28 September 2021

BPIF member Tradeprint’s Journey towards Environmental Sustainability

We are at the start of an interesting, exciting and hugely important journey. Having had ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in place for many years we decided to look at ways we could enrich our commitment to sustainability. Working closely with Cimpress we have developed an approach that will deliver a reduced impact on the environment, reduced carbon emissions, reduced waste and we hope this will improve profit and by leveraging a positive marketing message lead to increased sales.

We are also excited by the forthcoming launch of the BPIF Environmental Road Map which we will be using to help us on this journey. Using the Road Map will help us develop best practice, support us as we re-visit our basic environmental baselining. Also importantly it will help us look in more detail at waste and energy use.

Anthony Rowell, Sales & Customer Success Director for Tradeprint and Chair of BPIF Environmental Forum explains ‘For us it’s simple – What waste do we generate? Can we segregate it more? Can sell it for recycling? Can we reduce it to save costs? How do we become more energy efficient? How do we make sure our paper comes from sustainable sources? Can we leverage all of this to attract more customers and mitigate risk from climate change, additional taxes and legislation. I think if the BPIF can help with a clear Road Map to sustainability, it can support our industry and help reduce its impact on the environment. Our major hope is that through these initiatives we can contribute to slowing down climate change.’

This week we have launched details of our new commitments and we are pleased to share those commitments with BPIF members.

Carbon emissions reduction

Tradeprint, as part of the Cimpress family of businesses, has initiated a carbon emissions reduction program to lower our direct and indirect emissions at a rate better than the well-below 2°C aspirational target established at 2015’s “Paris Climate Accord”. In fact, our emissions reduction program follows a science-derived 1.5°C target pathway, which will lead to Net Zero emissions by 2040.

To reach these goals, we are focusing and investing in energy-reducing infrastructure and equipment, renewable energy sourcing, finding lower emissions substrates, and more sustainable shipping options. Over the past year, we have begun digging into our supply chain emissions to gain even greater insight into what drives them, and where we can drive and influence reductions. We already have several projects in their early stages that will dramatically reduce our direct carbon emissions as we move forward and are excited to share more about them and their impact on our emissions when they are completed on our blog.

As soon as we get to a full year post-COVID-19, we will make a positive, transparent statement about performance on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. 

Our commitment to responsibly sourced paper

100% of the paper we print on in our production facilities is FSC®-certified. In 2020, we committed to influencing our third-party suppliers to materially expand their use of responsibly forested paper for the products that they customise on our behalf, as well as using either FSC®-certified corrugate or packaging materials containing recycled content from post-consumer sources to help ensure our packaging does not contribute to deforestation. We are working to reach 95% conversion to either FSC® or post-consumer waste materials across our third-party supply base and packaging by 2025.

Our commitment to the reduction in use of problematic plastics

In 2020, we committed to improve the profile of our plastic-based packaging in line with the targets set by the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and EU Plastics Pact, co-sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. We are committed to the following by 2025:

• 100% elimination of problematic plastics (mainly PVC and polystyrene);
• Making 100% of our packaging reusable, recyclable at curb side, or compostable.
• Reducing our use of virgin plastic by at least 20%, with at least half of this reduction coming from reduced plastic use overall (and the rest coming from increased recycled content).

Our commitment to sustainable facilities

We strive to build sustainable facilities so that our operations have a reduced, or neutral, impact on the environment. We are committed to employing green technologies in new construction, as well as retrofitting older buildings where possible. Our production facilities maximize recycling opportunities for all waste substrates and consumables.

Tradeprint and Two Sides

We are delighted to be a member of Two Sides, a not-for-profit organisation who promote the sustainability and positive attributes that paper offers the media and packaging landscape.

Two Sides is committed to dispelling the myths surrounding common inaccuracies about print and paper being unsustainable in today’s world. In fact, Two Sides works to provide verifiable information about the sustainability of paper by encouraging forest certification schemes as well as use of recycled fibres and implementing effective recycling schemes that eliminate print and paper waste going to landfill.

“It’s not just the high quality of print we deliver to our customers, but also the benefit of knowing that we regularly evaluate ways to reduce the impact of our operations and products on the environment so that we are protecting the environment to the best of our abilities. By joining with Two Sides, we will further promote the sustainable qualities of our company and an industry that has a great sustainable record.”

Charlene Joss, Managing Director at Tradeprint.