The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner

Packaging is probably the only part of the printing industry immune to the internet. We will always need to protect physical goods from damage, whether its new shoes or potatoes. And as the world slowly grows its middle classes all over the globe, people are buying more stuff so more stuff needs to be packaged. They are also unfortunately developing a consumer habit so the more things they are presented with to purchase, the more goods they buy and the more packaging is needed.

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner

Or may be not. The circular economy is a huge concept so it is understandably attractive to marketers who don’t really expect target audiences to do more than be impressed by the phrase. But if companies are at least aware of circular economies that has to be a good thing. Just to remind you, a circular economy is one where the waste from a process becomes the raw material for another related process. That is an admittedly simplistic definition, but hopefully it is enough for you to get the idea. If you want a more grown-up definition, The Ellen MacArthure Foundation calls a circular economy a “systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution”.

The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner

Xeikon has recently introduced a new program for its digital press customers, to help them improve production efficiencies. This is a hands on effort that users of Xeikon digital presses can implement in order to cut production time, ink and toner consumption, materials waste and energy usage. The idea is to help customers to better cope with cost increases in electricity and the increasingly worrying spectre of materials shortages. Overall the plan should also cut environmental impacts, by making businesses more efficient.