Print industry urged to back Sustainable Print Manifesto

The Sustainable Print Manifesto, launched on 4 December, aims to define and adopt a set of clear, universal principles with the aim of making sustainable print practical, measurable and achievable for all.

It has been developed by an industry-wide working group who are pushing for greater collaboration in the print industry to accelerate long-term progress in sustainability.

Among the founding partners of the manifesto are HP, Gallus, Domino Printing Sciences, FuturePrint, Sun Chemical, Nazdar, Kavalan, and Bespoke. The IPIA and BPIF also worked as supporting associations and in the working group.

The manifesto lays out nine principles for sustainable printing, which it is calling on the industry to adopt now.

These include designing print for purpose, choosing better materials, producing efficiently, using finishing/embellishments responsibly, minimising waste, reducing energy consumption, minimising water usage, considering full lifecycle impacts, and leading with data and transparency.

The principles were designed to be universally relevant for businesses of any size in any sector of print.

Stefan Casey, head of ecosystem at packaging experience software platform io.tt, who hosted the launch panel discussion and is a founding partner, told Printweek the purpose of the manifesto was to provide a consensus and knowledge base around sustainability, and help to bust myths.

Casey said: “Sustainability too often gets lost in the tsunami of regulations and taxation - beating sticks that obsess over materials while missing the bigger picture. Yes, it’s part of the DNA of every organisation, but we need to step back and look at it holistically. 

“The Sustainable Print Manifesto does exactly that: it makes print and decoration measurable, turns confusion into clarity, and clarity into progress.”

He added: “At the launch, I challenged the industry to stop tinkering in silos, stop greenwashing, and join an action‑oriented, collaborative partnership that’s shaping the future of print and decoration. This isn’t about perfection - it’s about precision, alignment, and moving forward together.

“Sustainability should never be boring. Done properly, print and decoration become a community, a source of education, and a design delight that screams buy me! Far from being a burden, they can be a competitive advantage - commercially viable, genuinely circular, and future‑ready – it’s a no brainer.’"

Casey went on to call for greater unity in the industry around sustainability.

“We need more suppliers, more print manufacturers and more converters to get the message out there,” urged Casey. “We need a more action orientated group, and it takes individuals and it takes businesses.”

The manifesto is just the start, with the project expected to grow going forward as Casey said, “we want to shape it with the industry” and see it “organically grow”.

Carlos Lahoz, industrial print sustainability strategy at HP, explained why he backed the project, and why collaboration was key to accelerating sustainability.

Lahoz said: “I believe in the value of print and the positive impact it has in the world. But I also believe that there's still room for improvement. To accelerate innovation and progress, collaboration is key.

“Collaboration built on trust and transparency, towards a shared goal. This is what this manifesto aims for, and this is why I pledge to its principles.”

11 working-group meetings, a multi-stakeholder summit in Valencia, webinars and in-depth articles helped to shape the final manifesto, with participating printers, manufacturers and brands contributing their insights over the past 12 months.

Not aiming to replace existing frameworks, the manifesto is described as a ‘neutral, unifying north star’ that ‘sits above technical and regulatory silos’.

The next webinar is due to take place on December 17 and further contributing brands of the manifesto will be announced in the new year.

(Source: PrintWeek.com)