M&S - Xerox

UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has selected Xerox technology as part of its drive to combat the effects of climate change and reduce waste through its fi ve year ‘eco-plan’ Plan A. Xerox’s environmentally friendly solid ink printers are helping to support M&S’ Plan A commitments.

M&S has installed 1,050 Xerox Phaser® 8560 colour printers using Xerox’s patented solid ink technology across all 602 M&S stores nationwide. The devices are used primarily for printing high quality coloured shelf edge labels.

Crucially for M&S, the solid ink sticks used in the printers help to reduce waste output signifi cantly. Cartridge-free, with minimal packaging, solid ink sticks equate to a 90 per cent reduction in landfill per device. In addition, a study¹ estimates that solid ink printing uses nine percent less lifecycle energy and produces 10 percent fewer greenhouse gases than a comparable laser device.

Xerox’s solid ink technology also makes colour printing for M&S a lower cost solution than competing laser technology. The solid ink imaging process is also highly effi cient, producing nearly 100 percent ink-to-page transfer which results in superior quality printing, a fundamental requirement for M&S.

Xerox has also installed its award winning device management software CentreWare Web to help M&S monitor and measure print activity and provide pro-active fleet monitoring and reporting.


As a result of M&S’s Plan A, and Xerox’s own environmental commitments, both companies have been listed highly in the latest ethical rankings from Geneva-based Covalence, taking 4th and 5th
places respectively.

Carmel McQuaid, M&S Sustainable Development Manager, said, “We’re very pleased with the new Xerox printers installed across the network of UK stores. Not only are the devices providing us with
signifi cant cost savings, vital at this time of economic instability, but they are helping us with the successful execution of Plan A.”

Mark Duffelen, director and general manager, Offi ce Group, Xerox UK commented, “Xerox is deeply committed to helping companies like M&S become more effective, effi cient and sustainable. We were able to provide M&S with a colour solution without any compromise on cost or performance. Plan A is the perfect refl ection of Xerox’s own drive towards more environmentally friendly business practices. As such, it’s a great accolade for both our companies to be recognised by Covalence.”

1 Life Cycle Assessment of a Solid Ink MFD Compared with a Color Laser MFD, Xerox Corporation, May 2009. Peer reviewed by the Rochester Institute of Technology