In similar fashion, can printers become greener operators and still make a profit? And if so, what kind of measures do they need to consider to make this sort of endeavour a success?
The answer to the first half of that question is a resounding ‘yes’. There are a number of green printers in the market that have become standard bearers for the industry – and are performing exceptionally well financially as a result.
Indeed, the whole industry is much greener today than historically. A combination of government legislation and new technology means that most printers are halfway to going green anyhow – they just need to make the commitment to going the extra yard.
Pressure on print
Lena Johansson, from print management company Four Corners, estimates that around 10% of the industry is changing because it wants to, but the rest is following suit because it has to. “While other industries may be able to get away with being less than green,” she says, “print is so blatant and in your face, thanks to consumer-facing print-intensive sectors like direct mail, that the industry has to be seen to be doing the right thing.”
While there is very definitely a public will towards the greening of print, there’s an increasingly recognisable financial incentive as well.
“Reducing waste, for example, saves a bottom line cost which makes a business more efficient,” explains Timi van Houten, director of Basingstoke-based Greenhouse Graphics. “Human beings are very wasteful, and that causes a number of environmental problems. Businesses that are wasteful will create unnecessary overheads which will undermine their commercial viability, especially in today’s market.”
So what kind of steps have printers taken? These measures vary greatly depending on which company you speak to. Some have switched to environmentally responsible consumables: vegetable-based inks, bio-degradable laminates and recycled papers. Others have opted to focus on energy: using renewable energy sources, buying energy-efficient machinery and systems. Then there are the less obvious areas; investment in colour management kit can shorten makereadies and therefore waste, while the adoption of remote proofing technology means there’s less need for wasteful hard copy versions. Cambrian Printers has even splashed out on a wormery into which leftover food is placed; the resulting compost is used in the company grounds to ensure the firm has great daffodils in the spring.
It’s common to find that one company’s focus differs from the next. For instance, Greenhouse Graphics has concentrated on reduction of VOC emissions as well as reducing energy usage and recycling all by-products from its processes. Meanwhile Sherwood Press’s ultimate goal was to become carbon-neutral and achieve the environmental ISO 14001 accreditation.
ISO 14001 is the usual starting point. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organisation has control over – although only 25% of the UK’s top 200 print companies hold ISO 14001, so there is clearly some way still to go. More recently, the European Communities Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) has become what Richard Owers, sales and marketing director of green pioneer Beacon Press, describes as “the gold standard for printers”.
“There haven‘t been many print firms pursuing that since it was introduced in the late 1990s, but I‘ve noticed two that have achieved it already this year,” says Owers. EMAS requires participating organisations to have the accuracy and reliability of their environmental performance checked by an external verifier, and as such it gives those that take part enhanced environmental credibility.
Warm response
The BPIF is already working on plans to launch its own eco-label, but Responsible Print’s Johansson believes that this green label needs to be created by an independent body. “If the BPIF creates an eco-label, it’s hardly going to put in place criteria that disqualify 90% of its members,” she says.
The introduction of a label created specifically for the printing industry and perhaps verified by a body such as the British Standards Institution would certainly help printers to educate buyers about their environmental ethos.
To date customers have responded warmly to the green improvements put in place by printers. “Our customers are very positive to greener choices,” says Greenhouse Graphics’ van Houten. “We have gained numerous new customers, large and small, and this trend is continuing.”
“It’s a valid USP for our firm and a big selling point for our salespeople,” adds Doug Gray, operations director at Cambrian Printers. “We get quite a lot of customer visits and we don’t lose them once they’ve been here to see what we do.”
The fact is that in the future, as more and more companies follow these green bellwethers, having environmental credentials will become the norm rather than a key differentiator.
“Today’s consumer is more environmentally concerned than ever before and within the next five years it seems likely that environmentally responsible manufacturing will become a pre-requisite for consumers rather than a ‘nice to have’ extra,” believes Sherwood Press managing director Jeremy Bacon.
Print firms that work with any public body or government departments must already show that they have rigorous quality, environmental management and corporate social responsibility procedures in place, and this is sure to filter down to corporate entities due to increasing pressure from the public.
Bruce Carter, director of continuous improvement at CW Print Group (2007 winner of the Excellence Award for Environmental Printer of the Year), agrees: “Consumer pressure is forcing companies to work with suppliers who have good environmental credentials, and who can help and advise on the most suitable materials and production methods. As more and more print falls under the tender process, robust environmental credentials have become one of the ‘must have’ tick-box responses. ‘We are working towards accreditation,’ is no longer acceptable.”
Carter adds that the firm has just won a two-year deal from a public body to produce all its printed material and the reason it beat off 204 competitors in the tendering process was because the firm has EMAS.
Cost considerations
But while all the evidence suggests that going down the green road makes sound business sense, there are cost implications that need to be considered.
“There have been some capital outlays in new machinery, technologies and the like but nothing untoward in an industry where high capital costs are the norm,” says van Houten. “When asked ‘how do you afford the cost of your investment?’ our answer is ‘how do you afford not to invest in your future?’ Once it’s understood that by making improvements in your environmental performances you are becoming commercially more viable, the environmental issue becomes an attractive economic driver.”
Most printers say the benefits far outweigh the investment. And even if the sums don’t stack up financially, there are other factors, such as brand values, that come into play.
“It’s probably been cost-neutral for us in terms of the money that we have invested and the savings that we have generated as a result,” says Nick Alexander, group managing director at Garnett Dickinson. “But the big plus is that it has positioned us as probably the greenest web printer in the UK.”
It’s the ability to send this message out that could make all the difference. While cost savings can be made through driving efficiencies, printers have to decide whether or not they just want a badge to hang in their reception area or whether they going to use this badge as a marketing tool to help them win further business. If the latter approach sounds more appealing, then you need to make sure that you do what you claim you do (and can prove it) as there are increasing numbers of cases of printers purporting to have achieved certain levels when they haven’t.
“We’re certainly seeing elements of greenwash emerging,” says one high-profile green printer with a raft of accreditations to back up their claims. “I saw a report the other day about one company claiming that they had EMAS but they definitely have not.”
Green business is not a passing fad – it’s here to stay, according to CW Print’s Bruce Carter.
“To say ‘we are environmentally friendly’ may be fashionable in management speak, but commitment to the environment in our view is not a short-term passing phase. It is a sustained commitment.”
RAISING THE STANDARDS
Accreditation for profit
The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Voluntary initiative designed to improve companies’ environmental performance. Aims to recognise and reward those organisations that go beyond minimum legal compliance and continuously improve their environmental performance.
IS0 14001 Specifies the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS). Applicable to any organisation wanting to ensure compliance with environmental legislation and certification of its environmental management system.
ISO 9001 Internationally recognised standard for quality management that applies to the processes that create and control the products and services an organisation supplies. Widely acknowledged as a helpful starting-point if you’re aiming for ISO 14001.
Carbon offsetting There are a number of different offsetting schemes ranging from investing in green energy through to tree-planting schemes. The key with offsetting is that a company must reduce emissions as far as possible and offset the margin that it cannot reduce, rather than merely offsetting the entire carbon footprint created by the company.
Greenmark Developed by the London Environment Centre (LEC), Greenmark is more appropriate for smaller companies that lack the resources for IS0 14001.
Green Dragon Participating organisations gain recognition for effective environmental management without necessarily adopting a formal system. Only available to Welsh companies.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) The FSC is an international organisation that promotes responsible forest management through its independently-verified Chain of Custody certification – the process by which the source of a timber product is verified. To qualify, the timber has to be tracked from the forest through all the steps of the production process until it reaches the end user.
Programme for the Endorsement of Forestry Certification (PEFC) International forest industry initiative for auditing forestry operations taking into account the effect on the environment.
