Emissions reductions too often fudged

Laurel Brunner emphasizes the importance of awareness of the current threat of climate change and the necessity to make environmental impact accountable.
The New Climate Institute recently published its Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022. The report assesses “the transparence and integrity of companies’ emission reduction and net-zero targets”. It’s pretty dry reading. It’s findings mostly they remind us of two important facts. First of all there can be no room for complacency or ambiguity when it comes to our climate emergency. Secondly making environmental impact accountable and using standard reporting is vital.
Corporate climate responsibility depends on tracking and disclosing all emissions associated with the business. For the printing and publishing industries that means being able to identify those activities with an impact and being able to measure them. ISO 16759 for calculating the carbon footprint of print was developed with this in mind. ISO 22067-1 was developed for the same reasons, but to add greater detail to impact measurements.
Responsible accountability also depends on targets (which can easily be faked), reducing emissions (they generally go down with falling turnover and profits), offsetting (a license to pollute in many cases) and a miscellany of other unsexy factors that can be where real change starts (think employee empowerment and consumers’ rejection of plastics).
According to the report, only three companies actually mean what they say with unambiguous commitment to decarbonising 90+% of their value chains. There is a massive gap between what organisations appear to be pledging and the reality. Most of what some big brands claim is therefore is not quite real so scrutiny, standards and even regulation are needed. The New Climate Institute report found that none of the 25 companies evaluated achieved a high integrity rating. Maersk had a reasonable integrity rating and Apple, Sony and Vodafone had moderate integrity ratings. But most had low (Amazon, Google, Ikea) or very low (BMW, Unilever, Carrefour).
Transparency and accuracy are central to the accountability of large companies such as Amazon, however it is much easier to make a lot of noise about efforts than it is to add substance to them. All those novelists and musicians convincing themselves and their soc-med followers that they have talent. Eventually the noise can drown out reality. This may be what is going on with corporations championing environmental impact mitigation efforts.
Understandably companies must respond to shareholders, customers and supply chain pressures, so they come up with a plan. But distinguishing the real from the mould is tricky. The 25 companies studied for the report had combined reviews in 2020 of US$3,18 trillion. That is some 10% of the revenues for the top 500 companies in the world. They also accounted for 2.7 GtCO2e about 5% of global GHG emissions. That is an awful lot.
Source Information: This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, RicohSplash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon
Topics
Interested in joining our community?
Enquire today about joining your local FESPA Association or FESPA Direct
Recent news

Industry Experts Explore the Evolution of Smart Manufacturing in the Textile Industry
A FESPA SmartHUB roundtable at Personalisation Experience 2025 discussed smart manufacturing's transformative impact on the textile industry. Experts highlighted the shift to on-demand customisation, driven by digital printing, data analytics, and automation. Key takeaways included enhanced machine control, significant waste reduction through intelligent software and colour management, and improved sustainability via energy efficiency and near-shoring, ensuring agility and environmental responsibility in textile production.

FESPA 2025 gathers leading visionaries from across the speciality print industry in Berlin
FESPA Global Print Expo 2025, European Sign Expo and Personalisation Experience (6 – 9 May 2025, Messe Berlin, Germany) welcomed Visionaries from across the speciality print industry to shape the future of print, develop forward-thinking business strategies, and explore innovative ways to translate emerging industry trends into tangible growth opportunities.

Exploring Cutting-Edge Textile Printing Innovation with Adobe Print Engine 7
Adobe PDF Print Engine 7, launched at FESPA Global Print 2025, significantly advances textile printing. Debbie McKeegan shares how it automates non-white substrate management and RGB colour handling, expands colour gamuts with in-RIP multicolour transparency blending, and streamlines workflows for efficiency and sustainability. This update boosts customisation, reduces waste, and positions businesses at the forefront of digital print innovation.

FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 - Overall Highlights
FESPA Global Print Expo, Europe's leading print and signage exhibition returned to Messe Berlin from 6 - 9 May 2025.