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WHO " CRUSHES" ALL EMPTY TONER AND INKS FOR HP AND DELL IN TEXAS ?
‘Paying It Forward’ Pays Off for Image Microsystems
Image Microsystems (IM), of Austin, Texas, stands as one of the few companies that can ascribe new business gains to its core values of sustainability and community, says Ian Edwards, executive vice president, Arcadia Sustainability Solutions, in his article, “When Paying It Forward Pays: Image Microsystems CSR Case Study." Edwards says the bottom-line contribution of the company’s attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been enhanced by good public relations.In IM’s case, success starts with a responsible product. “IM has the world’s only patent-pending technology that can recycle e-waste into a substrate product that can replace, for example, aluminum in road signs,” Edwards says. Called MicroStrate, it recycles dirty plastics like ink jet cartridges.
On top of that, 40% of IM’s 250-person workforce is deaf or has special needs, “a commitment to diversity few other companies can imagine, let alone match,” Edwards says. This “impressive Double Whammy of CSR” helps IM win business even as more companies adopt sustainability.
According to Liz Walker, IM vice president, marketing and business development, IM’s revenues in the first six months of 2011 already match revenues for all of 2010, putting the company on target for 100% growth in the current year.“I can directly attribute much of the growth [to] our diversity initiatives and our closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle process of converting e-waste into signage,” says Walker. “Dell increased and extended its printer cartridge recycling contract with Image Microsystems because of our CSR commitments.” Other clients include Office Max and NEW.
Few manufacturers’ product or personnel profiles resemble IW’s, but Edwards makes it clear that all could benefit from its example. His article describes the critical role of public relations in leveraging CSR, including detailed information about how it’s being done at IM; the role of CSR in building trust in business relationships; and how audiences for CSR information can become new customers.
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