HP has launched an initiative to help its customers become more environmentally responsible with their printing.

The initiative includes the launch of a printing assessment service, which utilises a carbon calculator that helps firms assess the environmental impact of their printing and identify methods of both saving money and reducing carbon emissions.

HP has also pledged to improve the overall energy efficiency of its printing products by 40 per cent by 2011.

Other elements of the green printing initiative include a commitment from HP to use sustainable materials in the paper it sells and the packaging it uses.

HP has also introduced an inkjet printer, the Deskjet D2545, made mostly from recycled materials.

"HP is focused on helping all of our customers – from consumers to enterprises – reduce their environmental impact," said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of the Imaging and Printing Group at HP in a statement.

HP is clearly embracing the IT industry's new-found enthusiasm for environmental concerns, but it will be tough slog.

HP still makes a huge chunk of its profits from its printing business – and printing has hitherto been very environmentally unfriendly. Not only is it associated with the huge swathes of paper that businesses churn through every year – often unnecessarily – but the printers themselves can have an adverse impact on the environment.

Many of the inks used in modern printing contain hazardous materials; and the industry is predicated on the mass consumption of disposable parts. It has taken the industry years for the recycling of old toner cartridges to become common practice.

Other potential environmentally-friendly features possible with modern printers, such as intelligent power saving modes and the use of double-sided printing remain largely ignored by end users.