12 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 263 - February | March 2026 Papergraphics, a UK supplier of wide-format printing solutions, has announced a £1m programme of sustainability initiatives undertaken to lessen its environmental impact. As Michelle Dellow, product manager and sustainability lead at Papergraphics, explains: “Our sustainability efforts are motivated by the need to mitigate against rising operational costs, the desire to minimise environmental impact, and the critical need to meet customer expectations for environmental responsibility.” A key part of the investment involves installing solar panels across the roof of the company’s headquarters in Crawley. Over 648 panels were fitted in a month-long project, which is set to reduce energy costs significantly, with the official solar panel switch-on having taken place at the end of last month. The system can reportedly generate up to 266,700kWh annually, which is enough to power more than 100 average homes. The new clean energy source will be used mainly for Papergraphics’ day-to-day office requirements and the company’s new fleet of nine new electric and five plug-in hybrid vehicles. Any surplus energy will be supplied to the National Grid. The company has also invested in new sustainable solutions which aim to reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill. Papergraphics processes hundreds of media rolls daily, either converting them to specific roll sizes or delivering them to customers across the UK and Europe. Packaging materials alone contribute to large amounts of plastic and other difficult-to-recycle waste that previously ended up in landfill. To address this, the company has invested in three balers – two for plastic and one for cardboard. The plastic balers have reportedly already drastically reduced waste by compacting many forms of packaging plastic, including bubble wrap previously destined for landfill. Dellow says: “This reduction in waste collections cuts emissions and allows Papergraphics to reinvest savings into further sustainability projects. In just six months, we have recycled nearly four tonnes of plastic and over 15 tonnes of cardboard, diverting around 1,900 bin bags of waste from landfill.” Summarising her feelings on the investment, Dellow adds: “This is a long-term project the whole company is behind. We are so proud to have made some significant investments in important areas of the business that will help us be a better and more environmentally conscious organisation. There is a lot more still to do, but we are working hard to make sure every project delivers measurable improvements to our operational well-being.” Over 648 panels have been fitted at Papergraphics premises Papergraphics invests £1m in sustainable solutions By Jonathan Pert ENVIRONMENT | NEWS printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine printmonthly_signlink Scottish commercial printer, Tradeprint, has launched a pilot scheme for returning printed banners, designed to significantly reduce the environmental impact of PVC and PVC-free display banners. The scheme, which Tradeprint describes as “pioneering” and a UK first, enables customers to return used banners to be recycled, with the collected materials repurposed into infrastructure products such as traffic cones and road barriers. As part of the pilot scheme, Tradeprint is working closely with visual communications media distributor, Antalis, leveraging its UK depot network as regional drop-off points. The collaboration aims to overcome logistical barriers to banner recycling, while supporting the scheme’s goal of being easy and scalable. The scheme was developed in part by a collaboration between Anthony Rowell, sales and customer success director and sustainability lead at Tradeprint, and Katie Farr, marketing and communications manager at Antalis. The pilot, which went live on January 5th, includes educational resources for customers, return incentives, and data on the CO₂ savings of returns. The initiative has also received early backing by Jon Hutton, director at FESPA UK Association and environmental services company, Reconomy, as well as additional support by the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA). Speaking of the new scheme, Rowell says: “Recycling isn't just about recovery; it's about respect for resources, for the planet, and for future generations. We are all really excited about this trial and so grateful for the support from the team at Antalis, Reconomy, FESPA UK, and the IPIA. I genuinely hope this inspires others to develop similar schemes.” As well as reducing the environmental impact of materials produced by Tradeprint, the initiative aims to establish a proof of concept for a scalable return model in the wider print and signage industries, with the long-term ambition of rolling out a fully scalable industry-wide model. [L to R] Anthony Rowell, sustainability lead at Tradeprint, and Katie Farr, marketing and communications manager at Antalis Tradeprint launches “pioneering” banner return scheme By Jonathan Pert
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