FESPA Finland: leaders in sustainable printing

Minna Pettersson, Executive Director of FESPA Finland – along with Laura Makelin at Grano and Jari Martovaara from Punamusta – discuss the state of the wide format industry in the world-leading nation for sustainability.

Finland is number one in the UN’s league table of most sustainable countries, with Sweden and Denmark close behind. What are the reasons Nordic countries perform so well?

Nature and biodiversity are especially important to Nordic people. We also have a strong desire to preserve our own natural resources. Promoting and achieving sustainable development is a tough, but necessary goal.

The Nordic countries have been working on sustainability for a long time, so there is a strong foundation in place. National legislation also obligates companies to operate in a highly responsible manner. In the Nordic countries, equality and human rights issues have traditionally been highly prioritised, which has given them a lead role also in terms of social responsibility.

Can you provide an overview of the current state of the wide format printing industry in Finland?

The wide format printing trend follows Europe-wide market trends. Demand and momentum have been at a reasonable level. In Finland, unlike sheet-fed printing, the market has not fully consolidated. There are several mid-sized companies and many financially healthy smaller local operators.

What are the key trends and challenges in the industry from a sustainability perspective?

Reducing carbon emissions and preserving biodiversity. Regarding biodiversity, one challenge we have identified is a lack of research data, especially around plastic raw materials. In addition, obtaining information about the origin of materials is problematic.

Determining the carbon footprint of wide format production and products is becoming increasingly important, as well as the availability of PVC-free products. It is difficult to obtain carbon footprint data for wide format substrate materials from suppliers or manufacturers. The EU’s deforestation regulation also presents challenges in transmitting information within the supply chain.

The FESPA census shows greater customer demand for sustainability from printers. What further steps need to be taken by printers towards greater sustainability? 

There should be more easily accessible, reliable and third-party verified information about the environmental costs of materials. Recycling options for wide format products should also be improved.

What are the main challenges that companies face when trying to adopt more sustainable practices in wide format printing?

More sustainability = more costs.

How do local regulations and government policies in Finland impact sustainability practices in the industry? 

Currently, we are mainly influenced by directives and regulations coming from the EU, which, of course, are also integrated into national legislation. Efforts toward sustainable development are particularly impacted by the upcoming deforestation regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Deforestation regulation pushes companies to increasingly investigate the stages of their value chain and the origin of the wood we use. CSRD requires companies to think more about their sustainable solutions because they will need to report them publicly.

These regulations bring with them a significant amount of additional administrative work. However, for front-line companies, they also provide a competitive advantage.

How is the concept of the circular economy being embraced in the wide format printing industry better than elsewhere?

In the wide format printing sector, for example there are clearly broader and more easily accessible opportunities than in sheet-fed printing. The problem lies with material flows. A single operator typically doesn't generate enough of a specific material to make separate collection and recycling worthwhile. This challenge could be addressed through collaboration between multiple companies, and perhaps with a third party potentially handling logistics and storage of used materials.

How important are partnerships in driving sustainability efforts? 

Close relationships with material suppliers are particularly important for obtaining accurate and reliable information.

How is FESPA Finland helping to improve sustainability in the sector? 

We have just organised a seminar on sustainability, and it is our main goal to share information and activate our members. We help our members to stay on track with the latest news and developments within the industry. Everyone wants to be sustainable, but the big question is how – and we definitely want to help our members to find out.