Sustainability in Wide-Format: From Buzzword to Business Advantage

The word sustainability can get thrown around a lot in the printing industry. Usually, it's alongside images of leaves, recycling arrows, and vague “eco-friendly” promises. During Sara Osorio's session, "Rethinking Sustainability in Wide-Format Printing" at this year's Wide-format Summit, the manager of EHS & Sustainability for PRINTING United Alliance made her message clear: Sustainability is no longer a marketing add-on or a niche concern. It’s quickly becoming a core business strategy and a major competitive differentiator for print providers.

In other words, sustainability in printing is not just about being “green.” It’s about how you run your business, how you serve your customers, and how you prepare for what’s coming next.

"There’s a very common misconception in that sustainability is all about the environment and green practices, but in reality, sustainability goes much deeper than that,” Osorio said.

Going Beyond “Green”

Osorio emphasized that sustainability in print isn’t just about the environment. It’s about the intersection of people, planet, and profit.

Osorio made it clear that a product isn’t truly sustainable if it’s unsafe or economically unviable:

"You can have the most green, sustainable product in the world, but if it's unsafe… then it's not really sustainable,” she said.  "And at the end of the day, this is a business. We're here to make money, and sustainability should be a part of that strategy. Sustainability does not always have to be a cost center."

A great example shared in the session was from a Durst case study. A customer went from a 50% reprint rate to a 1% reprint rate after investing in new machinery — dramatically cutting waste and improving efficiency. Osorio described it as "A huge sustainability win that is not being promoted as a sustainability win."

In other words, many shops already have sustainability wins hidden in their productivity and quality gains — they just aren’t framing or documenting them that way.

The EPR Wave: Policy is Knocking on Print’s Door

Another major theme Osorio pointed out is that environmental policy is catching up, especially through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

"Sustainability is reshaping the printing industry... It all started in the EU. It's now moved to seven states and when it comes to extended producer responsibility, what we're seeing now is calls for federalization,” Osorio said

Essentially, EPR shifts the responsibility for end-of-life management from municipalities and consumers to producers and brands.

While brands are typically on the hook, printers are not immune:

"There is a hierarchy. There are instances where we have seen printers being affected as producers, specifically in California,” Osorio said.

And even when printers aren’t defined as producers, they are deeply involved in the data and reporting side. The Osorio noted how packaging converters are being leaned on by brands:

"Our converters and our packaging members have told us that brands are really starting to rely on them to provide a lot of the data they need to report on EPR that will then set the fees for their products,” she said.

For print providers, this translates into a growing need to understand materials, recyclability, and data — and to be ready to guide customers through these regulatory shifts.

The Buzzword Trap: Why Verification Beats Vague Claims

Osorio’s session spent substantial time on the misuse of sustainability buzzwords and how to avoid greenwashing.

Terms like recyclable, recycled content, carbon neutral, compostable, bio-based, biodegradable, and eco-friendly are often used interchangeably or without context.

"What you really need to be aware of is all these buzzwords that float around in the sustainability space… Specifically, these three they're used interchangeably as if they mean the same thing, and they are completely different,” Osorio cautioned.

She also highlighted the gap between technically recyclable and actually recyclable, using California’s 60/60 rule as an example.

Even popular claims like “PVC-free” can be misleading without context:

"PVC-free? I love that one. Okay, it's PVC free, but what is in it? That only tells me what is not in it,” Osorio said.

The message is clear: documentation and proof matter more than catchy labels. Printers should be prepared to back up every claim they make.

From Products to Practices: Fixing the Sustainability Disconnect

Many shops equate sustainability with offering a single “green” material. Osorio called this out as a sustainability disconnect:

"A green substrate does not a sustainable operation make, and you really should be focusing more on… sustainable practices and a holistic approach to sustainability, rather than just looking at these green products,” Osorio said.

Real progress comes from looking at your entire operation:

• How much are you reprinting?
• How efficiently are you using substrates?
• How consistent is your color?
• Are you extending equipment life through maintenance?

The speaker recommended starting with a simple sustainability audit:

"I would start by conducting a very quick and simple sustainability audit. Assess your operations honestly. Don't lie to yourself,” she said.

She also stressed that sustainability investments should be treated like any other long-term business investment:

"In my opinion, sustainability needs to be looked at [as an] investment, just like any other. You don't expect immediate next day ROI from new press. Why are you expecting it from your sustainable investments?"

For wide-format printers, the path forward does not have to begin with an expensive equipment purchase or a complete overhaul of the operation. It can start with measuring waste, tracking reprints, documenting material choices, improving color consistency, training employees, and asking suppliers better questions.

Interested in what Osorio had to say? Catch her at PRINTING United Expo Sept. 23-26 in Las Vegas for her sessions Sustainability Compliance: What Printers Need to Know & Sustainability Foundations: Future-Proofing Your Print Business.