35 Issue 249 - October / November 2023 email: news@signlink.co.uk NEED TO KNOW / BEING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS Abuzzword that’s been around for over a decade, ‘sustainability’ is something you can’t avoid hearing about. For years, companies have been talking about improving their sustainability and working to go greener but it is only in the past few years that we have seen real tangible and proactive changes becoming more commonplace. From speaking to industry members over the years, this seems to be being driven by consumers and clients themselves wanting businesses to prove how they are being green, and tenders are also implementing sustainability requirements within their listings. As a result, we are seeing more and more initiatives and products being launched with the industry working to be greener than ever; but as we all know, there is always more to be done. In this feature, we speak to some of the companies implementing sustainable practices within their business and ‘walking the walk’ as much as they are ‘talking the talk’. Constantly Innovating A hardware manufacturer that is striving to promote sustainability within its own operations and the wider industry is Mimaki. As the company’s technology advances, it is using more environmentally friendly materials and adopting processes that require less consumption of natural resources. Arjen Evertse, general manager of sales for EMEA at Mimaki, explains how Mimaki integrates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its environmental principles. “We are actively reducing our emissions and waste, transitioning to renewable energy consumption in all facilities, and working towards achieving various sustainability certifications.” An example of this is that last year, 84.7% of Mimaki’s ink sales for sign graphics and industrial printer inks were GREENGUARD GOLD certified. The company has also pledged to reduce its use of plastics, switching to carton cartridges for popular ink products to reduce plastic use significantly. By completely changing the popular SS21 ink to a carton cartridge, Mimaki can reduce annual plastic use by 29.2 tonnes, which equates to a reduction of 38 tonnes in carbon emissions. Within Mimaki’s research and development, the company is constantly innovating to develop technologies addressing sustainability, like its LED-UV technology ranges which tackle energy consumption as well as its completely waterless digital textile print solutions. TANGIBLE CHANGE With sustainability moving from being just a buzzword to a core focus with initiatives being implemented more and more, we look at some of the ways to improve your impact within the industry Ben Gingell
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