Watching your waste line

With the UN issuing a ‘Red Alert’ for climate change, legislation like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPT) and Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) coming into play - and the anticipation of other legislation in the future - there’s no option really but to green-up. A new Smithers report, ‘The Future of Green Printing to 2026’, highlights the imperative, and our own 2021 Widthwise survey of large-format PSPs confirmed it - 70.77% said it had become more important for them to be seen as environmentally friendly than it was two years ago. So, how companies manage waste and recycles are of paramount consideration.

This summer the BPIF launched the ‘Display and POS 2 Recycling Scheme’ in partnership with Prismm Environmental. With support from the still relatively new BPIF display and POS sector interest group, the scheme was scoped to cover the requirements companies need to abide by to exhibit high recycling standards for this sector.

Aligning itself with the waste hierarchy - which ranks waste management options according to what is best for the environment - it gives top priority to preventing waste in the first place. Then, when waste is created, it gives priority to preparing it for re-use, then recycling, then recovery, and last of all disposal (e.g. landfill).

The bottom line is that this scheme is here to help companies improve and maintain their waste management and recycling. It provides a baseline and scope on requirements, support, and an ongoing direction to improve environmental sustainability with the visual display and POS sectors, adhering to a set of pledges and targets. And it has been developed - and continues to be developed - with the understanding that waste management is something companies need to constantly work on, with changes in requirements, legislation, brand and consumer needs.

So for those of you interested in taking part in this scheme, here are the pledges and targets you will need to adhere to:




Pledges

• All waste produced has been included into the scheme to ensure accountability.
• The waste hierarchy - where commercially viable - has been implemented.
• Maintain records of waste collections and treatment routes used.
• Introduce and utilise media that is more widely recycled where possible.
• Promote environmental sustainability through the supply chain.
• Encourage clients to make environmentally preferable choices.

Targets

• Upon your acceptance into the scheme, Prismm Environmental will prepare an initial report that outlines media usage and waste output.
• This will be reviewed annually and the changes achieved analysed - beneficial or otherwise - and include a summary.
• Recycling, recovery and landfill volumes will be recorded by Prismm Environmental and issued to the site monthly.
• The BPIF visual display and POS steering group will receive annual recycling, recovery and landfill volumes for each member site, to enable ongoing sector analysis.

Basically, this scheme provides the wide-format sector with an opportunity to be able to prove good waste management and to create a progression plan for the future - now such a key requirement for many brands and manufacturers.

“This is an exciting time for the sector, as it has the opportunity to lead in what will become the new normal across all industries. As we move towards an EPR model of waste management, we need to have a fundamental rethink regarding print design and output - and in particular being mindful of the print technologies and substrates we use. By doing so, we will remove many of the challenges related to the safe disposal and recycling of print in the sign and display sector and embrace a more environmentally friendly way of operating,” stresses John Draycott, marketing manager at ArtSystems, part of the BPIF display and POS group.

Of course there’s a cost to all this - the scheme management charge is £50 per month. For that Prismm Environmental works with you to ensure the pledges and targets outlined above are met. It will prepare the initial report, which will detail recommended changes to improve recycling/recovery and forecasted financial benefits. A proposal to manage the site’s waste under the scheme will be included and Prismm will provide an ongoing total waste management service, including the handling of all waste related issues, contractors and invoicing.