The Sustainability Benefits of Print on Demand
Every once in a while, you come across an image that really makes you think. Recently, 'New Greenpeace Report: Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street—Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases'. Because when you throw something away, it has to go somewhere, doesn’t it?
It can be hard to see how the small things that we as individuals do to reuse, recycle, and save resources can make an impact. While we know that they’re not, our efforts can seem futile. But, as families, teams and organisations, these efforts all add up. Processes and changes to how we work and behave contribute to ways that we may not recognise at first.
Print on demand is a prime example, only producing what is required and when means the days of over-ordering are gone, and that can generate some powerful effects:
Print On demanD Reduces Waste
The temptation to order more – whether because you couldn’t accurately forecast or simply because more meant a better unit price – has been replaced with the ability to order only what you want or need or what you can sell. And, when the need to update content or make other changes arises, it allows that to be done simply and easily. So, no delays or excess inventory, reduced storage requirements, less chance of obsolescence and the resultant need for disposal.
Print On demanD Reduces Resource
Print on demand has the ability to slash the consumption of raw materials like paper and textiles, along with energy and water, as well as man-hours and production time. All things are definitely worth preserving and saving in this day and age.
Print On demanD Reduces Carbon-footprint
Reduced energy usage during production is one way of improving carbon footprint; delivery and shipping are another. But these savings can be dwarfed by the gains of 'printing at the point of need'. The transmission of a digital design or file, rather than transporting the finished book or product itself, can have a profound and enormous impact.
Print On Demand Improves Cashflow
Moving away from 'print to sell' to either of the altogether more cashflow-efficient 'print-to-sold', or even 'direct to consumer' models, where goods are only produced when the customer orders/pays, can revolutionise a business and exponentially improve its cashflow, efficiencies and, in turn, profitability. It can also make for a smoother and swifter customer journey, and greater customer satisfaction is never a bad thing!
Print on demanD Saves Money
Using technology and automation allows a business’s clients to create their own products; empowerment shifts the onus and associated costs too. That creation cost, along with every other resource employed, has a price, so cutting any or all of these naturally preserves capital. Winner, winner!
We are committed to the environment across our four UK sites and have manufacturing partners across Europe, the US, and Australia. We are Forests Matter, FSC® (FSC-C001648) and PEFC Chain of Custody certified and have been ISO 14001 certified since 2008.
We welcome any opportunity to discuss how we might improve our customers and our green credentials. So please do get in touch if you’d like to join the conversation.