One sector that arguably - in the past at least - could have done more than others to better communicate the progress that has been made in this area is wide-format print. Historically some wide-format jobs by their very nature were unrecyclable and until relatively recently it wasn't an area where clients expected or demanded a 'green' service. However, these expectations have slowly but surely changed and as a result the industry has been forced to take action.

And the progress made so far has been impressive. Fespa's 'evolution' report, which canvassed 140 print companies from EMEA and the US, found that 45.5% of those questioned had developed green printing practices during the course of 2010.
They've been greatly helped by manufacturers of wide-format kit who have conjured up leaner greener presses, eco-friendly inks and perhaps more importantly a raft of green substrates.

These range from the likes of NatureWoven Gossyp – a digitally printable material made from organic cotton and backed with natural latex that can be disposed of by composting – through to recyclable high density polyethylene banners that are provide a viable and highly durable alternative to traditional PVC scrim banners. To reinforce the green message many printers also offer a free 'pick up and recycle' scheme for end of life banners.

But it doesn't stop there. The next step in the wide-format sector's evolution into greener printing is measuring the carbon footprint of individual print jobs. The likes of HP already offer 'carbon footprint calculators' that enable users to measure and analyse areas such as energy consumption, paper use and carbon output.

Another tool that recently hit the market is Caldera's CostView software. Originally launched to help wide-format printers keep tags on production costs the latest incarnation of the software (version 3.0) features a carbon footprint analysis tool that measures areas similar to the ones covered by HP.

So wide-format printers no longer have an excuse not to go down the eco-friendly printing route. Thanks to advances in technology and measuring techniques, printers can accurately measure the carbon impact of their print jobs and start implementing measures to reduce that impact.

Armed with these tools it will be interesting to see how many wide-format printers 'evolve' into green printing operations over the course of 2011.