Brother Earth

Embodied in the Brother Earth programme, the company’s environmental philosophy is to reduce environmental impact and increase efficiency. Focus areas include reducing CO2 emissions to prevent global warming, helping to build a recycling-orientated society, managing and reducing the use of chemical substances, and working with organisations to conserve and restore forests.

Lifecycle eco-consciousness
Brother focuses on all stages of in the product lifecycle to reduce environmental impact, including design and development; procurement; production; packaging and distribution; use; and collection and recycling.

Specific activities include:
• Enhancing eco-conscious design processes and green procurement

• Continuous reduction in environmental impact at manufacturing facilities (such as CO2 emissions and water consumption)

• Reduction in CO2 emissions in logistics (for example by optimizing packaging)

• Further improvement in energy-saving performance during product use

• Enhancement of the reusability, recyclability and collection system.

Low energy standby technology (Ink Jet MFC’s)
A standby power consumption of approximately 0.04W is Brother’s new low energy standby technology that has fundamentally eclipsed the conventional standard of about 0.2W. This achievement, which will change the future development of power saving technology, was the product of our engineers changing their way of thinking. With this technology, we limitlessly approach zero watts, the state of being unplugged.

What kind of Technology is it? When the power is turned off (during standby mode), it’s as if the unit is unplugged, with the output of the power supply board and most of the product components shut off. To maintain minimally required functions like the timer and power supply control when the current is cut off, a small amount of electricity charged in capacitator is used.

Environmental product features

• ISO Certification: Brother consumables are manufactured to exacting, environmentally friendly specifications and the company is committed to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards. Only four Japanses and six international manufacturing facilities have been accredited with the strict environmental ISO 14001 conservation standards

• Energy Star Approval: Brother laser printers, multi-function centres (MFC’s) and faxes comply with the international Energy Star Programme. Using Energy Star products can make a huge difference in energy usage, as they are capable of conserving energy through power management and sleep mode, they run cooler and last longer and, on average are 25% more efficient

• TCO99 Accreditation: Brother is the only printer manufacturer with this globally recognized benchmark for excellence in ecology, energy, emissions and ergonomics

• Printing with the environment in mind: Duplex and N-in-1 printer features allow you to save paper and reduce costs and environmental impact, while toner-save mode ensures you get more life out of your toner.

The beauty of many environmentally-friendly features is that they also help to deliver a real cost-saving to businesses, whether through lower energy bills, reduced paper usage or increased toner longevity.

Making it easier to make a difference
Brother Earth supports environmental activities all over the globe, from protecting rainforests and reforesting natural areas, to conserving marine wildlife and protecting biodiversity.

Brothers 5R’s
Brother’s 5R’s represent five environment-conscious words starting with the letter R, that promote greater environmental responsibility in the company and with its customers:

1. Refuse: Avoid purchase of environmentally burdensome materials wherever possible

2. Reduce: Reduce waste material

3. Reuse: Reuse waste material without processing

4. Reform: Reuse materials in a different form

5. Recycle: Reuse materials as resources.

Companies and individuals can visit the Brother Earth web site – http://www.brotherearth.com – and choose which project they want to support. By clicking the ‘Donate’ button, Brother will make a donation of one Yen (about one cent USD) per click on your behalf.

Brother is a leader in the development and manufacturing of technologies in the printing, scanning, labeling, sewing and crafting industries for home, SME and Corporate markets. A trusted brand worldwide that believes in the “Customer First” approach in all aspect of our business, Brother has continuously met the varied needs of our customers through our comprehensive range of technology solutions.

Brother International South Africa (Pty) Ltd is the regional sales office for South Africa and markets a range of products manufactured by its parent company, Brother Industries, Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan.  Established in 1970, Brother International South Africa (Pty) Ltd manages an extensive network of distributors in both domestic and Sub Saharan markets.

Brother’s printing business is committed to the advancement of technologies and “work style innovation” and constantly strives to pioneer new technologies and improve product quality. The different types of technology Brother offers are convenient to use and helps streamline workflow and efficiency in corporate, SME and home environments. For more information about Brother, visit http://www.brother.co.za .

Brother always takes responsibility, acts respectfully and tries to make a positive difference. Brother Earth is Brother’s attitude and commitment to play a part in building a society with sustainable development. Help the environment now by giving a click at http://www.brotherearth.com. Brother will contribute to a variety of global environmental protection activities on your behalf. The number of clicks each project receives will determine proportionately how the funds will be allocated.