Brother celebrates Earth Day 2017

Print and technology specialist Brother International Europe has announced its plans to support Earth Day 2017 as part of its long-standing promise to protect the planet.

Brother will celebrate the day, which falls on 22nd April, by promoting its environmental efforts across its European websites. Celebrations will also be seen on social media as its partner, rainforest sustainability charity Cool Earth, will take over Brother’s European social media channels to highlight the partnership achievements.

Earth Day began in 1970 as a national day in the USA to raise awareness about the environment in which we live and promote a sustainable future. It has since developed to a global awareness day serving as a “rallying cry and inspiration for action, events and environmental awareness worldwide”. With over one billion people participating in over 192 countries, it is now the largest secular event in the world.

Brother’s Earth Day celebrations clearly highlight the importance of their environmental commitment to their customers, channel partners and supply chains. As an eco-conscious global company, Brother is committed to being a responsible, ethical and sustainable business, developing efficient and sophisticated processes and entering into partnerships with environmental charities to realise this.

In 2010, Brother became a leading corporate partner of rainforest sustainability charity, Cool Earth – and pledged to help protect endangered rainforests and support indigenous communities. Brother promotes their sponsorship of Cool Earth through their cartridge recycling scheme a programme which has helped to protect 2.7 million trees in the Peruvian rainforest, spanning 4,500 acres, and 1.6 million trees in Papua New Guinea, over 2,900 acres, resulting in 2.1 million fewer tonnes of CO₂ in the atmosphere.  

Another way in which Brother has ensured a reduction in CO₂ emissions is through the continuous improvement in their manufacturing facilities.

An Environmental Action Plan was implemented by Brother to reduce CO₂ emissions by 30% between FY1990 and FY2020 across eight sites in Japan. The decrease in emissions was obtained through implementing energy conservation measures to increase the efficiency of air conditioning and lighting. This was achieved through the installation of a state-of-the-art air conditioning system and use of LEDs for ceiling lights as well as ensuring the efficient operation of production equipment.

The target was achieved seven years ahead of schedule in FY2013, which led to additional activities to reduce CO₂ emissions further.

Brother applies the same environmentally responsible attitude to their products. Designing devices that adhere to internationally recognised environmental labels including the European Energy Star, Blue Angel and the Nordic Swan eco-labels.

Buying a product that is as energy-efficient as possible will help customers save money in the long-term whilst doing their bit for the environment. Features on eco-friendly devices include low energy use, power saving technology, low emissions and ability to use recycled paper.

In 2009 Brother introduced new moulding technologies which changed the face of their devices and made them even more environmentally friendly.

The ‘coatless surface’ technology was developed by Brother’s engineers in Japan. Eliminating the coating and drying process resulted in a reduction of energy while still allowing for a high quality exterior finish. 

The change reduced the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions at both the manufacturing and recycling stage and found the best balance between design, eco-friendliness and functionality.

Nordic Marketing Director & Sales Director at Brother Nordic A/S, Henning Elkjær said: “Brother is an eco-conscious company and our processes and devices have been developed through our leading technology with the environment and our customers at the forefront of our mind.

“Protecting the planet for future generations is something that we are passionate about each and every day. Our commitment to this means the Earth to us."

Do you also want to help take care of the Earth? Just go to Brother Earth. Here you can choose from several activities that you can support. Once you have selected an activity, click on the "Donate" button, then Brother will donate one yen (about one cent USD) per click on your behalf.