Gateshead-based office technology company, SOS Group, is helping Newcastle Eagles soar towards their sustainability goals by supplying Epson heat-free business inkjet technology to the Vertu Motors Arena.

The new technology will reduce energy usage and costs for both the basketball club and the Eagles Community Foundation and is already being put to good use.

This season, to reduce its environmental impact and waste, the club moved away from its usual old plastic season tickets to a new digital ticketing app and an innovative recyclable paper solution for physical cards.

Furthermore, thanks to SOS Group, those new eco-friendly physical cards can be printed using the new heat-free technology.

In addition, ticket vouchers for the region’s schools are now being printed in-house using the Epson equipment meaning information can be individually tailored and the club can eliminate any waste from bulk-printed flyers.

Paul Blake, Newcastle Eagles Managing Director, said: “We’re really pleased with the new office technology supplied by Andrew and his team at SOS Group.

“It’s helping us to reduce operating costs and become both more flexible and more sustainable with our printing.

“Our schools’ vouchers initiative is proving very popular and it is hugely important for us in encouraging more young people to come to games.

“We’re now able to be more personal in creating these and, added to this, the ability to create our own recyclable season ticket cards, which we believe is an industry first.

“We’re already being much more sustainable with our print requirements.”

Epson’s heat-free inkjet printers offer significant cost-saving and environmental benefits by consuming dramatically less energy than equivalent laser printers, using fewer consumables, producing lower CO2 emissions and requiring less intervention from engineers.

Andrew Skelton, a Director at SOS Group, says: “We’re proud to be the Eagles Office Technology Partner because they share our commitment to reducing energy consumption and waste through print solutions.

“Working closely with both the club and foundation, we look forward to achieving even more significant environmental and productivity benefits as we go on by using the best office technology available.”

Established in 2002, SOS Group facilitates all business and event requirements, including communications and IT, and specialises in providing copy, print, scan solutions for clients from local start-ups to multi nationals.

Awarded both ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, it has a centralised office on the Team Valley and six regional hubs in London, Scotland, the North West, Midlands, South Yorkshire, South West and North East.