Printing’s Changing Approach to Sustainability

As sustainability continues to shape conversations across the printing industry, many print service providers (PSPs) are looking beyond broad commitments and focusing on practical changes that reduce environmental impact while improving operational efficiency. At Royle Printing, based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, sustainability has become part of the day-to-day decision making that shapes everything from facility design to equipment investments.

Chad Czarnecki, director of operations, explains that Royle’s approach is rooted in responsibility and long-term thinking. “What it really comes down to — it’s our commitment to the environment,” he says. “In the printing industry, with so many different factors that can affect the environment, we want to be a good partner.”

That mindset has led the company to pursue a wide range of initiatives, including better lighting, heat recovery, and facility upgrades. Czarnecki notes, “Over time, sustainability has shifted from individual projects to a strategic focus, with environmental impact considered alongside productivity, quality, and cost in major decisions.”

Some of the biggest operational improvements Royle Printing has implemented in recent years include:

• Moving to process-less plates, which reduce water usage by approximately 2,500 gallons per day
• Converting to LED lighting
• Repainting production area walls bright white to reduce lighting demand
• Switching from air-cooled to water-cooled systems to take advantage of cooler Wisconsin weather
• Replacing older, non-integrated dryers with integrated systems that lower natural gas consumption while maintaining effective VOC destruction
• Centralizing air compressors into a closed-loop system to capture waste heat, which helps warm the facility in the winter and improve overall energy efficiency
• Switching to heatset inks with biorenewable content

Upgrades like these demonstrate how sustainability and efficiency can work hand-in-hand. That same mindset is also shaping Royle’s future, as the company plans a major 165,000-sq.-ft. facility expansion designed to consolidate operations under one roof and build energy efficiency into the project from the ground up. These initiatives create a safer, more comfortable environment for employees, and reflect a broader shift taking place across the printing industry.

The New Rules of Sustainability

While sustainability initiatives were once voluntary and market-driven, regulatory pressures and evolving customer expectations are increasingly shaping how PSPs approach environmental
responsibility.

“I think over the last few years, what we’re seeing is that it’s being increasingly driven by regulations,” Sara Osorio, Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs coordinator at PRINTING United Alliance, says. “It’s no longer something nice to have. You have to have it, and the regulations are really focusing a lot on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for paper and packaging.”

Osorio also notes that EPR laws are popping up for textiles, while other laws addressing greenhouse gas reporting and PFAs have already passed in some states, including California.

Policies such as these, alongside growing scrutiny from brands and consumers, are pushing PSPs to take a more data-driven approach to sustainability. As a result, they are being asked to provide documentation about their environmental impact.

“They want data,” she explains. “They want numbers. They want to know what you’re doing and how you can back it up.”

PSPs will start to see — and some already have — customers asking for material types, recyclability, packaging weight, alternative substrates, and inks when it comes to product design. “They’re going to be asking for life-cycle assessments,” she says. “ … But really looking at sustainability from a life-cycle perspective is going to be huge, because what we’re also seeing is that they’re looking for printers that are going to be partners [and] support their climate goals.”

That shift toward accountability is already playing out at Royle. Czarnecki says customer conversations have increasingly focused on the specifics behind sustainability claims and are prioritizing environmental responsibility.

“When I’m doing tours, oftentimes potential clients are asking a lot of questions. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘What are the steps you’ve taken?’” Czarnecki notes. For him, those questions are easy to answer, thanks to the company’s finely-tuned operations.

But beyond processes, the products are equally important. According to Czarnecki, Royle regularly works with clients on material and packaging choices that align with their environmental goals. This includes the use of FSC-certified paper, as well as evaluating alternatives for packaging components, such as polybags. While some biodegradable options exist, not all deliver meaningful environmental benefits in real-world conditions.

“What we’ve done is partnered with our clients, and [we’ve added] messages across our polybag that say, ‘This material is recyclable,’ so the end user — when they open it up and realize this is a recyclable material — can put it in with their recyclables,” he says. This is just one way the company ensures sustainability efforts translate into real, measurable impact.

Turning Intent Into Impact

As sustainability claims come under greater scrutiny, PSPs must ensure they can prove what they communicate to customers.

“They don’t want a yes man, they want someone who’s going to bring ideas, innovation,” Osorio says. “But of course, greenwashing is a huge issue. So don’t make claims that you cannot back up with hard data and numbers, because that can put your customer in hot water, and that could put you in hot water,” she says, noting that lawsuits around recyclability and net zero claims have become more rampant. Instead, she encourages PSPs to focus on measurable impact and verified data, supported by third-party certifications where possible. “It’s no longer, ‘Look at me, I’m eco-friendly,’” she adds. “It’s ‘I’m doing it, and I can prove that I’m doing it.’”

To meet growing expectations, PSPs can take a more structured approach to sustainability. “Start with regulatory compliance and build from there,” Osorio recommends. “Because it doesn’t matter if you implement all these eco-friendly practices. If you’re violating the law, that kind of negates everything.”

Osorio also highlights another important consideration: the triple bottom line. “Sometimes we have this misconception of sustainability with environmental [responsibility], but the triple bottom line is: people, planet, profit,” she says. “You can be super sustainable, but if your employees are not safe and you’re not making profit … then you’re not really sustainable.”

She adds that understanding core sustainability terminology is another important step, pointing to resources such as PRINTING United Alliance’s sustainability glossary to help PSPs navigate the language and communicate more effectively with clients. From there, the next step might be to establish ownership of your sustainability program and establish a “green team” or committee. While this can be informal, having company-wide buy-in is critical to moving the needle on sustainable initiatives.

At Royle, Czarnecki can attest to the importance of fostering a collaborative culture to support new initiatives.

“Sometimes change can be difficult,” he says. “When we first started down the path of going to process-less plates, I had a lot of pushback, and mostly from my operators. And, understandably so.”

Operational changes bring learning curves, and the production floor often feels it first. That’s why incorporating feedback from the people working with the equipment every day is critical. They understand the processes best and can identify both challenges and opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.

When asked what advice he would give other PSPs looking to get in on sustainability, Czarnecki advises them, “First and foremost, partner with your vendors, because there are oftentimes projects they can recommend and help with,” he says. “They’re going to help you, they’re going to train your operators. And eventually, it’ll get to a point where you don’t even notice the change anymore, and the operators are comfortable with it.”

Additionally, he encourages PSPs to look for partnerships that offer grants or financial incentives to support projects, help offset costs, and accelerate implementation.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all template for sustainability, implementing small, actionable steps can help PSPs build a more robust operation. As the industry continues to evolve, success will depend on the ability to balance environmental responsibility with operational efficiency, transparency, and collaboration — both internally and with customers and partners.

Czarnecki puts it best when he says, “We want to keep this world a place for our kids, grandkids, future environment, and their future generations.” It’s a sharp reminder of what sustainability efforts are ultimately working toward.