A group of international print and packaging companies has launched the Sustainable Print Manifesto, an industry-led initiative aimed at creating a unified approach to sustainability.
The manifesto sets out nine principles to reduce environmental impact, including lowering carbon emissions, reducing waste, selecting lower-impact materials, improving water efficiency, and increasing transparency through data-driven reporting.
The document is designed to be applicable across commercial print, packaging, textiles, labels and other sectors, without favouring specific technologies or processes. It provides a shared framework for sustainable print, highlighting the nine practical principles that any organisation can adopt.
These include designing print for purpose, producing efficiently, choosing better materials and inks, minimising waste, reducing carbon and energy consumption, improving water stewardship, applying finishing only where it adds value, recycling and reusing operational materials, and communicating environmental performance transparently through accurate, data-led reporting.
Practical framework
Developed over the past year with input from working group sessions, webinars and industry summits, the manifesto seeks to provide a practical framework that companies of any size can adopt without significant investment or operational disruption. Brand owners and retailers were also consulted to ensure the principles reflect real-world sustainability priorities.
‘This is about creating a shared language for sustainable print that cuts through confusion and empowers businesses to take action,’ supporters of the project said in a joint statement.
Founding partners include HP, Sun Chemical, Nazdar, CarbonQuota and Domino Printing Sciences, with support from trade associations such as Printing United Alliance in the US, the British Printing Industries Federation in the UK, and the Flemish Innovation Centre for Graphic Communication in Belgium.
The initiative promotes a lifecycle approach, encouraging design for end-of-life recovery, efficient production and responsible use of materials and energy. Organisers describe the manifesto as a guiding framework that complements, rather than replaces, existing standards or regulations.
Carlos Lahoz, head of HP’s industrial print sustainability strategy, said: “I believe in the value of print and the positive impact it has in the world. But I also believe that there’s still room for improvement. To accelerate innovation and progress, collaboration is key.
“Collaboration built on trust and transparency, towards a shared goal. This is what this manifesto aims for, and this is why I pledge to its principles.”
