Sustainability the next frontier of business evolution at Next Printing

It’s been interesting to watch businesses pivot and diversify in response to COVID 19, but the reality is diversification and evolution is a normal part of natural selection. The challenge with COVID is we couldn’t see it coming and its impact is greater than we could have ever imagined and sadly some businesses will not make it through. We sat down (via zoom) to catch up with Romeo Sanuri, Managing Director, Next Printing based in St Peters who explains why sustainability is the next pillar in their evolution as a business.

Next Printing originated as a photographics business called Photo King in 1986 specialising in “one hour turnaround” of digitally printed photos alongside the likes of national chains such as “Rabbit Photos”. As Y2K came and went and digital camera technology became more mainstream it was clear to the three founding directors that their core business was going to be superceded and they needed to diversify, which lead them to establish Next Printing in 2004. Set up initially as a trade printer for large exhibitions and national chains such as Signarama, the business evolved further as trade customers bought printing in-house and large retail, electronics and fashion customers wanted to deal direct.

According to Romeo “being environmentally friendly has always been an important factor for Next Printing and drove our decision to make our first investment in flatbed UV digital printing technology, when most other companies at the time were using the solvent technology. Whilst we did trial solvent technology back in the beginning, we decommissioned our only two solvent printers back in 2008.”

“Fast forward to 2012 which was the next step in the evolution of our business. Having visited a number of overseas trade shows over time, it became apparent that soft signage was the next area of opportunity, so we invested in a fabric printer. Fabric printing was a different ball game and after 6 months of R&D we collaborated with and eventually took over a fabric supplier who helped us build our expertise in this area. Still focussed on the environment, in 2014 we invested in a Durst 322 which used water-based inks. It was one of the first to be installed in the Asia Pacific region at the time and is still one of the six Durst printers we have in operation today. Most recently and still maintaining our focus on water-based inks, we were the first in Asia Pacific to install the HP Stitch 1000 to help us meet the market requirement for backlit dye sublimation printing.” 

“Sustainability is a critical success factor for our future and we think about approaching it from a global level, company level and individual level”, observes Romeo. “At a global level the trends include a focus on printing efficiency, not just in terms of hardware and consumables but in terms of the whole lifecycle of the product. For example, a designer can design for production efficiency by designing in such a way as to use less ink, using three colours instead of four colours. Other lessons from Europe include the Belgian company who focusses on yield per roll and works closely with customers to reduce waste offcuts by highlighting the cost saving to the client and environmental benefit in minor adjustments to design and order specification.”

At the company level “as a key supplier to major exhibitions and events” Next Printing sell end to end solutions that include waste management and removal. As many exhibitions stands these days take advantage of Re-board, Next Printing have partnered with French based waste management and recycling company Remondis to provide a 6m skip for when stands and displays are dismantled. Remondis don’t charge for the bin as they recycle and onsell the used Re-board to Orora for use in secondary packaging. “Interestingly in Europe, there are some exhibitions “where if you don’t use these types of recyclable products your events and displays cost you more”, says Romeo.

“When it comes to textile recycling, Australia has a long way to go in terms of setting up textile recycling facilities. So, we work with companies such as Ricky Richards to try to ensure we manufacture using eco-friendly products, most of the eco fabrics are produced using five PET bottles to create one square meter of recycled fabric that is suitable for printing” says Romeo.

“As a company we have also been working with a marketing company to ensure our message is consistent both internally and with our customers and supply partners. In February 2020 the team developed an “Environmental Pledge” which comprised a series of actions all employees could and are prepared to take in order to be more sustainable. Actions included eliminating single use coffee cups, zoom meetings instead of unnecessary travel, personal decisions that people are making that reflect the company culture, explains Romeo. 

Whilst industry is yet to demand any form of approval or certification, Romeo believes it is only a matter of time, so Next Printing has chosen to be on the front foot and become better prepared for when it does by signing up for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Program. Adopted by all United Nation states in 2015 “The Sustainable Development Goals” are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. The online program is eight weeks and involves businesses picking one or two key areas per year to action and achieve change. For more information visit https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

The reality is more and more international brands are demanding evidence of sustainable practices from their supply partners. Global retailer H&M have a 40 page document that specifies standards around sustainable practices right down to packaging that is used for signage. 

“It’s a big investment and it won’t happen overnight, but we need to be moving in the same direction as the customers we want to do business with are moving and to create a point of difference”, says Romeo.