The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner
It’s a fact that keeping up the enthusiasm for sustainability initiatives can be difficult. It’s not just that there are so many of them or that they are very often so complicated. The difficulty lies in understanding the implementation of clever initiatives and in measuring the results. This is what matters in the context of day to day business and it’s important that business owners understand how they might get involved and take action.
Keeping track of award winners is one way to help decide where to focus, however deciding which awards are valuable and independent is not easy. As with sustainability initiatives, there are so very many of them. Kyocera is a Japanese manufacturer of digital printing system. This massive company claims to be “leading the digital shift driving productivity and growth in the printing industry” and recently announced that it has been awarded a silver prize (presumably second) for its green skills report, A Green Edge: Green Skills for the Future. The report is presented as independent research and was created by Economist Impact. This branch of the Economist Group researches to order, so it’s a sort of revenue-generating cross between a think tank and a media brand. To know what “green skills” you need to limber up for, you should read the report’s executive summary.
Kyocera commissioned the research that produced its green skills report which has now been honoured as a Silver Award Winner in the 2024 Anthem Awards. These awards recognise work that “amplifies projects that spark global change” and were set up by The Webby awards. The Webbys were established in 1996 and are presented by the 3000+ member judges of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). These people are Internet leaders and luminaries and they consider excellence in eight media types including “advertising, media and PR”. The Webby Awards launched the Anthem Awards which honours “the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide” and is the group that has given Kyocera its prize. Are you with me so far?
It’s fine if you are not, because that is sort of the point. Awards should recognise excellence in clearly defined, recognisable endeavours. To be meaningful they should be relevant for the audiences they expect to benefit. Well done Kyocera for getting a silver award in the Anthem Awards Sustainability, Environment & Climate category for your report. Well done for doing so well amongst over 2,300 entries submitted from 34 countries. But it might be more meaningful to the industry you aspire to lead, if you explained what the “latest data on corporate attitudes towards green skills globally” actually means for the graphics industry and the customers it serves.
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This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, RicohSplash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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