Sustainability is vitally essential for all print businesses today. Embracing a clear environmental vision is the only way forward.

The world today is still firmly focused on mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal. Unsurprisingly, this is causing significant problems, not least of which is the depletion of natural resources.

For obvious reasons, there has been an increased focus on environmentally responsible sourcing, supply chain management, and manufacturing within the print industry. This is something that customers are increasingly demanding too, actively seeking to reduce their carbon footprint with manufacturers that embrace long-term environmental responsibility.

With Mintel’s latest Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study 2024-25 reporting sustainability as the most critical issue concerning brands, it’s clear this is a key concern facing the wider print industry.

The challenges

Here’s a quick overview of themain environmental challenges in production print:

Energy consumption

Production print processes consume large amounts of energy, especially with older, traditional equipment. From powering large presses to the drying and curing processes, the energy demand is substantial and often relies on non-renewable sources.

Waste generation

A substantial amount of waste is produced, including excess paper and setup sheets used for calibrating and adjusting presses.

Misprints, overproduction, and leftover materials all play a big part too.

Recyclability

Coatings, lamination or complex substrates, like composites or metallic inks, mean that some printed materials are challenging to recycle. While these features may improve the durability or aesthetic value, they can make recycling much harder.

Why sustainability is key for print providers

In short: addressing environmental issues is no longer optional for print providers.

Here’s why it really matters:

Reputation and responsibility

Environmental challenges affect all of us today. As businesses and consumers become more conscious, it’s vital to be transparent with our own commitments and actions towards sustainability. This demonstrates print providers understand their customers’ needs and are actively helping them reduce their impact.

Cost and time savings

Efficient use of printing devices, materials and reducing waste can lower production costs. As well as minimising errors, using automated systems also helps reduce paper waste and optimise resource usage.

Compliance

Many regions are introducing stricter regulations regarding waste and emissions. By adopting sustainable practices early, printers can avoid potential compliance issues too.

As a result, printing companies should establish robust investment criteria, prioritising technologies and processes.

that drive sustainability. This includes setting standards to evaluate both the environmental impact and return on investment of new equipment and materials.

Here to help

Sustainability is at the heart of Konica Minolta’s business. It has been an essential factor in the past 20 years of its innovation and is a focus for the future too. Here’s how Konica Minolta can help print businesses solve environmental challenges:

• Konica Minolta’s Simitri HD polymerised toners are significant innovations designed to reduce environmental impact. The toners require lower fusing temperatures, reducing energy use and carbon emissions.
• Konica Minolta is certified by INGEDE for optimal recyclability. This foundation informs the design of products and promotes the use of recycled materials (its toner bottles are made with up to 60 per cent recycled plastics), to reduce the amount of primary raw materials required.
• All Konica Minolta production printing devices are made in factories with certified quality (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001) and an occupational health and safety management system (ISO 45001).
• Konica Minolta is also transforming waste into valuable resources through its Clean Planet Program – with more than 87 per cent of recycled materials being converted into secondary raw materials.

At a local level, Konica Minolta Australia is committed to reducing its environmental footprint through local initiatives such as a free Cartridge Recycling Program and an equipment recycling agreement with the Australia New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP) via TechCollect. As part of its broader environmental leadership, the company takes full lifecycle responsibility and promotes green practices through energy-efficient technologies and waste reduction.

Visit www.konicaminolta.com.au for more information.

This first appeared in the August edition of ProPrint magazine.

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