Can the print industry ever be part of the circular economy?

The circular economy is a model of production that involves reusing and recycling existing materials and products to keep them in circulation for as long as possible. By extending the lifecycle of products to generate new raw materials, the result is less waste and fewer emissions. But could a circular economy ever be a reality for the print industry?

The answer is both yes and no. Printing is scaling down, but it’s still prevalent. The circular economy for printing is a fascinating field because it has a huge diversity of components and inputs.

Which printing components are recyclable?

Paper

The first thing that comes to mind in terms of printing waste is paper. Recycled paper seems like an easy win, but that doesn’t mean it is infinitely circular in nature. Paper is made up of fibers that are pressed and pulped. Every time you recycle paper, the fibers break and wear, so a piece of paper can only be recycled seven or eight times. Even paper that is sold as recycled contains around 20 to 30 percent new wood pulp.

A solution may be found in hemp as a source of fibers for paper, particularly as the historical stigma against the plant eases. In terms of sustainability, hemp plants require less land and water than wood pulp, with far greater yields per hectare. However, there are still barriers to the growth of hemp usage. The biggest obstacle to hemp paper production is that it requires different pulping machines, and the global paper industry has invested billions into equipment to pulp trees. So, there is a massive sunk cost preventing the transition to a more environmentally friendly paper.

Ink and toner

Of course, there is more to printing than just paper. Ink and toner are primarily petrochemical products, and there is no circular economy for oil. Although alternatives are being researched, such as polymers developed from algae, the print industry is still a long way from adopting more sustainable solutions.

However, an even greater barrier is a commercial model largely driven by the sale of consumables – leaving no incentive for vendors to encourage reduced printing. The printers are sold at a low cost, and all of the revenue comes from the ink and toner. The more you print, the more ink and toner you need, and the more money the print manufacturer can make.

Refillable inks present a promising step forward. Unlike single-use cartridges, refillable options allow for the repeated use of the same cartridge, significantly reducing plastic waste. While these inks are often third-party products rather than those developed by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), they’re generally compatible and effective. This approach not only cuts down on the production and disposal of plastic cartridges but also supports a shift towards more eco-friendly practices within the print industry.

OEMs themselves have robust recycling programs for their proprietary toners. And third-party toner and ink cartridge recycling programs - such as Cartridges for Planet Ark (supported by several leading OEMs) - are a positive step in the right direction, too.

Printers and power

The single biggest carbon cost across the entire printing value chain is the manufacture and disposal of printers themselves. While much work is being done into the circularity of electronic waste, and some print companies are making their devices from recycled materials, a huge amount of electricity is still required both to manufacture printers and to recycle them.

But I am optimistic about energy as a bright spot in the circular economy. We’ve seen sustainable power generation skyrocket in the past few years with wind and solar, so it’s probably light years ahead of the sustainability of paper, consumables, and hardware.

The need for environmental regulation

Although manufacturers may reduce the environmental impact of printers, paper, and consumables, they are also constantly releasing new and upgraded models onto the market.

This is where government regulation can make all the difference – as with the introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) that requires all large companies operating in the EU to publish regular reports on their environmental activities. Scope 3 emissions are for a customer to report on their supply chain. So, the cost of carbon, energy, and resources to make the printer, consumables, and paper all need to be accounted for under CSRD.

Even with mandatory emissions reporting, accurately measuring waste and consumption remains an issue. I don’t know if I’m reducing my waste or consumption until I know what my baseline is. Our customers are being asked by regulators to report on emissions, but we as an industry are not yet mature enough to give them a straight answer.

The future for print sustainability

The print industry has now reached a critical fork in the road: whether to go paperless or become truly sustainable. The paperless office has been a pipe dream since the 70s, and it is no closer now than it ever was. I don’t think it’s going to happen because people dislike change.

What I foresee is a future in which pressure from regulators, consumers, and input costs forces printing to become more circular. Right now, oil is still unrealistically cheap because the ecological cost of fossil fuels is not accounted for. Centralized manufacturing and shipping are a gruesome environmental burden that is not accurately priced in, even with Scope 3 emissions reporting.

The lack of measurement is still the greatest challenge in moving printing towards a circular economy. If we can start getting closer to understanding the environmental footprint of print, that can feed into regulatory compliance and top-down reduction efforts.

The most valuable contribution individuals and businesses can make to print sustainability is reducing printing, which is why PaperCut is focused on making printing less wasteful. For every page, you save the trees that are cut down to make that paper, as well as the energy spent recycling the paper, the ink and toner on the page, and the electricity used by the printer.

PaperCut is also committed to “forest positivity” by planting more trees than are used for printing. These trees not only replenish paper stocks but also help remove some of the carbon dioxide released in print manufacturing.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a big step in the right direction. That’s where we are today, and I’m excited for us to do more tomorrow, but it is a big hill to climb.

#SmartPrinting #PrintEconomy