Reimagine with recycling
While recycling is not a new concept with the idea having been around for many years, in more recent years, we have seen this expanded to a larger scale, allowing companies to recycle large quantities of material and industrial waste.
This is certainly true of the print industry, with a whole host of methods and services now available to print-service-providers (PSPs) looking to recycle other materials as opposed to the usual bottles, cans and cardboard.
Here, we speak with some of the providers of these services and find out more about how opting into these schemes can lead to all sorts of benefits, potentially opening the door to more work.
Huge impact
First, J&G Environmental offers a wide range of waste management services for the print industry. David Hinchley, recycling co-ordinator for J&G Environmental, explains that recycling is one of the easiest and most effective ways for print businesses of any shape and size to become more sustainable.
“Whether it is simply getting your employees to put plastic bottles into the right bins or making sure your pressroom consumables are being taken away and recycled properly, all of this will have a huge impact on your business and allow you to showcase to customers that you are green-minded,” Hinchley says.
“End customers are now requiring their printed work to be more planet-friendly than ever before. Having an effective recycling strategy in place will go a long way to ensuring you get these clients on board and retain them as long-term customers.
Incineration and landfill costs are now at a record high
“With incineration and landfill costs increasing in April 2022 to a record high, there has never been a better time to start to look at the waste you produce and identify other possible recycling routes.”
With incineration and landfill costs increasing to a record high, there has never been a better time to look at the waste you produce and identify other recycling routes”
This, Hinchley says, is where J&G Environmental can help, explaining that the company can collect bales of shrink wrap, cardboard and other forms of packaging waste, with the ability to supply balers in all sizes to fit each customer’s recycling needs.
J&G Environmental can collect bales of shrink wrap, cardboard and other forms of packaging waste
“This would not only decrease your volume of waste streams and increase your storage space, but also reduce your number of collections,” Hinchley says.
J&G Environmental can also collect and recycle printing waste and pressroom consumables, as well as other, non-print specific waste such as electronic waste, fluorescent lamps and corporate clothing.
“Simply put, you are going to be left behind by the competition,” Hinchley says, adding: “The majority of printing companies have some sort of recycling process in place; if you do not, in the eyes of the customer, you will be a much less attractive proposition as you do not have the same level of commitment to the environment.
“There is also the fact that it is the duty of businesses of all kinds, not just those in print, to ensure they are doing as much as they can to protect the planet around us. Recycling offers an extremely easy way of doing this and J&G Environmental is in the ideal position to help.”
Important to customers
Next, opting for sustainably sourced materials can play a major role in a business achieving its wider green goals. Dufaylite has a particularly strong commitment to the environment, and this is mirrored in its product range, which features a wide selection of sustainable options.
Its core product is Ultra Board, which is created from recovered fibres, meaning it has already had at least one life before even reaching the printers. Some 66% of the paper used to create the board is already recycled, making it an easily recyclable product for both the PSP and the end user.
“I really think that using recycled paper-based products is a proactive step towards any print business becoming more sustainable,” says Ashley Moscrop, group director at the Dufaylite Group.
Ashley Moscrop, group director of the Dufaylite Group
“As the life span of a printed solution is generally short, it is key to reduce the environmental impact of the printing process and the finished solution. Being conscientious about recycling and the positive environmental impact will most certainly benefit client relationships and how your business is perceived.
“Waste reduction and recycling should be part of how all printers operate, it’s important to their customers.”
With this in mind, Moscrop goes on to issue a warning against not paying proper attention to recycling, explaining that not being seen to be sustainable is a risk to your business and reputation, thus putting the future of a company in jeopardy.
“Customers are increasingly making these sorts of demands and require it for their own achievements and portrayal as a company,” Moscrop says, adding: “Those who can’t or won’t provide a sustainable solution will lose work to others that can.
“To increase recycling rates, it is vital to make it as simple as possible for customers to recycle. I know this sounds obvious, but it really is surprising how complicated things can be for consumers. Even paper-based products can cause confusion, so there is definitely some education required.”
Optimising operations
Looking at the sort of recycling methods PSPs are using, print-on-demand specialist Printful has a number of schemes in place. Alise Zindiga, CSR project manager at Printful, says that while recycling is important to the business, Printful believes prioritising waste reduction is the most responsible waste management strategy.
“We have the essentials down, like sorting and recycling the rubbish created by our facilities and offices,” Zindiga says, adding: “However, in our industry, the biggest area of waste to focus on is product damages, fabric scraps, and unclaimed product returns.
“Since we have facilities all over the world, the available recycling solutions for these types of waste vary across locations. In some of our facilities, we recycle cotton into cleaning rags, while in others, it is turned into furniture stuffing.
Printful says fabric waste is its largest source of production waste
“We have found several different ways to tackle fabric waste in particular, since that is our biggest source of production waste. That includes partnering with recycling companies and introducing new products like scrunchies and headbands that are small enough to fit on the smaller areas of fabric that would otherwise have to be discarded.
“We also consistently monitor our production damage rates, so that we can adapt our equipment or discontinue certain products if they result in too many damages during the production process.”
Zindiga goes as far as to say that without Printful adapting to new, greener challenges or being transparent about its practices, this would put the entire business at risk, especially given the amount sustainability matters to both its customers and own employees.
In addition, Zindiga seeks to address a common misconception that sustainable solutions create a lot of additional costs. In fact, Zindiga, not optimising recycling and fabric waste at Printful would be far more expensive for the business.
O Factoid: In 2020, 67.2% of UK packaging waste was either recycled or recovered O
“Bringing more attention to the benefits of on-demand manufacturing and offering print-on-demand as a better alternative can encourage more responsible consumer choices,” Zindiga says, adding: “We only create products once an order is placed and focus on high-quality products that stand the test of time, all of which helps Printful avoid any excess stock.
“We also create informational content about our sustainability practices and product sourcing and share detailed care instructions that help extend the lifespan of our products.”
From speaking to print companies, suppliers and service providers here, it is clear that there are plenty of options available when it comes to recycling in print. While all businesses should be doing the absolute basics for recycling, by working with specialists in this area and opting for greener products along the way, you can significantly enhance your environmental credentials.
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