The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), the leading authority in sustainable printing certifications, announced on 24 January 2022, that Bobst is now a gold patron. As a leader in the drive to achieve a circular economy in flexible packaging, Bobst’s partnership with SGP is another step in its goal to empower sustainability. Bobst joins other supporters of SGP certification and sustainable business practices. SGP certification is the only whole-facility certification program developed for the entire printing industry to offer credible sustainability validation by a third party.
“The Bobst approach to empower sustainability efforts internally and externally is two-fold. First, we look for opportunities to design, or re-design, our equipment so that it reduces process waste levels, energy use, or any potential environmental risks that its use might create,” said Emilio Corti, regional market director, Americas. “In parallel with this, Bobst takes a holistic approach to the whole process of manufacturing the equipment our customers buy from us.”
“Bobst demonstrates a commitment to sustainability with its solutions and sponsorship of SGP by supporting the print supply chain in the entire printing lifecycle from manufacture to operation, with circular economy considerations,” said Doreen Monteleone, SGP Treasurer and Flexographic Technical Association representative. “Working with SGP certified facilities gives print buyers a way to validate the sustainability initiatives of their vendors.”
Bobst joins with other patrons, certified facilities, brands, academic institutions and associations in the SGP Community working together to foster sustainability in the print supply chain. “We take pride in the initiatives we undertake to empower sustainability and partnering with SGP was a natural fit for us” said Corti.
SGP certification recognizes top sustainability leaders in the printing industry that meet its holistic and rigorous certification criteria. Facilities, including printers and suppliers, are interested in eliminating waste, reducing energy consumption, transitioning to sustainable materials and winning new business from organizations that require sustainable printing practices.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
