How printers and publishers can have meaningful sustainability programmes

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Getting with environmental sustainability is important for the planet, but for most print service providers they do it for their clients. Appealing to the environmental sensitivities of customers and prospects is why more and more companies are touting their environmental credentials. This must go beyond flimsy commitments such as … Read more

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Another week, another clever climate change mitigation effort. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has the private, as opposed to public, business sector in its sites. The organisation wants to help corporations to develop ambitious climate action projects. Over 4000 companies around the world are working with the SBTi … Read more

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It is hard to believe that we have only started hearing more from GRI in the last year or so. This organisation was established over twenty years ago to help organisations and businesses manage reporting of their environmental impacts. Over the years GRI has gained considerable momentum in developing … Read more

Changing bad habits

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If we wanted to point a finger at the worst offenders when it comes to environmental inefficiency, which print sector would we choose? Labels and packaging produce phenomenal quantities of waste. Commercial print is also responsible for sending tonnes of paper for landfill or incineration. The signage business also … Read more

Asking the right questions

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As we move more and more towards a Do-It-Yourself model, the printing industry is gaining all sorts of new customers. From labels on demand for bespoke honey through to ambitious party signage and sportswear, print volumes are rising. Perhaps one of the biggest categories is book printing, as the … Read more

Carbon calculators are like buses

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Buses. You wait for ages for one to come along and then a slew of them show up all at once. That’s a very 1970s perspective I know, but it’s apt for implementations of ISO 16759. This document outlines requirements for calculating the carbon footprint of a print run … Read more

ISO project for assessing your organisation’s sustainability

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO’s technical committee working on standards for the printing and publishing industries is considering a new project. The project is intended to help organisations to assess their progress towards greater environmental sustainability. The new project is tentatively called Guidance for Sustainabililty Assessments. Achieving greater environmental sustainability is easier said … Read more

Corporate greenwashing

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear every day almost about how some mega corporation is doing just so very much to help the planet. Most of it we know is stretching reality, the slick presentation of marketing professionals with questionable consciences. They’re just doing their jobs right? And if they are telling fibs, … Read more

Sustainable from the ground up

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner New builds are a great opportunity to cut carbon footprints and facilities running costs. In the UK, Fujifilm has recently opened Fujifilm House its new UK headquarters. Built with sustainability in mind the facility has received formal certification using the Built Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). This is … Read more