Bold claims

With so many firms – most making bold claims of their peerless eco-credentials – vying for your waste, it can be difficult to tell the wood from the trees so it is worth putting in the research hours. Getting it wrong can be damaging to both your reputation and your bank balance, with top fines as much as £20,000. “They have the potential to finish small printers,” says the BPIF’s Wallis.

Besides the fines, the majority of printers would rather be spared the blushes of being all over the local papers on account of their industrial detritus strewn over the municipal golf course. It’s been known to happen.

Thankfully, regulation and the need for accreditation has meant that the cowboys are being squeezed out. “We wouldn’t touch a company without ISO 14001,” says Winfield. “It gives you a guarantee that your waste is properly disposed of.”

Taking a proactive interest in where your waste is going, along with making sure that there’s a culture of eco-consciousness throughout your business, is essential to making waste management work, according to Michael Sturges, a consultant at Innventia Edge.

“It can’t just be a box-ticking exercise,” he says. “Sustainability has to be at the very core of the business. But printers are definitely playing ball – legislation has added costs, but that will drive innovation.”

"Sustainability has to be at the very core of the business. Legislation has added costs, but that will drive innovation."
Michael Sturges, Innventia Edge