Join the campaign for a more sustainable printing industry

Written by Marcus Timson | 25 October 2011

Last week, in Dusseldorf, FM Brooks launched EcoPrint Europe Live 2012, which will take place 26-27 September 2012. Here, EcoPrint event director Marcus Timson calls for the wider print community to come together to join the campaign for a more sustainable printing industry.

It was reassuring to gain so much interest and support for the concept for an event 100% focused on sustainable printing. And the great news is that EcoPrint 2012 has also already gained traction, interest and support from across the print spectrum. We have already secured exhibitors, and participants are registering to attend from across Europe.

During the week, we ran a Steering Group meeting with 50 of the European industry’s leading lights and received their support and validation to run the EcoPrint event. The kind of things that were said at the meeting include ‘it’s needed’, ‘why hasn’t anyone done this before?’ and ‘it’s a great idea’. But this event will be shaped and refined by the EcoPrint Development Group – a group of printers, manufacturers, consultants and experts who want to create positive change for the print sector.

And on behalf of the EcoPrint Leadership Development Group, we invite all members of the global print community to join us, get involved, take part and contribute to an event which will help to position print as a sustainable media for all of us who earn their living in the print sector. We need to put aside professional rivalries, competitive posturing and get down to the real business of EcoPrint. It's about Eco, not Ego. And I really hope the people that really get it, join us to work together and create positive change.

Globally we think that print must stop apologising for its existence. All manufacturing businesses use energy. Print uses energy, creates waste and can emit pollutants that are harmful to the environment. It is fair to say that print could do with improving its image and ecological performance. It’s about making a choice. And the choice really is whether to become a good print business or just continue fighting on price and consequently creating negative side effects by printing using bad materials, harmful chemicals and expending lots of energy.

Print’s ranking as the 4th largest industrial polluter doesn’t sound good in the minds of print buyers, agencies and marketers. And globally, print doesn’t promote itself in a united fashion or in a clearly defined or particularly inspiring way. The best collaboration we see thus far is in the USA with SGP who are doing some really great work, so isn't it time that Europe came together and collaborated?

Around the world, print’s sustainable credentials are not visible to the people that make the choices on marketing investment. Print’s total marketing credentials are not easily understandable, and sustainability frankly presents itself like a ‘damp blanket’ that might stifle growth by being costly and too complex to the print service provider. The perception amongst many in industry is that green business means expensive business. Customers on the one hand demand it but on the other hand don’t seem to want to pay for it. The argument seems to distil itself down between a choice between ECO and ROI, but the successful businesses are gaining profit by generating ROI through ECO.

EcoPrint 2012 will provide a platform for the industries leaders to connect throughout the supply chain from brands, marketers, agencies and print service providers through to associations, NGO’s, not for profit’s, consultants, manufacturers and leading industry groups to prove to our customer base that print is a viable sustainable media.
Therefore, for those of us who have vision, for those of us who don’t just work in print ‘because it is a job’ and those who are passionate about print and the awesome community in which we work, join us by attending EcoPrint and join the campaign to promote sustainable print business.

Get in touch if you’d like to present, or you know an expert, someone informed, passionate about sustainability, you want to become an exhibitor, or simply come along and take part. But whatever you do, do something. If your business isn’t prepared for the shift to sustainability, you will be at a distinct disadvantage when the tipping point is reached.

So we invite you again to join the campaign for more sustainable print production, and good business by registering your interest now on www.ecoprintshow.com

Marcus Timson
marcus.timson@mackbrooks.com
+44 1372 370854   
www.ecoprintshow.com