Sustainability set to dominate print industry in next three years amid race to net zero

Sustainability is set to be the leading priority for businesses by 2025 as nine in ten businesses say their company’s net-zero goal influences supplier selection

Print vendors are expected to heavily focus on sustainability amid the race to net zero in the print industry.

That is according to research from Quocirca, which found sustainability factors are growing in influence over supplier choices as businesses strive to meet their net-zero commitments.

The research firm surveyed 212 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) in UK and US organisations with over 500 employees across a range of sectors and published its findings in this year's Sustainability Trends Report.

It found sustainability is set to be the leading priority for businesses by 2025 as nine in ten say their company's net-zero goal influences supplier selection.

Figures also show that 36 per cent of ITDMs say reducing environmental impact is a priority for their organisation now while for 40 per cent it will be prioritised in 2025.

Quocirca research director Louella Fernandes said: "Businesses recognise that a considerable proportion of their environmental impact resides in their supply chain. To reduce it they need suppliers to minimise the whole lifecycle impact of products and be achieving net-zero goals of their own.

"Our research found that, by 2025, reducing environmental impact will be the top priority for businesses, eclipsing customer experience and cybersecurity concerns. A priority for customers must also be a priority for the industry and we expect to see vendors focusing heavily on sustainability as they position themselves as valuable partners on the journey to net-zero."

Data also reveals that 36 per cent of small organisations have a fully implemented sustainability strategy compared to only 20 per cent of large companies.

Some 95 per cent of smaller organisations also say that their net-zero goal influences supplier selection to a great or moderate extent, compared to 82 per cent of larger businesses.

Fernandes said that vendors should ensure that sustainability factors are clear when engaging with smaller business.

"Customers need tangible data, transparently communicated, so they can select the technology partner that will deliver the most appropriate solution for their business," she added.

Currently, 84 per cent of ITDMs say that seeing providers offer sustainable products and services is the most important but believe it will be more vital for vendors to demonstrate that they have taken steps to reduce their own environmental impact by 2025.

Fernandes said: "The print industry has a good record of pursuing sustainability through innovation, with initiatives to reduce device power and resource consumption embedded across the sector, and a growing drive towards circularity. Looking forward, vendors need to confidently articulate their progress in areas such as increasing the amount of recycled material in devices and pursuing sustainable manufacturing and distribution practices."