The European Printing Industry and its members are committed to sustainability and have been working hard towards greener practices and carbon footprint reduction across the entire sector for many years. The European printing industry has a long tradition of using recycled and renewable materials and supporting recycling strategies as an important part of the sector’s activities.

 

• The Printing Industry has set up sector-specific climate calculators based on the Intergraf standard (Intergraf Carbon Footprint Recommendations) already in XXXX: ClimateCalc and KlimaInitiative are carbon calculators that also provide users with the possibility to reduce their emissions and improve their energy efficiency.
• The printing industry is constantly setting new standards and expectations when it comes to sustainable practices. The Recommendations on carbon calculation set the standard for the assessment of carbon emission in the printing industry; The Method for the Assessment of Environmental Schemes for Printed Products (MAES) supports the printing industry in their strategic selection of environmental schemes related to printed products.
• The printing Industry is constantly innovating and reducing its impact on the environment both in terms of production and resources.
• European forests are growing and expanding every year (Milicevic, 2023), (FAO UN, 2022).
• Forest certification schemes like FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) play a crucial role in ensuring sustainable forest management globally.
• Contrarily to Europe, the number of forests globally is declining. However, it's essential to note that the EU strictly regulates its imports through tools like the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR). EUDR ensures that all wood and its derived products such as paper and print utilised within the EU originate from legal sources and are not coming from forest plots subject to illegal logging. This regulation provides a safeguard against deforestation and supports sustainable forest management practices.