Fuji Xerox New Zealand

As a company that markets and services a range of printing and document management equipment and digital solutions, Fuji Xerox NZ strives to minimize any adverse effects the company’s business activities may have on the natural environment.

Fuji Xerox NZ operates eight key business groups that are closely aligned with its offerings to meet customers’ business needs: Business Office Solutions, Production Solutions and Services, Enterprise Consulting and Document Solutions, Document Processing and Outsourcing Services, 3D Printers, Office Printers, Wide Format Printers and Media and Document Supplies.

With a large installed base of equipment, new equipment going in all the time, and older equipment being taken out of service, the company needs to ensure that the impact of these activities on the environment is minimal, says Corporate Sustainability Manager Juhi Shareef.

“Our new sustainability strategy ensures we take our responsibility as a corporate citizen very seriously. Deep engagement with our employees, customers, suppliers and other external stakeholders enables us to find the right balance between the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental considerations.”

Ms Shareef says Fuji Xerox NZ’s goal is to become the New Zealand market leader in sustainable business practices in its sector.

She says the company addresses sustainability at each step of the value chain.  “That extends from raw materials and parts procurement within an extensive supply chain, through our development and manufacturing operations to the customer use of our products and the eventual disposal of the products when they reach the end of their working life,” she says.  “And that commitment carries through to our involvement in the communities where we operate and our relationships with those communities.”

Ms Shareef says the cornerstones of the company’s sustainability work are its Product Stewardship Scheme, the first in its industry to be accredited by the Ministry for the Environment; and its Sustainability Management System (SMS) – possibly another “first” within the industry: the company has also broadened the scope of its ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS) to a more advanced system that manages socio-economic risks and opportunities.

It starts with the products, says Ms Shareef.  “Each range of equipment we sell has a progressively lower carbon footprint, uses less energy and can be disassembled and recycled more easily.” A strong driver within Fuji Xerox NZ is its commitment to achieving “zero waste to landfill”, she adds. “We promise our customers that we will collect any used Fuji Xerox machine, toner cartridges and other used parts, free-of-charge, to recycle or reuse – and currently more than 99.7 per cent of it is re-used or recycled.”

Going after, and achieving, the Eco Choice Aotearoa license was a key step in the journey to achieve market leadership in the sector, Ms Shareef says.  “As a Type 1 ecolabel, it was a perfect fit with our goals, covering the life-cycle of our equipment and services from manufacture to disposal or reuse, in a robust and authoritative way.  It’s a stringent process to achieve the Eco Choice licence and it tells our customers and users that we comply with high standards – and can verify that.”

Like all subsidiaries within its parent group, Fuji Xerox NZ sources all its paper from internationally accredited paper mills who share the company’s values of being socially and environmentally responsible. “Our suppliers are committed to sustainable sourcing of their raw materials, with certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Our Office Supplies Division also holds Chain-of-Custody Certification for both FSC and PEFC.”

The company’s zeal to be the environmental best in its business also extends to other aspects of operations.  One goal, for example, is to migrate 30 per cent of its vehicle fleet to electric vehicles by 2019.  Fuji Xerox NZ is also very active in pursuing sustainability initiatives outside its own area of business, says Ms Shareef.  “Our Chief Operating Officer Peter Thomas sits on the Board of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and we are very active in the SBN Sustainable Procurement Leaders Group, where one of the initiatives we’re involved in is a project to establish a common approach to sustainable procurement among New Zealand businesses.”

Ms Shareef says Fuji Xerox NZ is a firm supporter of the concept of a circular economy. “We have a big role in that and we’re keen to share our best practice with other businesses.  There’s no reason why scarce resources should end up in landfill.”

Ms Shareef says the Eco Choice NZ ecolabel adds definite value to the Fuji Xerox brand in New Zealand.  “For us, it’s an important credential to have when we are competing for major tenders, for example. The Eco Choice process is rigorous and independent and can be verified and trusted.

“We do take a bigger picture view about sustainability, looking beyond the environment to what can be done in the social and economic area as well.  But our products are our touchpoints and being able to assure consumers that those products have a minimal effect on the environment through their life, by bearing the ecolabel, is a big benefit for us and our customers.”

Fuji Xerox is a joint venture between Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd and Xerox Ltd; Fuji Photo Film is the 75 per cent majority shareholder. In Asia Pacific, Fuji Xerox's regional headquarters in Singapore supports and coordinates the activities of 15 subsidiary companies and joint-venture operations in Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Fuji Xerox has been in New Zealand since 1964 and currently employs around 700 people. The company works with New Zealand businesses to provide innovative office-based printing, document management and copying solutions that maximise efficiency and drive out cost.