Japanese printer-maker Epson conducted a survey and the results came out in the white paper titled “SMEs striving for Digital Transformation Amidst Many Hurdles” to see what are among the top concerns of its customers in select countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The result revealed close to 70% of small and medium enterprises (SME) are concerned with their business operations’ impact on the environment.

Almost 30% of respondents in the Epson survey of SMEs in the six countries consider managing customer experience as their top business challenge. About half of the respondents in the Philippines considered this to be a top concern.

The Epson survey determined that over 60% of SMEs in the region are reluctant to moving forward with updating existing technologies due to cost. However, upgrading existing devices with latest technologies that are built to be more environment-friendly can reduce the organization’s environmental footprint, while also delivering a lower total cost of ownership. For example, newer heat-free inkjet printers have become faster and more energy-efficient compared to laser printers, which require a lot of electricity and heat.

Have you read “Epson pushes for sustainable printing with ‘Go Big’ campaign”?

Interactive projectors

High capacity ink tank printers today reduce resource consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and cut waste. Similarly, with the adoption of interactive projectors, companies contribute to lowering their carbon footprint through reductions in travel for meetings. Newer laser projector technologies also have a brighter, longer-lasting light source than standard projectors with bulbs, which lowers the total cost of ownership.

In order to truly make a notable change to a company’s environmental consumption and footprint, SMEs in SEA need to commit to creating business environments that allow them to leverage innovation to facilitate meaningful change that also delivers positive business outcomes. As the backbone of the ASEAN economy,[10] SMEs will contribute significantly to the environment as the regional economy continues to grow.

For manufacturers, this means ensuring the company’s products are environmentally conscious and that supply chain and production processes make efficient use of energy and water. Transportation and logistics are also key contributors to global warming, which need to be carefully considered by SMEs importing components and exporting finished goods. Individual SMEs across ASEAN need to play their part, however small, in reducing the region’s environmental footprint.

It is clear today that committing to the environment must be far more than just an altruistic gesture. The region’s SMEs can build on their awareness of the environmental issues that matter most to consumers by choosing digital technologies that have minimal environmental impacts.

Environmental consciousness in product design and production processes, end-of-life recycling, service delivery, and supply chain logistics will help us tread more lightly on the earth.