Sustainability and Environment
We believe that even in this digital era, paper remains unique in its ability to enhance our lives. It is renewable, recyclable and an organic contributor to new ideas and creativity. And with research showing that 54% of UK residents feel that digital adverts are no longer effective, print marketing looks to be making a comeback! Consumers are 152% more likely to pay attention to print marketing versus digital, and further research suggests that printed information is easier to process and retain, with print ads delivering a recall of 78%.
With this in mind, we have looked at ways of reducing our carbon impact and demonstrating responsible procurement alongside corporate responsibility. We strive to be conscious of the environmental impacts of our choices and as such we have chosen paper suppliers who support sustainability and eco-responsibility in paper production.
Paper is now regarded as one of the world’s great sustainable products. It’s biodegradable, recyclable and made from a renewable raw material. And it’s thanks to the whole print supply chain that terms like FSC, PEFC and recycled content have entered the mainstream. Our standard stock comprises a FSC mix with a green star system rating of 4 stars or above (5 stars being the highest rating). Our most used stock also holds EU Ecolabel accreditation. These products have officially been distinguished as being amongst the most environmentally friendly in their range. Requirements for gaining this label include exclusion or limitation of hazardous substances and mixtures, low air and water emissions, efficient energy use and recycling to recover the embodied value within the product.
We ourselves subscribe to the carbon offsetting initiative, Carbon Balanced Paper, which counteracts the unavoidable carbon emissions generated during the paper making process. The initiative runs in partnership with the World Land Trust and Forest Carbon Woodlands.
What is carbon balancing?
In simple terms, carbon balancing is where the carbon impacts of a product or service have been estimated and an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide is either prevented from being released into, or is absorbed from, the atmosphere. It is delivered by World Land Trust, an international conservation charity, who protect the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre. Their carbon balanced programme offsets emissions through the purchase and preservation of high conservation value forests. Sir David Attenborough is a key patron of the trust.
Through land purchase of ecologically important standing forests under threat of clearance, carbon is locked that would otherwise be released. These protected forests are then able to continue absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. This is now recognised as one of the swiftest ways to prevent the rise in atmospheric CO2 and global warming effects.
Since its’ launch in 2013 more than 2,000 organisations in the UK have now used Carbon Balanced Paper, balancing more than 153,000 tonnes of CO2 and preserving 13,140 acres of ecologically endangered land with World Land Trust.
Sharp Printing are proud to be one of the businesses associated with this initiative.
