Sustainability Impacts the (Triple) Bottom Line: People, Planet & Profit
Earth Day 2022 was a timely reminder of the many challenges we face as a global society to live sustainably within the boundaries of our planet. The UN has defined the most important objectives in its 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and plainly lays out how urgent the need is for radical action in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Consumers are getting the message. Global pressure for companies to engage in sustainable practices is building as consumers increasingly demand sustainable goods and even more so -- indicate a willingness to pay for these goods.
Digital Technology is Unlocking a New Era in Packaging
Our contribution to sustainability at HP Indigo lies in digital printing and how we use this disruptive technology to transform the way we produce, and ultimately use packaging. For decades, HP Indigo has driven sustainability with innovation that minimizes waste, maximizes efficiency, and streamlines systems to make print more sustainable.
We are driving towards a net-zero carbon, fully regenerative economy while engineering the industry’s most sustainable portfolio of products and solutions. Throughout the entire process of product design, production, and delivery, we aim to lower our carbon footprint, reduce the amount of energy and waste, and recycle our materials throughout the entire lifecycle of both our printed products and the machines that produce them.
Digital print has demonstrated cuts of 26% in packaging waste [1] (because you only need to print what you need) and reduces the carbon footprint by 65%-80% [2] depending on the type of material being printed.
We are enabling printing processes that are more efficient and agile, giving print service providers, agencies, and brands greater control, while generating enormous environmental benefits:
Inspiring Positive Change for Our Communities
For us at HP Indigo, it’s not enough to have a sustainable end-to-end value chain. It is imperative to maximize our sustainable impact by acting as a sustainability catalyst in the ecosystem around us by empowering brands to accelerate their sustainability goals, while driving positive social impact through personalized packaging and print solutions.
We are unlocking new opportunities for brands to be drivers of sustainable behavior change.
It’s not just better for the planet – it’s also a powerful differentiator in a post-pandemic world that recognizes packaging as a media that is at times more relevant than old-school advertising. Research from the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) shows that packaging is the 2nd most effective media channel - just after online videos. [6] That’s incredible! Digital print technology unleashes newfound creativity that harnesses packaging to deliver relevant, timely and authentic content by co-creating stories with consumers that enable long-term sustainable behavior change.
At HP Industrial Print, we want to inspire this kind of messaging by empowering brands, agencies, and print-service providers to drive social impact in more effective and creative ways. And there are leading brands pioneering this change with us.
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Take Hershey’s, for example – in honor of International Women’s Day, the USA chocolate brand converted 320,000 of its wrappers into platforms for dozens of emerging female artists in Brazil to showcase their talent. The #HerShe campaign used digital printing to tell these unique stories on limited edition chocolate bars, and allowed consumers to scan a QR code to access more information on the profiled women. The campaign completed its third iteration this year and focused on improving the visibility of the issues around gender equality in Brazil. To date, the work has already won two Cannes Lions Awards, created 1.3bn social media impressions, and increased sales by 36%.
And there are countless other examples, whether it’s saving endangered elephants with Amarula, shining a light on farmers in the supply chain of Melinda Apples, or celebrating positive New Year’s resolutions on 20 million coffee jars across Mexico with Nescafé. We worked with each of these brands to create their campaigns in collaboration with their creative agency and their PSP.
Digital print is a leading example of how technology is helping us to transform from unsustainable practices onto a path that will leave a better future for our children who will inherit our legacy. It is a winning strategy realizing benefits across the triple bottom line – it’s better for the planet; it can help enrich the lives of the people around the world; AND it’s good for business.
Let’s work together and innovate for a more sustainable future for all.
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[1] IDC report: Package Print – June 2017
[2] EarthShiftGlobal LLC: Life Cycle Assessment Comparison – May 2016
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
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2yDavid Benattar very relevant for you.
Head of Creative at HP Indigo | Variable Data, Creative Tools & Workflow Expert | Design thinking | Problem Solver | AI and ML Evangelist | Public Speaker
2yThis is amazing - very well needed! As the effects of climate change become inescapable, the conversation around the issue is moving from a state of denial and anger and into grief. People are responding to the knowledge that koalas, or coral reefs or the Arctic ice sheets are gone and not coming back with a sense of profound personal loss, and finding ways to express these feelings. I believe that in the coming year we’ll see more and more examples of the language of and narratives around grief entering the discourse around climate change and sustainability. With Digital print, we can help amlify those stories in a sustainable way with sustainable packaging and print materials, print-what-you-need and storytelling.
Business Development
2yVery interesting, for our market as well !