INDUSTRY / NEWS Outsmart supports government campaign Outsmart, the trade body for the UK out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry, has come out in support of the UK government's ‘Discover! Creative Careers’ campaign. The campaign, launched by the UK’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, aims to increase awareness, consideration, and uptake of creative careers among young people aged 13 to 17 years old. The initiative prioritises six regions identified in the government’s recent Industrial Strategy: Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, North East of England, West of England, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. Discover! kicked off with a month of awareness-raising activities across England, Wales, and Scotland. As part of these activities, a range of Outsmart members have donated digital advertising space in key geographical areas to support the campaign including Alight Media, Bauer Media Outdoor, JCDecaux, Limited Space, Ocean Outdoor, Open Media, Outdo Media, and Smart Outdoor. Tim Lumb, director of Outsmart Media, says: “Outsmart and the OOH industry are proud to support this important campaign which aims to inspire young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds into a career in the creative industries. “By promoting the campaign in public spaces across the North, the message should be more accessible to all communities.” Many OOH companies have donated advertising space to promote Discover! Creative Careers By Jonathan Pert Many print, packaging, and sign companies are at risk of significant impact from upcoming changes to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a specialist from compliance and brand protection software specialist, iov42. The EUDR law requires companies to ensure that natural commodities including paper, soy, and rubber sold in or exported from the EU market are deforestation-free and produced in accordance with relevant local laws. The rules become mandatory for large and medium-sized operators and traders on December 30th, 2025 (although a proposed six-month grace period for enforcement is anticipated), with enforcement for SMEs coming on June 30th, 2026. Although most paper in Europe comes from sustainably managed forests where the cycle of planting, growing, and logging is carefully controlled, print companies may still face challenges in traceability, compliance management, materials from international markets, and the risk of potential penalties. Trevor Willis, senior sales manager (EUDR) at iov42, says: “EUDR is often discussed in the context of timber and other forest-risk commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and rubber – but it is also set to have a significant impact on the paper, packaging, and print sectors. “The European Commission has proposed a one-year delay to parts of EUDR, but this has not yet been formally confirmed. There is also discussion of alternative enforcement routes that would allow implementation on time without relying on the EU’s troubled information system, TRACES NT. For businesses, this leaves a familiar picture: timelines may shift, but expectations on traceability and deforestation-free supply chains are only moving in one direction.” Designed by technology company, iov42, Interu is an IT Solution designed to allow organisations operating in the European marketplace to satisfy the legal reporting requirements of the EUDR. Iov42 has also released a series of ‘myth bustPrinters and sign-makers at “high risk” from EUDR laws ing’ facts which aim to make clear what the EUDR laws mean for UK print. Among the myths that the company wishes to counter is the idea that EUDR laws do not apply to UK-based printers. As Willis says: “If printed products, packaging, or paper-based materials are exported to the EU – directly or indirectly – printers can expect to be asked for evidence on sourcing, traceability, and risk management, even if they are not the entity filing formal due diligence statements.” By Jonathan Pert Scan the QR code to read the full story on our sister publication – Print Monthly 6 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 262 - December 2025 | January 2026
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