Trumbull, CT – Océ, an international leader in digital document management, today announced the winner of its third annual, "Green Reprographer of the Year" award during the IRgA 2010 Annual Convention and Trade Show held May 19-21 in Palm Springs, CA. ProRepro, Orange County's fastest growing reprographics company, was selected as the winner from a pool of qualified entrants who submitted applications via Océ's website. Applicants outlined their achievements in the area of green business practices and highlighted how these efforts have assisted their customers to meet their own sustainability goals.

"In recognition of their continued efforts to promote sustainability throughout their business operations, we are proud to congratulate ProRepro as the winner of Océ's third annual 'Green Reprographer of the Year' award," said Patrick Chapuis, President, Wide Format Printing Systems division of Océ North America. "The numerous entries for this award demonstrate the commitment by these forward-thinking reprographers to establish and promote environmentally conscious business practices. Océ is proud to support reprographers that are continually striving to reduce their impact on the environment by providing eco-friendly, sustainable equipment capable of producing the highest quality prints."

An independent panel of judges, including Denise Gustavson, Editor of Wide-Format Imaging magazine, Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief of Building Design+Construction magazine, and Ed Avis, principal of Ed Avis Associates, a communications firm specializing in the imaging industry, and author of The Green Reprographics Handbook, selected ProRepro as the winner based on its enterprise-wide dedication to sustainability.

Making Sustainability a Number One Priority
Since its founding in 2006, ProRepro has strived to incorporate sustainability throughout its business operations. This is evident in their use of products that reduce the negative impact on the environment. ProRepro's entire fleet of reprographic equipment is ENERGY STAR rated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy. Ninety percent of its equipment has been converted to solid toner or cartridge free technology, dramatically reducing landfill and energy costs related to storage. And, unless otherwise specified, all jobs are run on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified as well as 30% post consumer waste recycled paper.

The company also developed an alternative sustainable product to replace Gatorboard or foam core. Previously, Eco-board was the most widely used sustainable indoor signage product, but it presented inherent problems, such as honey-combing, dog-earing, lack of rigidity, and it was highly expensive to add a rigid support sheet. ProRepro's Pro Board is a 100% recycled and biodegradable alternative that is highly durable, attractive, and is priced the same as Gatorboard; thereby encouraging customers to choose the environmentally sound solution.

"I was impressed by ProRepro's efforts to find their own green solutions. When they determined the eco-friendly mounting board they were using had performance problems, they developed their own 100% recycled alternative," commented Ed Avis.

ProRepro also developed an innovative recycling program, which is available to its clients. SRS: Sustainable Reprographic Solutions recycling program provides client-site based receptacles, regular new job pick-ups when delivering finished jobs, and sorting services. All paper is then sorted at ProRepro's in-house recycling center and sold to the proper recyclers. The company donates all labor and costs associated with the recycling program for free and 100% of the funds collected from the recyclers are donated to the client's charity of choice. Over 50 charities have been supported as a result of the program.

Applying Eco-Conscious Operations Internally
To support environmental conservation internally, certain employee programs have also been established. ProRepro utilizes a "flex" hour system, which allows employees to stay later on days to finish projects allowing for shorter workdays or additional days off in the future. This "flex" program helps employees cut down on gas emissions to and from the office, as well as associated traveling expenses. Employees can set their own schedule and cut out as many as two days per pay period, reducing their emission and traffic impact by as much as 20%.

ProRepro also strives to keep its facility changes environmentally friendly. The company recently repainted with low VOC paint, it is implementing the use of solar panels on the building roof, most office lights have been outfitted with compact florescent bulbs, lighting is occupancy based, and plastic water bottle waste has been reduced by up to 200 bottles per week thanks to a clean water filtration system. ProRepro also supports sustainability on the road. All company vehicles are rated at a minimum of 35mpg, and the company's vehicle fleet includes Toyota Prius and Scion models, which reach an impressive 45mpg.

Making a Mark on the Community
ProRepro's dedication to sustainability also extends to its community. President Cindy Kennedy is the chairperson of one of Home Aid's Project Playhouse Team. This annual fundraising event raises money to support housing for temporarily homeless individuals and families through the construction of elaborate children's playhouses. ProRepro's 2010 playhouse will be the first hands-on, sustainable experience for children.

Designed as a mini "ocean institute" called the Ocean Lab, children will be able to conduct their own experiments on clean water, pollution, and environmental impact. The playhouse will be a 100% solar powered building and bear an honorary LEED certification. The playhouse will be auctioned off during the event's grand gala, with all the proceeds going to Home Aid.

"ProRepro has done an excellent job of incorporating sustainability throughout its entire operation, including the products they use, their office design and their employee programs," said Robert Cassidy. "They are a forward-looking company that is clearly capable of technical innovation, reducing its own environmental impact, and driving a strong sense of community involvement."

About Océ's Dedication to Sustainability
Sustainability has been part of Océ's DNA for the past 130+ years. This includes their innovative three-tiered approach to supporting sustainability: 1) Create and design sustainable products; 2) Utilize environmentally conscious manufacturing; 3) Enable customers to operate in a sustainable way (i.e. print at lower heat, produce the least amount of detectable ozone, be compatible with 30% post-consumer waste recycled media).

To help its customers minimize their environmental impact, Océ focuses on four key areas in product design. They are:
- Minimize incorrect and unnecessary prints
- Minimize energy consumption per print
- Maximize reuse of materials and minimize non-reusable waste
- Minimize emissions of ozone, toner, dust and noise

This eco-friendly approach to product development is evident in many of Océ's printing solutions, including the popular Océ Eco Design family of printers. These printers distinguish themselves from conventional technologies by their extremely low energy consumption, quiet operation and low ozone and heat emissions.