With Epson setting out its sustainability agenda, it will be interesting to see whether other printer makers follow.