ENVIRONMENT / NEWS PrintMonthly printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine 14 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk January / February 2025 - Issue 352 Non-profit organisation Two Sides is calling on organisations to remove or change misleading statements that it labels as ‘greenwashing’. Founded in 2008, Two Sides is a nonprofit initiative promoting the sustainable attributes of print, paper, and packaging. Greenwashing is the practice of a company misleading the public about its environmental impact, either through mislabelling, hiding harmful practices, or emphasising a single environmental attribute while ignoring others. According to the organisation, economic pressures have caused companies which have previously relied on paper for customer communication to shift from traditional paper-based services to digital platforms, in order to cut costs. Alongside this transition, many companies have made environmental marketing claims such as "Go Green – Go Paperless" or "Choose e-billing and help save a tree." But according to Two Sides, these claims are misleading and are clear examples of greenwashing. As of October, the organisation has challenged over 2,800 organisations found to be communicating these greenwashing messages to their customers. This has resulted in more than 1,260 organisations changing or removing statements. In Europe, 811 companies including South West Water, New Look, BMW Financial Services, and Deutsche Bank have removed or changed statements following communication from Two Sides. Two Sides has also claimed that consumer preferences are being ignored in the push to digital communications. Data from a 2023 Two Sides 'Trend Tracker' report states that 55% of European consumers believe that companies’ environmental arguments for switching to digital are misleading and are primarily about reducing company costs. Additionally, the research shows that 76% of consumers want the option to choose and do not want to be forced to use digital communications. Two Sides Europe managing director, Jonathan Tame, says: “These greenwash claims not only breach established environmental marketing regulations but also harm an industry with a well-established and continually improving environmental track record. “Far from ‘saving trees,’ a healthy market for forest products such as paper encourages the long-term growth of forests through sustainable forest management. Many of the organisations we challenge are surprised to learn that European forests have actually been expanding by the equivalent of 1,500 football pitches every day.” Two Sides has also warned that the influence of messages about the positive environmental impact of reducing paper production can have a lasting negative impact on consumer perceptions of paper. Research conducted by Two Sides and Censuswide in 2021 found that in the European mailing and postal sector, greenwashing threatens the loss of €337 million of value annually to the industry. Companies and individuals alike have been encouraged to send any instances of company greenwashing to the email address: greenwash@twosides.info Two Sides has so far challenged over 2,800 organisations found to be communicating greenwashing messages to customers The British Coatings Federation (BCF) has found industry improvements in the coatings sector across a range of sustainability measures. The BCF Coatings Care programme was established in 1996 to monitor and drive improvement in the health and welfare of employees, the safe operation of processes, and sustainable practices across the coatings sector. Over 40 UK coatings and printing ink manufacturing sites are currently taking part in the scheme. BCF has reported that in 2023, energy use among the companies taking part was 161 kWh per tonne of production, down 9% compared to the previous year. This is 10% lower than was measured in 2020, and the lowest recorded energy use figure since the survey began in 1996. 59% of the companies surveyed said that all their waste was either incinerated or recycled. For the constant sample of 22 companies providing consistent data for the last five years, 16 produced no landfill waste at all. BCF reports industry improvement in sustainability CarbonQuota has recently announced a strategic partnership with PrintVis, a cloud-based business management platform for the print industry. The partnership enables Print Vis to integrate automated carbon footprint calculations into its print management solution. Through this integration, PrintVis customers can now access carbon footprints for every print order via CarbonQuota's existing calculator technology, enabling print and packaging businesses to track and measure their environmental impact during their operations. Speaking of the collaboration, Dom Harris, co-founder of CarbonQuota, says: "Tracking and calculating carbon data is now essential to managing and reducing emissions. “The integration of PrintVis with CarbonQuota's market leading carbon calculator provides a seamless way for their customers to calculate emissions for every order, equipping them to make informed, sustainable choices." PrintVis and CarbonQuota form strategic partnership CarbonQuota cofounder, Dom Harris The BCF trade association represents the interests of manufacturers of decorative paints, printing inks, industrial coatings, and wall coverings By Jonathan Pert Greenwashing is a threat to the printing industry
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