Print & Digital Media

Delivering the scale of carbon reduction needed for a net zero world by 2050 demands companies to transform by decarbonizing their value chain. Due to its already advanced digital transformation, the print & media industry is predestined to take innovative steps in climate action as well. Since most organisations in this sector rely on supplier for services such as printing and logistics, engaging with suppliers is crucial to initiate and accelerate the decarbonization of the value chain by, e.g. setting industry standards for carbon accounting and sharing emission data along the value chain.

In order to tackle climate change effectively, companies benefit from having a clear understanding of their composition of the carbon footprint and the biggest levers they can mobilise to reduce emissions.

The principal driver of emissions across the print and media sector tend to be production materials, such as paper. Moreover, emissions associated with logistics of sold products as well as product disposal are also of relevance. Finally, the use of sold digital products such as websites, apps or the consumption of video material are also to be accounted for.

An organisation can build an understanding of its total impact by conducting a GHG (greenhouse gas) value chain assessment, supplementing available company data with modelled estimates. Cozero Log can help to do this.

For companies in print and media, significant emission reductions can be achieved by choosing production materials with a reduced climate impact. This could look like encouraging a paper supplier to change their offering to recycled paper or switching to a supplier who already offers recycled paper products.

To reduce emissions from logistics operations, appropriate measures depend on whether logistics are conducted as an in-house operation or whether a third-party service is used. Carbon abatement within an owned or leased fleet can, for example, be achieved by improving operational efficiency through route optimization, electrifying the vehicle fleet or using zero carbon fuels. Electric trucks, for example, are likely to become cost-competitive with diesel or gasoline vehicles during the 2020s.

To help organisations focus on where action is needed most, Cozero Act sets out carbon actions and solution providers and thereby supports organisations to develop and manage bespoke carbon management action plans, as well as transparently track progress against these.

To address unavoidable emissions, companies can then look to support projects that remove atmospheric CO₂, or reduce CO₂ from beyond their value chain.