Developed through collaboration between industry players including the Strategic Mailing Partnership, MarketReach, Two Sides, BPIF, DMA, IPIA, Nutshell Creative, Webmart, CarbonQuota, Paragon, and Tradeprint, PrintGreen is looking to equip brands, agencies, and media professionals with accurate, fact-based insights into print’s environmental impact.
Central to the initiative is access to a purpose-designed carbon calculator, enabling organisations to assess the carbon impact of their printed formats with accuracy and confidence.
Tom Maskill, chair of PrintGreen and chief client officer at Webmart, said: “The print industry lacks a single, authoritative message on sustainability – one that resonates clearly with brands and agencies.
“The disconnect between the valuable work being done, and how the industry is perceived by those who buy print and mail, is exactly what PrintGreen aims to address.
“For too long, print has been fighting an uphill battle against misconceptions and outdated narratives. The reality is that print can be a sustainable, highly effective communications channel – one that offers transparency, a circular economy model, and real accountability when it comes to environmental impact.
“PrintGreen will give our industry a powerful, united voice, arming brands and agencies with the truth about print’s role in a greener future.”
PrintGreen said misconceptions about print’s environmental impact persist, leading to unfounded sustainability concerns that negatively affect the industry.
Research by Two Sides has indicated that greenwashing costs the print, paper, and mailing industry an estimated €337m (£282m) annually across Europe.
Sophie Pemberton, senior engagement director at Ad Net Zero, commented: “PrintGreen is an exciting development towards emissions measurement standardisation and ensuring meaningful emissions reduction across an entire media channel, from production to deployment.
“It’s a brilliant example of using accurate data to challenge misconceptions and leveraging sustainability as a strategic advantage.”
A key feature of PrintGreen is its free carbon calculation tool, developed in partnership with CarbonQuota. This allows users to assess the carbon footprint of a campaign by selecting paper type, weight, pagination, volume, and mailing specifications to receive an instant impact assessment.
Maskill said Webmart’s own sustainability-focused tool, launched in 2023, has offset more than 3,000 tonnes of carbon and led to a sustained increase in new client wins. PrintGreen is aiming to replicate this success industry-wide.
Whistl is a supporter of the new initiative and its head of product development, Jennifer Rufus, said: “PrintGreen is a great resource, pushing print as a credible eco-friendly alternative to digital, with a brilliant tool giving customers guidance about the carbon footprint of their campaigns, at a time when sustainability is top of everyone’s agenda.
“This is very much aligned to Whistl’s own sustainability agenda to be Net Zero by 2045, so being part of the supply chain it was a no brainer in terms of being a ‘supporter’.
“Working in partnership with PrintGreen is a fantastic opportunity for us to further help support our customers better understand their carbon footprint for direct mail or door drops, through use of the carbon calculator and the additional ROI benefit, encouraging continued use of these sustainable media channels.”
The first phase of PrintGreen will focus on commercial print and direct mail, with ambitions to expand into POS, packaging, and other print sectors. Long-term plans include expanding beyond the UK, first into Europe and then globally.
As a non-profit organisation, PrintGreen said it was reliant on funding from the industry to expand its reach and deliver on its goals. It has asked for those interested in supporting the initiative to get in touch through its website.
