Cambridge, UK – 7 July 2023
First Copy Corporation Ltd, a leading provider of digital printers and presses, document solutions and managed services, today announced that it has funded the planting of 5,000 trees with environmental organisation Ecologi. The trees are responsibly planted in supported reforestation projects worldwide. This initiative supports the business’ environmental goals. First Copy has offices in Bottisham (Cambridgeshire), Framlingham (Suffolk) and Snetterton (Norfolk).
“We first started funding tree planting through Ecologi in January 2022,” said Dave Honeyben, MD of First Copy Corporation Ltd. “As a business that supports other companies with printing and document management, planting trees was an obvious way to give back to the planet. Although not the same as offsetting carbon, planting trees is one way in which we are working towards a greener future. We have changed our vehicles for electric ones – including our new van – and have also begun to support nature-based projects with Ecologi that prevent greenhouse gas emissions from occurring in the first place. We know there is more to do, but we want to go beyond just supporting our customers to reduce emissions and waste with efficient printing processes. In 2023 we are working on a carbon audit and will set further actions and goals for the company to achieve in the coming months and years.”
Ecologi is an environmental organisation that offers businesses and individuals a platform for real climate action. The trees funded by First Copy will be located in a variety of locally supported planting sites across Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Morocco and the UK. Some of these are part of mangrove or forest restoration projects, all of which safeguard and promote endemic tree species and provide substantial co-benefits to local communities.
The planting of the first 5000 trees by First Copy is a significant step forward and one part of a larger Corporate Social Responsibility plan. As one of just a handful of Xerox production partners able to supply the largest Xerox presses, First Copy offers its customers the latest Xerox technology, which is being designed for a circular economy and is ever more energy efficient. Xerox has been a leader in sustainability for decades and has recently fast-tracked its Net Zero goal to 2040, ten years earlier than planned. Xerox was awarded the inaugural Terra Carta Seal by King Charles III (in his former role as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales) in 2021. Its toner cartridge recycling programme collected 4.58 million cartridges in 2021 alone, and more than 500 products have received ENERGY STAR registration since its inception in 1993.
“Everyone in the supply chain has a role in tackling climate change. It’s vital for us that our partner, Xerox, is leading the way with ambitious sustainability goals and investment in cleantech and innovation. While we are taking steps as the printer and software provider, as a B2B company, we also love to see our customers improving the sustainability of their own products and businesses.” said Liz Budd of First Copy. “In recent case studies, we’ve seen KJS We Are Direct Mail (Peterborough) install solar panels to run their presses, Wensum Print (Norwich) invest in one of the most sustainable presses on the market today, FuturePrint (Northampton) supporting customers to avoid plastics wherever possible, GP Print (Peterborough) making their own cardboard boxes for business cards, and Indigo Ross (Sudbury) continuing to support native woodlands through the Woodland Trust and Woodland Carbon Scheme. And these are just some of the initiatives we’ve seen across our production and office customers. Together, we all want to make a difference.”
First Copy funds trees each time it installs new devices; at present, this starts at five trees for a desktop device and rises to 100 for a large digital press. New business enquiries also result in additional trees being planted. Progress can be tracked on the company’s ‘Virtual Forest‘, which indicates which projects have been supported.
