Xerox Corporation has announced having become the first high-technology company to join the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), an alliance of business and environmental leaders working together to protect the climate and spur legislation and regulation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Protecting the environment and implementing sustainable business practices have been priorities at Xerox for decades," said Ursula M. Burns, Xerox president. "It makes sense for us to be the first high-tech company to join USCAP, where we can help set goals, priorities and policies that align industries and the government. Honoring our obligation to the world around us has been, and will always be, the way we do business."

Xerox says it fully supports the partnership''s approach to climate change and its principles, which champion fairness and accountability, technology and innovation and environmental effectiveness. The partnership also pledges to create economic opportunity and advantages and to reward early adopters. As part of USCAP, Xerox will continue to support the goal of energy conservation in the USand abroad.

In 2005, Xerox pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its operations company wide by 10 per cent by 2012. The company''s strategies for meeting its reduction target include:

• Shifts toward more energy-efficient technologies. Xerox developed emulsion aggregation (EA) technology or chemical toner, which requires about 25 per cent less energy to produce than conventional toner.
• Process improvements that reduce energy demand. Xerox is changing its manufacturing of conventional toners, yielding an estimated 15 per cent to 25 per cent reduction in energy demand per pound of toner. As a result, Xerox is well on the way to saving more than 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity by 2008 - enough power to light more than 24,000 U.S. households for a year.
• Increased reliability of Xerox equipment and parts. Digital technology has improved the reliability of components inside Xerox products. Greater reliability and extended part life as well as remote service technology have reduced the number of miles driven by the service fleet, contributing to energy reduction.
• Equipment upgrades and energy management programs. Some Xerox facilities save energy through "free" cooling. In winter months, the facilities cool process water by running it through outdoor pipes instead of using energy-consuming industrial air conditioners.
• Use of renewable energy sources. Several Xerox sites including those in the United Kingdom and the U.S. are purchasing "green power," reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by over 6,000 metric tons.

Earlier this year, Xerox announced that more than 50 per cent of its product offerings had met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency''s rigorous new Energy Star requirements that went into effect on April 1. Only 25 per cent of all products in the marketplace were expected to meet the new criteria. Xerox became a charter partner of the Energy Star programme in 1993, helping set the original guidelines at the request of the EPA.

"If we are going to make a real difference, organisations from all industries and of all sizes must work together to set the bar higher. When it comes to the societal, economic and environmental impact of sustainable business practices, there is always more to do," said Patricia Calkins, vice president, environment, health and safety for Xerox.

"The US Climate Action Partnership is a great example of public and private sectors collaborating to create the appropriate framework and incentives for change."

In 2006, Xerox pledged $1 million to The Nature Conservancy to advance sustainable forestry practices. The objective is to develop science-based tools, practices and systems that the paper industry can draw upon to better understand and manage ecologically important forest land. Xerox is also a member of the Business Roundtable''s Climate Resolve and SEE (Society, Environment, Economy) Change Initiative, and the EPA''s Climate Leaders program, National Environmental Performance Track, and WasteWise initiatives.