How Providers Can Bridge the MPS Sustainability Gap

February 28, 2025
Sustainability, Managed Print Services, Article, Trends

Reducing the environmental impact of print is a leading concern among IT decision-makers. Overall, 38% of Quocirca’s MPS 2024 study respondents say it is a top concern, ranking equally with controlling costs. With interim net-zero targets fast approaching, it’s unsurprising that there is even more urgency among larger enterprises (100+ employees), where the percentage citing it as a concern rises to 42%.

Despite this clear buyer focus, MPS is not meeting expectations on reducing environmental impact. Of 14 MPS outcomes, ‘Reduced environmental impact’ shows the largest gap between perceived importance and the effectiveness of MPS in achieving it – and the gap is even larger for the finance sector, SMBs, and Germany. ITDMs believe MPS is far more successful at achieving service, efficiency, cost control, and innovation outcomes, even exceeding expectations to reduce the burden on IT staff and support cloud infrastructure transition. So why is the sustainability gap so large?

Part of the problem may be that ITDMs are not prioritising providers’ sustainability performance during the selection process. Only 23% rank sustainability expertise in their top three selection criteria, and it ranks seventh out of 11 criteria overall.

This apparent contradiction has various possible explanations. Organisations wishing to reduce the impact of their print environment may not see providers as a route to achieving this and ask proactive questions of suppliers. They may assume that reducing environmental impact is a baseline requirement at the selection stage, but find the lack of results disappointing. Alternatively, given the comparatively long incumbency of MPS providers, the focus on improving print environmental performance could have risen since an organisation last made a purchasing decision, and cost and functionality will still likely outweigh sustainability in the next purchasing cycle.

Closing the gap

Therefore, providers should focus on supporting customers in reducing the environmental impact of their print infrastructure while also providing metrics on cost control and energy savings that can be obtained through an efficiently managed MPS, especially as the market grows more competitive.

Quocirca research over the past two years has shown declining loyalty to incumbent MPS providers. Those offering more comprehensive, analytics-backed solutions that fill needs for sustainability, efficiency, and support for digital transformation will be in a stronger position to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

Areas to focus on include:

• Articulating the specific sustainability improvements that MPS can offer and providing assessments and consultancy to reveal the benefits that can be achieved.
• Linking MPS sustainability to compliance with external regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and internal goals, such as reducing energy and paper consumption.
• Developing sustainability analytics reporting to help customers track MPS improvements over time and integrate this data with in-house reporting systems.
• Building partnerships with third parties offering complementary services such as reputable carbon offsetting organisations.
• Supporting customer digital transformation projects to streamline workflows, reduce print volumes, and minimise paper consumption.

Providers should also ensure that they can provide evidence of in-house sustainability programmes and achievements to satisfy bid requirements.

Channel partners should work closely with hardware vendors to ensure alignment on sustainability goals. OEMs should improve engagement with channel partners and equip them with the knowledge and tools to communicate sustainability value propositions effectively.

Further information

For more information on the sustainability gap and its extent across different industries and geographies, as well as detailed recommendations, explore Quocirca’s Spotlight Report, Bridging the Sustainability Gap: How Sustainability is a Key Differentiator for MPS Providers.

Read more sustainability insights on Quocirca’s Sustainability Hub.

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