The trade body said it was pleased that the government had listened to the concerns of the printing industry, one of 54 sectors eligible for the scheme, when pushing the application window for new entrants back by two months.

Following a consultation, in which the BPIF sought the views of both members and non-members using virtual roundtables, the federation found that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on printing businesses would hinder their ability to apply, due to the time required to complete the necessary paperwork.

The BPIF said the scheme has encouraged many print companies to take energy efficiency measures, reduce CO2 and ensure worthwhile savings.

The federation supports its members to reach CCAs by offering its own Climate Change Levy Reduction scheme.

BPIF commercial products manager Steve Walker, who administers the scheme on behalf of the printing industry, said there are already 350 printing companies on the scheme, saving a combined total of over £14m annually.

He told Printweek: “Most of the work in joining the scheme is related to the application process, because somebody has got to go around and assess the energy use within their organisation. They'll need time to do that and it's also not going to be too easy if you're working from home. But once you're on the scheme the administration of it is fairly light.”

The annual cost of the BPIF scheme starts at £1,000 plus VAT plus £185 for a member company with a turnover of less than £10m.

The BPIF said the first thing a business should do to work out whether it is worth joining the scheme is to let the federation know how much energy its site uses in a year (in kWh's) and the BPIF can then work out how much the business would save.

If the business was then interested to proceed, the BPIF would visit or video call, free of charge, to explain the requirements of the application process and the energy efficiency requirements.

“How much one might save is the first part of it, because there are scheme costs and the majority of the industry don't spend enough on energy – if you're a six-man company, your climate change bill is likely to be limited. And therefore this is more for the bigger print companies – you need to be saving £3,000 or £4,000 in order for coming onto the scheme to be worthwhile,” said Walker.

He added some of the industry's larger companies currently on the scheme are saving hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“A company doesn't get the discounts for nothing, it has to commit to energy efficiency improvements and that's measured by how many kWh's of energy they use per square metre of paper or substrate they print upon.”

Once a business has joined the scheme, the BPIF will administer it on their behalf, undertaking site visits to explain the requirements, checking the eligibility forms and targets, and reporting a site's results every two years.