Environment


IS


SUSTAINABILITY REALLY A CUSTOMER PRIORITY?


WE ALWAYS HEAR


ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY BECOMING THIS PRIORITY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY, BUT THE LATEST WIDTHWISE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT PERHAPS IT IS LESS OF A CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT AND MORE PUSHED BY THE PRODUCERS. ACTING EDITOR, BENJAMIN AUSTIN, QUIZZED DOMINIC HARRIS ON THE RESULTS, AS CO-FOUNDER OF CARBONQUOTA, SUGGESTS THE


RESULTS COULD BE MORE POSITIVE THAN AT FIRST GLANCE.


Dominic Harris, co-founder of CarbonQuota


for robust environmental reporting, and in some cases they make it mandatory. “Across sectors such as events, retail, textiles and outdoor advertising, we regularly see environmental performance becoming a key part of supplier selection.” So why does that appear to be at odds with the Widthwise findings?


AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH One explanation, Dominic suggests, could be the make-up of the businesses taking part in the survey. Smaller companies may not yet be experiencing the same level of sustainability-related pressure as larger suppliers, while businesses further down the supply chain may have less visibility of what end customers are asking for.


There is also a question of how sustainability requirements reach a printer in the first place. For a smaller print business, a customer


may never explicitly say that environmental performance is a priority. Instead, those requirements could be embedded within the procurement process of a larger organisation further up the chain.


Dominic explained: “The survey could include a high proportion of smaller businesses, where sustainability requirements have not yet filtered through, or companies that sit further down the supply chain where customer expectations can be less visible.” However, he believes the wider direction of travel is much clearer.


Print businesses are increasingly expected to measure, disclose and reduce their environmental impact. Regulation is developing, public sector procurement frameworks are placing greater emphasis on environmental commitments, and major brands are increasingly asking their supply chains for environmental data. Frameworks and initiatives including ISO


Sustainability has become an increasingly visible issue for the print industry. Businesses are measuring carbon emissions, investing in more efficient equipment, exploring lower-impact materials and promoting their environmental credentials to customers.


But how much of this activity is actually being driven by customer demand?


The latest results from the Widthwise survey raise an interesting question. While 81% of companies surveyed said that being seen as environmentally friendly was at least ‘somewhat important’ to them, just 14% said sustainability was a priority for their customers. On the face of it, the figures suggest a significant disconnect. If customers are not demanding sustainable products and services, why are so many print businesses concerned about their environmental reputation? Dominic Harris, co-founder of CarbonQuota, was originally surprised by the results. He said: “In our experience, many of the largest buyers of print and display services are already asking suppliers


20 | August/September 2026


14001, EcoVadis and the Science Based Targets initiative also rely on credible measurement and reporting. For businesses, therefore, sustainability is becoming about considerably more than simply appearing ‘green’.


NOT A PRIORITY


Dominic argued that this is where the apparent disconnect in the Widthwise results becomes particularly interesting. Sustainability may still be perceived by some businesses as something that sits outside the immediate customer relationship, but for larger organisations it can increasingly influence whether a supplier is considered in the first place.


“I would argue that it is very much about customer relations, but perhaps not always in the way people traditionally think about it,” he says. “Large print management businesses and procurement-led organisations are already assessing environmental performance when selecting suppliers. Companies such as TAG,


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