Printing and net positive are not often used in the same sentence, that’s because traditional printing requires a lot of resources to deliver: energy, water, trees. But print-based comms is an essential part of the toolkit for charities, with community flyers, health leaflets and direct mail appeals playing a role in most charity communication plans.
Most of the damage of printing comes from production methods which churn out CO2, inks with high chemical counts, and processes which generate lots of waste that end up on landfill. It often means there’s tensions between marketing and business needs and sustainability efforts when it comes to printing. The conversation usually ends in how to offset the negative impact of traditional printing elsewhere or picking the most reasonable option – because there didn’t seem like there was any other way.
This blog shares why that’s a thing of the past, how exactly net zero printing works, and what benefits can be found for planet positive printing for your sustainability goals and your branding.
What is planet positive printing?
Planet positive printing involves a different kind of printing process, moving away from traditional methods and toward new technology. It’s net-carbon negative and removes more carbon from the atmosphere that it is responsible for.
Derek McRae is the Commercial Director at Seacourt, a certified B-Corp printer. Talking about how sustainable printing works in practice, he said: “We use waterless presses that run on 100% renewable energy and ink that is free of volatile organic compounds. We cure our inks and have no need to use seal varnish of spray powder. We have removed around 99% of the chemicals used in conventional printing and release no polluted water into our environment.
“We also send zero production waste to landfill. The virgin paper we use comes from Europe’s lowest carbon mill and we also provide a range of recycled materials. With only 0.7% of our carbon footprint left in our factory we are mainly offsetting for our entire supply chain”
By doing printing in this way, they’ve proven that zero production waste to landfill is possible, but the journey to this point was an incremental evolution since 1996! Starting with a waterless printing process that removes the alcohol and chemicals to investing in renewable energy sources and recycling processes.
“The creative and logistical process you’re used to with printing companies doesn’t change,” Derek notes, “just the footprint of your output.”
Benefits for sustainability and brand
While sustainability is rightly the number one benefit of printing in this way, there are factors that have a huge boost for how audiences engage with your comms, too.
Taking a more active role
Doing less harm in our sustainability efforts may not be making the dent really needed in climate action, that’s why companies are looking at innovative solutions that make a difference. As values-led organisations and creative consultants, it may be time to lead the charge in adopting them where possible.
Charities, as well as their partners, share a common goal of making the world a better place. For many, even beyond the sustainability sector, sustainability issues are something they want to address. They understand that climate inaction can seriously affect the social issues they’re working on and directly impact communities. Funders are also expecting charities to be conscious of the environmental influence of their choices, asking charities to communicate about this in their grant applications.
Print perceptions and brand trust
For charities, the ‘how’ behind your communications can speak just as loudly as the copy or assets you have used. This demand for transparency and accountability is driven by a public who expects a better alignment between brand values and business decisions. And with greenwashing now getting oversight and trust in charities becoming increasingly important to drive awareness and increase fundraising, it’s vital that you really understand if your choices are actually green in practice and how you’re operating is actually building trust with your audiences.
To bridge this gap, charities and creative consultants can work with partners who prioritise values-based production methods, so your work continues to be an expression of your commitment to a better world. Adding information about the printing process at the back of your brochure to say how it was produced can affirm your responsible nature.
National Trust
When National Trust sites were reopening after covid, they needed suitable signage to share health measure notices like distance instructions, queue directions and hand sanitiser stations. Seacourt created signs made on fully recyclable materials and collected and recycled the signs once they were done with them, moving the organisation away from previous productions “using harmful PVC-based materials” and “preventing these from entering landfill”, the charity noted. This approach helped National Trust live by their values of looking after nature.
An engaging digital comms alternative
Acquiring new supporters online is getting increasingly more complex and expensive, especially as communicators work out how to respond to the shifting digital landscape, with algorithm changes, bans imposed and competition for attention. Direct mail benchmarks show that it remains a relatively resilient way to reach new supporters or engage existing supporters.
Data from the Joint Industry Committee for Mail Media Metrics (looking at campaigns across sectors) showed that the average household holds onto direct mail for 7.8 days which is looked at 4.5 times, and mail prompts account for nearly 10% of viewers to websites for action.
Printed materials can help charities cut through as audiences experience digital fatigue and content overwhelm in online spaces, exasperated by AI. Print is something tangible that puts real stories from trusted sources straight into the hands of the public, something that they can verify and engage with during a direct journey.
With many voicing concerns about the large environmental costs of AI, choosing something that’s clearly driven by sustainable principles means you understand the audience’s concerns and align with their viewpoint.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
The Wild Warwickshire magazine is the membership magazine from the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. The change to more sustainable products and processes was a “no brainer”, according to the trust, to show their “commitment to best practice and the environment”. Not only could they communicate the sustainable way the magazine was produced, but they celebrated the “more tactical finish” of the magazine in a letter to readers, highlighting the benefits of reaching and engaging members in this way.
Speak to sustainability partners to understand how you can make an even bigger impact with printed communications, because how you deliver your comms says just as much as the output itself.
