Nov. 12, 2007 Xerox Corporation says it has diverted more than 2 billion pounds of electronic waste from landfill and saved $2 billion in the process.

The company's waste-reduction program, launched in 1991, focuses on two key areas:

1. Reuse and recycling in copy and print supplies. The company's reuse and recycling program for printer cartridges and toner enables customers to send used cartridges to Xerox for remanufacture or recycling. Customers may also send in waste toner, which Xerox reuses by mixing it with new toner. The program kept nearly 11 million pounds of waste out of landfills in 2006, according to company estimates.
2. Product take-back and recycling and parts reuse. Xerox salvages equipment parts that can be reused and either recycles or disposes of the remaining components. Xerox says it reused or recycled 96% of equipment waste in 2006.

Xerox also cites improved materials use in its manufacturing operations as a key driver of company recycling efforts. The company's "waste-free factory" initiative focuses on reducing the amount of non-hazardous waste generated by Xerox operations and responsibly managing waste that cannot be eliminated.

Xeroxs experience with reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing has not only kept waste out of landfills, but saved the company more than $2 billion as it did so, says Patricia Calkins, Xerox vice president of environment, health and safety. We believe sustainability is an integral part of developing products, serving customers and posting profits.

In recent months Xerox has unveiled a string of new green products, including copy paper, printing toner, and copiers enabled with paper-saving software. The company has also redesigned many of its copiers and printers to use less energy.