Lord O’Neill of Clackmannan, chairman and host of the APPG, called the sector "under-represented" as he opened the event, which was attended by 11 MPs on Tuesday (6 July).

BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson referred to the event, and the federation’s recently published Priorities for Print document, as a "call to action on pre-packs and public sector procurement".

Print’s position as a sustainable medium, but one that is more often perceived as an 'environmental bogeyman' was a recurring theme.

"We don’t savage forests and print companies are at the forefront of environmental best practice," said Johnson. "We are an industry you should love; we don’t think you love us enough. Even Google has taken to print to get its message across with a recent leaflet campaign about getting online."

Two Sides director Martyn Eustace said: "By enjoying books, you aren’t destroying the Amazonian rainforest. The industry has tolerated its perceived position for far too long. The reality is that print and paper are some of the few ubiquitous sustainable media."

He highlighted the disparity between the messages of the electronics industry and the reality.

"E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream. To all e-book pushers who talk about downloading a lifetime’s reading to their machines; on average people read one book per month and the lifespan of an electronic device is two years."

See Barney Cox's blog on Martyn Eustace's comments at the APPG here.