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Widthwise 2024


more for sustainable solutions? While 83% of respondents said that few, or no, customers wanted to foot the bill, the fact that 9% said most buyers would was, given the relatively stagnant state of the British economy, actually quite encouraging. As Hayhoe has argued, over the past few years, the discussion about climate change has, despite some fierce political headwinds, progressed from ‘why does this matter?’ to ‘what can I do?’. In that respect, some industry suppliers are setting an example of better practice. What wide-format print companies are


doing, according to this poll, is reducing or recycling in-house waste (a priority for 39%), reducing energy consumption (31%) and measuring or reducing their carbon footprint (17%). A significant minority (9%) are upselling sustainable print while a smaller group (4%) plan to generate more of their own energy. Soaring energy costs - a key concern for 79% of respond- ents - have made the financial rationale for sustainability even more compelling. It’s not just about saving our planet, or ourselves, it’s about saving money. (A study by Amer- ica’s National Institute of Building Sciences estimated that $1 spent on prevention can save up to $10 in disaster recovery costs.)


Could - and should - the wide-format


industry do more? Absolutely. Companies can use greener substrates (alternatives to PVC have become more viable, relia- ble and affordable), inks (not just what they’re made of but how they perform) and improve practice and process (from energy and emissions to the generation of non-biodegradable waste and the man- agement of waste). Tere is also a strong financial, logistical and environmental case for printers to reappraise their supply chain and, where possible, source materials from the same country to minimise emissions. Technology has already helped the industry reduce its carbon emissions but there are many more innovations to come. It would also help if wide-format print


service providers told their sustainability stories more effectively. Aſter more than a decade of greenwash, consumers have be- come increasingly wary of vague terms like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘carbon neutral’. Specific, well visualised, messages are more likely to convince. In a test for a Mexican retailer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a Green Badge which, when shoppers pressed ‘buy’, asked them if they would wait longer for a delivery if it effectively amounted to saving a specific


number of trees (calculated by how many it would take to capture the amount of CO2 required to replace emissions from fast shipping). Much to the retailer’s surprise, 71% of shoppers were perfectly happy to wait. And, as we have seen so oſten recently, consumer behaviour is changing company practices. Te biggest stepchange would be for


wide-format print service providers to think more strategically about sustaina- bility and realise that it cannot be a bolt on - or an aſterthought. Tere are many incremental improvements that can be made but, ultimately, they need to address three fundamental questions. How closely aligned are their sustainability goals and their business model? Do they understand their customers’ demands and expectations on sustainability? And do they recognise the strategic, organisational and operation- al changes required to manage the many challenges which sustainability creates? No single group - be it scientists, political


leaders, environmental pressure groups or chief sustainability officers - can fight climate change alone but we can tackle it together. As Hayhoe observed: “In today’s world, every decision we make is a climate decision - whether we recognise it or not.”


Q26. How important is it for your company to be seen as environmentally friendly?


More important than a year ago No shift - important


No shift - not important Less important than a year ago 2% Q27. Do clients ask for your environmental credentials/policies? Few


Around 50/50 None Most


16% 12% 13% Q27. Are your clients willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly print solutions? Few


None Most


Around 50/50 19%


9% 8%


www.imagereports.co.uk | Widthwise 2024 | 27 64% 69% 8% 60% 30%


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