Sustainable Printing: How Marketing and Procurement Can Partner To Drive Green Printing Practices

2The growth of digital advertising can positively influence an enterprise’s ESG goals, given its lighter carbon footprint and its ability to impact larger audiences. This shift to digital media, the increased focus on product recycling and the need to lessen paper production have collectively spurred non-digital advertising channels to adapt. They have acted as catalysts for sustainability-focused initiatives and have driven a change in printing strategies, production and print materials use.All enterprises continue to have a need for printing and printed materials in some form, which provides procurement teams a clear opportunity to support their environmental ambitions and meet the growing demand for sustainable printing and carbon-conscious strategies. Procurement is well-positioned to advocate, collaborate and acquire suitable print technology, solutions and partners to Printing Companies Are Adapting Sustainability products and print production innovations have inspired healthy competition, with major players promoting their ESG product offering as their USP. In the past, the quality of recycled paper fell short of what was needed for efficient print production — this negatively impacted the finished print product quality, which in turn impacted the brand. But as sustainability becomes a core business strategy and significant advancements are made in the production and quality of recycled paper, it is not just possible but essential that the global print industry develops the capabilities and embraces sustainability strategies to mirror the needs of its clients. The circular economy (make > reuse > recycle) is gaining precedence over the linear economy (make > use > discard) and consumers are increasinglychoosing green products and trusting brands thatpromote sustainability.This makes sustainable printing innovations essential not just environmentally but commercially as well for printing companies. Investments in digital and LED-UV print production and reduced use of finishing powders and sealants modernize the printing process and make it more eco-friendly. There are substantive benefits in adopting these sustainable printing practices, such as improved efficiency and productivity.support their organizations’ ESG goals, which is now an essential business strategy. 3Just as printing companies must adopt green innovations, technology and materials to stay relevant, marketers across industries must also actively embrace sustainable practices. There will always be a need for printed materials to support marketing and other business activities, but companies can reduce emissions by buying less, implementing a demand reduction strategy — for example, by using digital media, reducing package sizes, etc. — and ensuring all printed materials are utilized.Businesses can adopt the reduce-reuse-renew approach to boost the sustainability of their print products: Reduce Companies should leverage design and manufacturing technology through efficient planning and processes to lower material, energy and waste footprints. For example, producing an advertising board with a thinner but more robust recyclable material reduces the raw material required to produce it and it can be recycled to make other products instead of becoming a landfill statistic.Threefold Approach to Sustainable Printing Collaboration between marketers and procurement is essential to ensure that the right partners are onboarded, both to reduce the demand for printed materials required, thereby reducing waste and emissions, and to make certain that future requirements are produced in the most efficient way possible. EPR: Across the EU, NA and LATAM, companies are adopting the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model to reduce paper and plastic waste. This producer-centric mechanism moves the cost of managing consumed products partially or fully from local governments and channels to the industry producing it. This approach discourages manufacturers from using single-use materials by imposing a levy to finance the disposal of such materials.Emissions control: Companies should proactively measure their carbon footprint and take steps to reduce it. There are carbon-balancing solutions to help businesses calculate, avoid and reduce carbon emissions, and finance climate projects. For instance, emissions produced in the printing process can be reduced and even offset through carbon-balanced printers and papers. Process optimization and automation: Optimizing processes to use minimal resources — energy, labor and materials — drives overall efficiency. Smarter technology such as digital and LED-UV production The Role of MARKETERS in Reducing Emissions 4combined with workflow automation has significant sustainability benefits. Even simple changes such as printing a greater number of images on a sheet of paper and minimizing errors on approval and proofing through automation can make a significant impact. Bulk ordering: Ordering printing supplies in bulk