22 April 2021

Introducing the BPIF Environmental Forum Steering Group Chair

The Environmental Forum is a BPIF community that looks to provide an industry-wide network and platform to work to support, sustain and develop the industry. 

This community is a network for likeminded people in the industry to discuss environmental topics with an aim to set environmental and sustainability standards and best practice for the sector. 

It is also a source of information and networking support for those working on environmental and sustainability issues in their own day-to-day roles.

The forum will be led by a steering group which consists of BPIF members (corporate and associates) and affiliate consultants. 

Objectives of the forum are to:

• Promote best practice in environmental and sustainability for the industry 
• Identify opportunities for specific improvements
• Demonstrate that the organisation is managing environmental and sustainability issues
• Demonstrate that the organisation is environmentally minded
• Help get businesses working to a specific environmental and sustainability level
• Raise the industry to be best-in-class in environmental and sustainability 
• Educate the supply chain
• Identify sector-specific requirements

‘I’m involved in the Environmental Forum because we must all continually strive to reduce waste. Benefits such as cost and risk reductions are popular features on any agenda, and I hope that – as a group – we can share, lobby for and demonstrate a wide range of improvements over time.’

James Buffoni, Managing Director, Ryedale Group

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Anthony Rowell, Chair of the BPIF Environmental Forum

I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to Chair the BPIF Environmental Forum. Care for Environment and the Sustainability of our industry could not be more important as we emerge from this horrific pandemic. I believe people and businesses will re-prioritise their approach to these topics and it is crucial that we embrace and drive positive change through active collaboration in our industry.

Globally we face huge challenges to slow climate change and improve our Environmental impact and I hope that I can play a part in supporting our amazing industry to deliver positive change.

I am certainly no expert in the science, but I have huge energy and a passion for Print and for our Environment and I am looking forward to working with the BPIF, members and non-members to facilitate the changes we need to make.

I want us to lead the way and provide a pathway and road map to encourage printing businesses to make informed decisions that both improve profitability and mitigate our environmental footprint. I want us to lead in abolishing greenwash and provide open, transparent communication so we can make the best decisions based on scientific fact not fiction.

In the distant past I was lucky enough to be involved with the original Environmental Forum and I recognise many industry friends and colleagues from those times who continue to contribute to the efforts the BPIF are making. 

Working at Polar Print and delivering a sales proposition built on a strong sense of Corporate Responsibility was hugely rewarding. We built relationships with Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, The Soil Association, The Corporate Citizenship Company and the FTSE4Good to name but a few and enjoyed working with those customers when I moved to Pureprint, arguably the most Environmentally savvy printing business in the UK at that time in the early 2,000’s and still a tour de force today. 

Now I find myself at Tradeprint, a technology led, e-commerce printing company. We are a leading player in a highly competitive industry. Our economies of scale and technological innovation have made print accessible, reliable, and leverage-able for print, design, and marketing professionals across the UK. As part of Cimpress, the world leader in mass customisation, our ambitions are boundless and I am delighted to confirm that Cimpress, arguably one of the biggest print groups in the world has woven serious sustainability and environmental targets into its operation with our Cimpress’ Net Zero CO2 2040 Target.