A recent business fax machine carbon footprint analysis released by j2 Global (News - Alert), the provider of outsourced, value-added messaging and communications services, including award-winning eFax, the world’s #1 internet fax service, highlighted the severity of business fax machines’ impact on the environment. Using a digital fax service like eFax saves time, trees, ink, as well as paper supply costs.

 

The energy savings calculator was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Act (“EPA”) and U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”).

 

Fax machines affect the environment in several ways including, but not limited to, the following:

 

The two largest contributors to carbon footprint left by business fax machines are, of course, paper and energy usage.

 

In addition, the annual energy consumption per business fax machine was calculated at 321 kWh¹ average amount of CO₂ emitted per kWh: 0.62 kg/kWh².The amount of CO2 emitted per year was revealed to be approximately 199 kg.

 

Regarding paper consumption, the average business fax machine consumes 5,000 sheets of paper annually. To put that amount in perspective, the average tree produces 8,333 sheets of paperper year³

 

Each business fax machine consumes 0.6 trees annually and a healthy tree absorbs 13.5 kg of CO₂ per year⁴. The reduction in CO2 sequestration capacity per year is 8.1 kg.

 

It was also discovered that there are 23,000,000 business fax machines in the U.S.⁵ (1997 figure adjusted for estimated growth).

 

The total CO2 emitted per year in the U.S. by business fax machines is 4,763,000,000 kg and the total trees cut down for fax consumption is 13.8 million.

The #1 solution to reduce the environmental damage created by standard business fax machines is to replace them with eFax, an award-winning service created by j2 Global Communications, Inc. (“j2 Global”) that allows users to receive and send fax documents in digital format (e.g., in one's email) rather than through a traditional business fax machine. Sending and receiving business faxes via email eliminates paper waste and reduces energy usage.

 

EFax was created by j2 Global in an effort to help in the environmental sustainability of the world and combat the effects that pollution has already inflicted upon the environment.

 

1.http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/bulk_purchasing/bpsavings_calc/Calc_fax_machines.xls

 

2.http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/GHGCalculator_11-06.xls

 

3.http://www.conservatree.com/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml

 

4.http://www.coloradotrees.org/benefits.htm

 

5.http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=How+many+fax+machines+in+the+US&go=&form=QBHP