Visitors to Eco-Products 2012, Japan's largest environmental
exhibition, had the chance to observe Epson's latest environmental ideas at the
company's booth. The exhibition was held at Tokyo Big Sight from December 13 to
15, 2012.
1.
Epson booth
Epson's booth was designed around the simple idea of showing
how using Epson products can reduce environmental burden and contribute to a
sustainable society.
The booth aimed to illustrate the unique nature of Epson's
products, and included banners printed using the Epson SurePress label printer
and images projected using the latest Epson wall-mounted projectors.
2.
Reducing environmental burden using Epson products
Epson's latest products were explained from various
environmental points of view including being more compact and lighter, saving
energy, having a long lifespan and offering "something new." Each
product was explained in terms of its environmental performance, the value it
offers to customers and its technological background.
For example, Epson’s Expression series inkjet printers, which
are approximately 40% smaller than their predecessor models, were cited as
examples of products that were more compact and lighter. In addition to
learning how these products reduce the environmental burden in terms of using
fewer materials and easier transportation, visitors could see how Epson made
its printer components and internal mechanism smaller.
Epson's GPS running monitor, known in Japan as Wristable GPS
and containing Epson's original GPS module, was introduced as an example of how
the company's products save energy. The product can be used by runners and
other athletes for as long as 14 hours on a single charge.
For "something new," booth visitors were given the
opportunity to have their pictures taken against an image shown from one of
Epson's latest interactive projectors. These photos were then printed out
wirelessly from a smartphone to illustrate how easy it was to share pictures
regardless of time or location.
3.
Contributing to the recycling of resources
In the recycling corner, visitors learned about the ink
cartridge recycling process while watching projected images of Epson employees
conducting the actual work. Each stage of the process was explained from
collection of the cartridges to their rebirth as recycled products. Through
this explanation, Epson hoped that visitors would gain a deeper understanding
of its efforts to efficiently use the Earth's precious resources.
4.
Ink cartridge homecoming project
Away from the main Epson booth, exhibition visitors could
also learn about the ink cartridge homecoming project that Epson is conducting
in Japan with other printer manufacturers. Visitors were given the opportunity
to participate in a workshop that expressed the importance of resources recycling
and the ink cartridge collection and recycling process.
As with the previous exhibitions in 2010 and 2011, Epson
conducted a survey of booth visitors to understand how they sought to conserve
the environment and their expectations for future Epson products. The company
plans to carefully analyze the responses and wherever possible use them when it
plans future products.
