Industry organisations and marketing agencies have teamed up to launch a new initiative, PrintGreen, to provide insights, information and tools to prove the sustainability of print.
Bringing together companies and associations such as the IPIA, it aims to provide a unified, clear and well-articulated message about print’s environmental impacts which they believe has been missing.
The first phase of PrintGreen focuses on commercial print and direct mail but the plan is to expand it into point-of-sale, packaging and other print sectors – and eventually to expand it to the rest of Europe and globally.
PrintGreen is chaired by Tom Maskill, chief client officer at sustainable marketing agency Webmart, which is one of the partners. “The print industry lacks a single, authoritative message on sustainability – one that resonates clearly with brands and agencies,” he explained.
“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“For too long, print has been fighting an uphill battle against misconceptions and outdated narratives.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.”
Core to the initiative is access to a free, purpose-designed carbon calculator, developed in partnership with CarbonQuota, that enables companies to assess the carbon impact of their printed formats “with accuracy and confidence”.
In line with PrintGreen’s initial focus on commercial print and direct mail, it 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.
The other partners in PrintGreen include The Strategic Mailing Partnership, MarketReach, Two Sides, BPIF, DMA, Nutshell Creative, Paragon and Tradeprint.
