COMMENT
Green for go The green agenda has been around for many years, but it now has a prominence like never before – and it is only going to grow in the coming years, which means that businesses in the print channel need to be embracing it now.
Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, I remember when environmental concerns first really became news stories. I even remember Blue Peter launching its Green badge for children who undertook environmental work in their local community (no, I never got one). But back then, it was something that was seen by many businesses as ‘nice to have’ but not ‘essential to have’ or ignored entirely. Not anymore. Sustainability, reducing carbon emissions and working towards Net Zero are things that managers of all businesses in the print channel should be concerned about. And if you aren’t, then you risk being left behind in the very near future. From talking to people in the sector – from manufacturers to distributors to customers – in recent months, sustainability is now a central part of sales conversations like never before. Increasing numbers of organisations – especially public sector and larger businesses – want to see evidence of a service or product’s carbon footprint and what is being done to make it as sustainable as possible as
part of a sales negotiation. It can even make the difference between winning a contract and not. Many customers are also increasingly informed about climate and sustainability issues and now want to know more about the sustainability of what they are buying – including how it was made and what from, and how it can be recycled. Many of the print manufacturers have been working to this end for some years and have been producing products with ever-decreasing carbon footprints and ever- increasing amounts of recycled and recyclable parts. Indeed, some, such as Kyocera, now have carbon neutral products in the UK. You can read more about Kyocera on p34. While the UK government has set a target of having a net zero carbon economy by 2050, and that is still more than 26 years away, it needs to be thought about now for individual businesses. Some, such as Xerox, already have plans in place to become Net Zero businesses, while others are now putting strategies together for it – although they must be carefully devised to ensure they deliver value. Read more on p42. With news that the UK experienced the hottest June on record this year having recently come out, the case for reducing harmful emissions to reduce the effects of climate change should surely have been conclusively made. Sustainability issues are not going to go away – but it is a win-win for businesses: a better environment for everyone and, if it is embraced, it can help to improve the bottom line too. What’s to lose? As always, I hope you enjoy the issue. If there is anything you would like to see covered in a future issue, or you would like to get involved in the editorial in some capacity, please email me at dan@printinthechannel.com .
Dan Parton
CALLING ALL BRANDS
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