As part of the initiative, backed by and EU-wide consortium of print bodies, the BPIF provided match-funding for 15 print businesses to implement the EMAS audit and work towards accreditation.
Launched in 1993 EMAS, regarded by some as the gold standard of eco-credentials, is a system that allows businesses to assess and manage their environmental performance and is designed to help them to create leaner business processes through targeting key performance indicators and regular reporting.
In the decade since its launch more than 4,500 companies have become accredited across Europe, of which only around 60 are UK-based.
However 10 of these come from the print industry and with the companies currently being audited and waiting for accreditation as part of the BPIF project printers will soon make up almost a third of the UK list.
BPIF membership director Dale Wallis said the project had been a success and would be worthwhile to those who have undertaken the EMAS process, but that with other standards such as ISO14001 and Eco-Label also an option to businesses many simply did not see EMAS as a priority.
"We found that buyers simply aren’t asking for EMAS. If they do then I think a business should apply for it but if a business has to pay two lots of accreditation fees and can’t see an up front benefit then unfortunately a lot of companies simply won’t sign up to it.. It’s down to communication and education. People just don’t know enough about it."
Wallis said that many printers saw ISO140001 as the first option. He added: "Quite simply the communication about EMAS has not been effective enough."
Martin Baxter, executive director of policy at the Institute of Environmental Management & Assesment which oversees EMAS in the UK, said: "The relationship between the Acorn scheme, ISO 14001 accredited certification and EMAS registration is a continuum rather than an ‘either/or’ choice.
"For many UK companies, the global nature of ISO 14001 has a real resonance in terms of recognition in international markets and working with global supply chains. It also closely aligns with other management systems standards that companies use, such as for quality and health and safety."
And print consultant David Shorto, who has recently launched an EMAS-dedicated online resource, said the environmental audit system was a "world away" from ISO14001 and a "serious mechanism for standing out as a company that takes environmental credentials seriously".
He added: "In the print industry I think levels of greenwash are higher than other industries. EMAS is a guarantee for buyers and designers that there is no environmental misinformation which some businesses most definitely do try to use."
