Printers urged to complete energy surveys

Energy Relief Scheme for business will initially run for six months
Energy Relief Scheme for business will initially run for six months

Print businesses are being urged to complete a Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) survey that will shape which industries gain ‘vulnerable industry’ status under the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The Graphics & Print Media Alliance (GPMA) is asking that as many printing businesses as possible fill in the survey so BEIS is aware of how the energy price crisis is affecting print businesses.

A government liaison officer told the GPMA: "The wider evidence base we have, the more likely it will be that sectors will be considered for support." 

The GPMA is made up of a number of industry bodies including the BPIF, IPIA and Picon. It represents print and paper businesses with a combined turnover of £14bn, and employing some 130,000 people. 

Last month it warned of “mass business failure” if the government did not act immediately to cap industrial energy costs, describing the crisis as “an existential threat for the UK’s graphics and print media sector”.

The BEIS survey can be found here, and will be open for responses until 23:55 on 24 October.

Separately, the BPIF is running a print-specific survey on energy that is also helping to inform the federation’s discussions with BEIS.

“The survey itself was constructed before government support was announced but we’ve kept it open as it is picking up useful information from companies in the industry about how they are being impacted,” explained Kyle Jardine, BPIF economist and Northern Ireland manager.

Jardine has also followed up on the announcement about government support with specific questions on that in the new Printing Outlook survey, which is currently live with BPIF members.

Picon and IPIA have also promoted the BPIF research to their members.

Both surveys are confidential. 

The government announced its Energy Relief Scheme for business on 21 September. The scheme will run for six months, and be reviewed after three months.