27 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 357 - November | December 2025 • Carbon costs. The production of materials like cardboard and paper is energy intensive. Creating something new from scratch almost always requires more energy than reusing what already exists. • Regulation. Policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Plastic Packaging Tax are shifting costs back onto businesses. If you create waste, you’ll pay for it. • Customer expectations. Five years ago, sustainability might have been a differentiator. Today, it’s a baseline expectation. Fail to demonstrate progress, and customers will take their business elsewhere. In short, the linear economy is broken. It wastes resources, it wastes money, and it wastes opportunity. What the Circular Economy Really Means The circular economy offers a different approach. Instead of the take-make-dispose model, it focuses on designing waste out of the system and keeping resources in use for as long as possible. It’s often misunderstood as ‘just recycling,’ but recycling is only one small part of the puzzle, and often the least efficient part. True circularity prioritises: Reuse – Extending the life of products and materials in their current form Repair – Fixing and maintaining instead of discarding Remanufacture – Refurbishing and upgrading materials or products Recycle – Recovering materials at the end of their life Each stage adds value and reduces the demand for virgin resources. For businesses, circularity isn’t just about environmental responsibility. It’s about resilience. By rethinking supply chains, you reduce exposure to volatile material prices, carbon taxes, and reputational risks, as well as open up new revenue streams by turning waste into value. What This Means for the Print Industry The print sector is uniquely placed to benefit from circularity, but it’s also under pressure. Paper and ink costs are rising, clients are asking about sustainability credentials, and regulations are becoming stricter. So, what does embracing the circular economy look like for print businesses? • Materials – partner with suppliers who can guarantee traceability and sustainability. • Design for reuse – create packaging and printed products that can be repurposed or reused by customers, not just thrown away. • Rethink waste streams – offcuts, misprints, and used materials don’t have to be waste. Could they be sold, repurposed, or donated? • Collaboration – work with customers on take-back schemes, or partner with local charities and community groups to give unused materials a second life. • Transparency – measure and publish your environmental impact. Customers increasingly want hard data, not vague promises. The key is to shift mindset: waste isn’t waste until you decide it is. Proof That Circularity Drives Profit Some of the biggest success stories in recent years have been built on circular thinking. Patagonia repairs, buys back, and remanufactures clothing, turning repair into a profit centre. Lush has pioneered reusable and refillable packaging, building loyalty through sustainability. Wild created a refillable deodorant that was eventually sold to Unilever for £100m. These aren’t niche experiments. They’re proof that circularity is commercially viable, scalable, and attractive to investors. At Reuseabox, our model is simple – keep boxes in use for longer. The impact, however, is anything but small. Tens of millions of boxes reused, thousands of tonnes of CO2 prevented, and profits are reinvested into reforestation in Tanzania through the Eden Rubeho Mountains Carbon Project. What we’ve learned is that circularity isn’t just about being ‘green’, it’s about building more efficient, resilient businesses. Collaboration is Key If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that collaboration is everything. Talk to your suppliers. Talk to your customers. Even talk to your competitors. Keeping materials in use for longer requires rethinking processes, redesigning products, and challenging business-asusual. But no one can do it alone. The more businesses work together across the value chain, the more impact we can have. The choice for businesses in print and beyond is clear – stick with the linear model, and you’ll face rising costs, regulatory penalties, and declining customer trust. Embrace the circular economy, and you’ll unlock new efficiencies, new opportunities, and new ways to stand out in a crowded market. At Reuseabox, we didn’t just build a company; we started a movement. That’s what the circular economy is all about – reimagining what business can be. Profitable. Purposeful. And future ready. FRESH PERSPECTIVES | JACK GOOD 1 2 3 4 ▲ B Corp was awarded to Reuseabox in 2023 ► Reuseabox was founded in 2012
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