The Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) hosted its autumn conference in September under the banner ‘Print in Balance - Supporting People and our Planet’. We asked for an overview of the key points made during the day to help spread the message.
Two trends fundamental to the long-term growth of the UK print industry were centre stage at this learning and networking event. Firstly, how businesses can increase their environmental sustainability ahead of significant changes to legislation in the next few years and rapidly changing print purchasing priorities. And secondly, how to ensure they are protecting the productivity and health of their teams through implementing wellbeing practices at work.
A supplier expo ran concurrently at the event too, with Antalis, BCR Associates, Canon, Duplo, Fujifilm, HP, Imprint MIS, Konica Minolta, printIQ, Tharstern, Vivid, Worksthing, Xerox and Xmpie all in attendance, and whose collective support/sponsorship made the conference affordable and on-point for delegates.
The day kicked off at 8.45am with networking over coffee before the speaker sessions started at 10am, which then ran through until 5pm.
The talks
Lawrence Green, from Greens the Signmakers and Digiprint, was the first speaker of the day, discussing his journey with sustainability in his session ‘Walking the Walk’. The man is a passionate advocate for sustainability and over the last few years has completely transformed the way his business operates, inspired by family and through extensive research.
Marcus Timson from FuturePrint, then discussed wellbeing and ‘Taking Back Control in a Time of Great Uncertainty’, giving his opinion of what wellbeing is and focussing on some observations from personal struggles with mental health. His talk ended with a number of practical ideas for thriving.
Andy Place from RPM Digital focused on ‘A Sustainable Path to Business Growth’ by highlighting how embracing the ‘sustainable’ message within the company has played out as a success story - for customers and for his own business.
Rob Pink and Tom Charles from Sku-Driver helped with ‘Parting the Sea of Greenwash’ in relation to sustainability initiatives. Sku-Driver has made some inspiring innovations and these experts provided insights of how to operate sustainably through business operations.
Next, Marianne Steel and Neil Lovell from The Printing Charity discussed exactly ‘Why Wellbeing Matters’. Having handled a number of cases among individuals within the industry that need emotional, financial, and practical support, they explained several ways employees could be supported to improve wellbeing.
John Conroy from Claremon, then talked about sustainability and particularly why ‘You Need to See it, to Be it’. He has put sustainability at the heart of his business operations, ensuring Claremon runs efficiently through sustainable initiatives, and also talks his customers through the power of sustainability. At the conference he discussed his partnership with the Resea project.
Finally, Chloe Thompson from Harrison Scott Associates, discussed how businesses can ‘Build a Platform to Attract Top Talent’. As a recruitment consultancy, Harrison Scott is aware of various company cultures and Thompson outlined how a commitment to staff’s physical, mental, and financial well-being attracts top candidates to roles.
Sustainability explored
IPIA general manager Brendan Perring says on the topic of sustainability, one of the two key topics of the conference: “It’s becoming ever more critical that print businesses and our entire supply chain understand what it really means to be sustainable. The conference educated delegates and provided tangible tools to help them make informed decisions about how to reduce their carbon footprint, get ahead of impending Government legislation and affect positive change within their organisation.
“Proposed legislation, cultural changes and the significant shift in corporate social responsibility priorities being shown by brands will all have an impact. The result will be print buyers that increasingly require print service providers to demonstrate their sustainability credentials - and that of their products or services when tendering for business. This in turn will drive PSPs to require their material and technology suppliers to do the same.
“It will become a key defining factor ultimately affecting the competitiveness of businesses in our sector. The conference guided delegates on decisions about sustainability that not only protect natural resources, but also make good business sense.”
Well timed focus on wellbeing
On the second key conference topic, the agenda was all about how to maximise wellbeing at work with the Covid-19 pandemic having triggered a real cultural shift in how people see their work-life balance and what motivates them and influences their productivity.
Another critical trend is how recruitment is also being significantly influenced, with the best talent increasingly weighing up a range of criteria in regards to their quality of life, not just how much they will get paid. Speakers advised on how to create a healthy environment where workplace stress is reduced, productivity is increased, and employees feel valued and supported.