It has developed The EnviroBox, a boxed swatch of green materials, which is supported by what is said to be the industry’s first PC-based environmental impact calculator.

The calculator assesses the overall environmental impact of substrates, and is based on a spreadsheet format that ranks materials on how much energy is needed to produce them.

The initiative aims to encourage high street retailers and supermarkets to print their signage, packaging and displays on more environmentally friendly substrates.

Each EnviroBox contains a range of products for banners, self-adhesives for windows and rigid sheet and films that are a realistic replacement for PVC-based products, but less harmful to the environment.

It will also include an environmental report, Plastics in the Environment, which has been produced by Europoint's environmental solutions director Vic Adie.

He said: "We found that there's a huge demand from retailers who are keen to reduce their impact on the environment.

"However, there often seems to be confusion regarding relative environmental merits of new types of substrates available.

"For example, if a company wants to avoid contributing to landfill, which substrates are most appropriate? It's an incredibly complex area."

Europoint hopes to use the materials to encourage a debate among retailers and printers over which substrates are move appropriate to lower the environmental impact of the products.

The company is a supplier to the screen-printing industry and has five regional sales offices in Glasgow, Tyne and Wear, Manchester, Bristol and London. It also operates through PaperCo's network of 27 branches.