I want to save the planet. Honest. Apart from anything else, I’d like Mole Junior to be able to continue to call the third rock from the sun home. That’s why, ignoring the grimace from my tech savvy offspring, I will shortly replace my venerable iPhone8 with a reconditioned version of a slightly newer edition. I read somewhere that if everyone in Europe kept their smartphone for six months longer than usual, it would be the equivalent of taking 1m cars off the continent’s roads, which is not too shabby.
Mole Junior didn’t seem unduly impressed with this titbit but I did note that, visiting him in his new flat, the dreaded utility bills had convinced him to turn off lights and not waste water.
I can understand his cynicism, to a degree. My efforts to save the planet at work have sometimes been frustrating. There is low-hanging fruit to be picked - electric vehicles (perhaps), eliminating (or more accurately minimising) use of nasty chemicals, and reducing waste. We’re also looking to recycle more materials - and use materials that are easier to recycle.
The bit we struggle with is this ‘cradle to grave’ thing. Suppliers are very good at giving you the tactical info - that their substrate, ink or press is using X% less of this harmful stuff and is Y% more recyclable than it was - but ask them about strategic stuff - for example, how are you reducing carbon emissions across your entire supply chain? - and they can look blank or slightly evasive.
I assume that the people I speak to haven’t been briefed - and they’re hardly alone in that. Ask the tech giants about how renewable their energy sources are and you’ll usually be fed generic platitudes. But the cynical part of me wonders whether they just don’t want to know - or share.
Yet without this info, it’s hard to know if we’re progressing towards net zero. Many wide-format printers I know want to do more to protect the environment. Maybe we can start by consistently asking suppliers the strategic questions. One small step for us, but quite possibly a giant leap for Earth.