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Purchase copy services rather than a machine by opting for a copier lease plan. You’ll cut your up-front costs while supporting a complete lifecycle management system that keeps waste and toxins out of landfills and reduces virgin natural resource use.

How to lease a copier

Shelling out $5,000 to $40,000 upfront might make the budgeter in you choke, but there are other options that are not only easier on your pocketbook, but also easier on the earth.

1. Feature list: Copy speed, color resolution, and fancy staple functions may all be on your checklist when looking into leasing a copier for your church, office, or school. If you’re not yet sure what you’ll need, browse through manufacturer websites to see what’s on offer and make a short wish list for your new machine. But don’t forget about other important green features such as:
   • ENERGY STAR compliance
   • Duplex functionality
   • Recycled materials and parts used in the production of your machine—parts that are also designed to be reused and recycled in a manufacturer takeback e-waste program
   • Arsenic-, cadmium-, and selenium-free photoreceptor
   • Post-consumer recycled paper compatibility
   • Free of polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)
   • Low particulate matter and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions
2. Get quotes: You’ll want to compare the prices and service options of several companies before choosing a lease package, so get some quotes before going too far. Get some basic information together before you call: number of copies you make per month, how long you’ve been in business, and credit history statistics. Then start making your calls. Most major copier manufacturers work with dealers to establish lease programs with a variety of term lengths from which to choose, so find an agent near you to talk about your options.
   • Canon machines can be leased—check out their Where to Buy section to find a local dealer.
   • HP has a variety of financing options, including leases, for their copiers.
   • Ricoh copiers can be leased through independent sales agents (see Sales and Service Locations for one in your area).
   • Toshiba machines can be leased for three- to five-year terms (call their toll-free number for a dealer near you).
   • Xerox offers lease programs (through independent agents) on any of their copiers, most of which are five years in length.
   • If you’re short on time and don’t want to do the work of getting quotes yourself, try a service like All Options or BuyerZone which’ll help you get quotes from multiple lease companies by filling out one quick form.
3. Ask questions: Once you’ve received a few quotes, get the specifics of any proposed agreements.
   • Is the proposed agreement a capital- or operating-style lease? Capital leases are basically financing arrangements meant to leave you (the lessee) as the owner of the machine at the end of the lease term. An operating lease leaves the ownership of the copier in the hands of the lessor (the dealer or manufacturer) once the lease is up. Operational leases are eco-preferable because they put the responsibility for recycling and reuse on the lessor.
   • Once the lease term is up, will the copier be returned to the manufacturer or be sold on the second-hand market? Sending the machine back to the manufacturer greatly increases the chances that it will be properly remanufactured and reused multiple times. If, on the other hand, the machine is sold on the second-hand market, end-of-life disposal of the unit becomes the responsibility of the last purchaser, which means it may not be recycled in the end. Therefore, programs where the manufacturer (or its leasing subsidiary) assumes continuous responsibility for the unit are the most environmentally sound.
   • Can you test drive the equipment? It’s a good idea to try out the various machines to see how they work before signing a contract.
   • What are the regular fees? Many copier lease programs are on a per-copy basis, but are there also monthly copying minimums and maintenance fees? Be sure to accurately estimate your copying volumes so that you receive a fair price.
   • Will you be strong-armed into purchasing supplies through them? It’s illegal for them to require that you buy all consumables through them, but test the waters to see if this is a company that has pleasant customer relations. If they do offer consumables for purchase, do they offer recycled toner cartridges and other parts made from post-consumer materials?
   • Who’s responsible for equipment repairs during the lease term? If it’s covered, does it include parts and labor? Get a comprehensive list of included parts from each quoter so you can compare accurately.
   • Do they have a response-time policy for repairs and maintenance (four hours is a good minimum)? Get it in writing. You don’t want to halt operations for days as you wait for a service person to fix your machine.
   • Are replacement parts kept on hand? The last thing you need is to experience down-time waiting for a spare fuser roller or cleaning blade.
   • Is a loaner service available? In other words, if your machine needs significant repairs, will you be stuck without equipment, or will they give you a copier of equal or greater specs while you wait?
   • Are there options for upgrading the equipment during or after the lease terms? If so, what are the associated costs?

Leasing a copier helps you go green because…

• It encourages manufacturers to reuse and recycle their products and components.
• It can prevent toxic copier parts from ending up in landfills or being incinerated.

The average consumer faces many challenges when contemplating how to dispose of their used electronics—insufficient education and awareness about the problems associated with e-waste, lack of conveniently available recycling services, and often high costs for eco-friendly disposal. As a result, electronic waste is the fastest growing portion of the US waste stream, growing at rates around eight percent per year.[1] Fewer than 10 percent of these outdated electronics are refurbished or recycled, the rest of which end up in landfills or incinerators where they can then enter the water or air supply and cause harm to human and ecosystem health.[2] The Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimates that about 75 percent of obsolete electronics exist in storage until the best options for recycling or reuse are identified. This creates concern around managing this volume when the equipment finally emerges from storerooms.[3]

Operational leasing, on the other hand, takes the responsibility for electronics disposal away from the consumer and gives it to the manufacturer. When manufacturers are responsible for end-of-life disposal of used copiers, they are motivated to make a better quality product that will stand the passage of time, recoup any residual value remaining in the product once the lease ends, and reduce waste removal costs once the machine can no longer be reused.[4] Companies that have taken the challenge of end-of-life product disposal seriously have proven it can be done without compromising the bottom line. In fact, through its inverse manufacturing system, Fuji Xerox has been able to save significant sums of money under its environmental accounting system. In 2003 they were able to reuse product components at a rate of 54 percent, decrease natural resource input by 2,200 tons, and save over $570,000.[5] Another example is NASA, which introduced a cost-per-copy leasing program for all of its copiers, which is estimated to save them $4.5 million over the five years of the program.[6]

Though operational leasing programs can go a long way in keeping solid waste and toxic components out of landfills, it doesn’t go quite as far as extended product responsibility (EPR) legislation.[7] Similar to leasing initiatives, EPR programs encourages manufacturers to be part of the lifecycle management of their products, but EPRs also involve retailers, users, and disposers, and they set goals and targets for waste reduction and recycling rates (leasing programs are generally volunteer-based and targets are not necessarily set). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to develop mandatory take-back programs for electronics such as copiers. A combination of operational leases and EPR legislation should work well to provide comprehensive solutions to the growing e-waste problem.[8]

Glossary

• arsenic: A naturally occurring element used in wood preservatives (inorganic) and pesticides and animal feed (organic). Both inorganic and organic arsenic are harmful to humans and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased red and white blood cell production, heart abnormalities, blood vessel damage, increased rates of cancer, and more.[9]
• cadmium: Found in chip resistors, infrared detectors, and semiconductors. Toxic and bio-accumulative, this chemical can affect your kidneys.
• lead: Used in the soldering of circuit boards, lead can cause damage to your nervous system, your kidneys, and your blood system. It is estimated that consumer electronics are responsible for 40 percent of the lead in landfills. From there, it can seep into our drinking water and then accumulate in the environment, affecting plants, animals, and humans.
• mercury: Found in batteries and circuit boards, mercury can seep into waterways. This chemical travels through the food chain and can cause brain damage.
• polybrominated biphenyls (PBB): A flame retardant added to plastics, foams, etc. Exposure to PBBs can result in nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, joint pain, fatigue, skin irritations, nervous and immune system problems, and liver, kidney, and thyroid damage.[10]
• particulate matter (PM): A mixture of dry solid fragments, solid cores with liquid coatings, and small droplets of liquid of varying shape, size, and chemical composition. PM of concern is 10 µm or smaller, less than one-sixth the size of a human hair (or 60 µm). Airborne particulate matter sources include burning fuels (gasoline, oil, diesel, wood) as well as fine powders such as carbon black toner. PM may cause health problems, particularly for the elderly, people with heart and lung disease, and children and infants.[11]
• polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE): A fire-retardant linked to brain and reproductive system disorders.[12]
• selenium: Used in electronics, as a pigment in plastics, paints, enamels, and rubber, as well as in dietary supplements and some cosmetic products. This substance can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, nail brittleness, and neurological difficiences.[13]
• volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Organic solvents that easily evaporate into the air.[14] VOCs are emitted by thousands of products, including paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, and may cause immediate and long-term health problems.[15] VOCs are also considered a possible carcinogen,[15] and can create ground-level ozone, the main component of smog.[16]

External links

• Environment Canada - Environmental Life Cycle Management: Guide for better business decisions
• INFORM - Extended Producer Responsibility: A Materials Policy for the 21st Century
• Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition - Producer Take-Back, “EPR”: Extended Producer Responsibility Creates the Incentive for Green Design
• US Environmental Protection Agency - Product Stewardship