Innovation of the week: A paper-recycling plant for your office

We might be living in the digital age, but the average American still uses "the equivalent of nearly six 40-foot trees' worth of paper each year," said Mike Murphy at Quartz. Epson's new Paper Lab — essentially an on-site recycling plant for your office — could save some of those trees from getting the chop. The hefty machine breaks down used paper and presses it into fresh, new sheets, producing up to 6,720 letter-size sheets in an eight-hour workday.
By shrinking the supply chain and removing the need for so much paper to be delivered to offices, the device could help businesses cut their carbon footprint. Epson believes its new device is also the first paper-recycling system that doesn't require water — it usually takes 3 gallons of water to make a single sheet of paper. Paper Lab will go on sale in 2016; Epson has yet to announce the price.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published