A manifesto moment for print sustainability

Sustainability has become one of the most frequently used words in the print industry – and one of the least consistently understood

Ask a material supplier, a brand owner, a printer, or a recycler what “sustainable print” means and you are likely to receive four different answers. Recyclability, compostability, certified fibre, carbon footprint – all are valid, yet partial. The result is an industry that agrees on the importance of sustainability but struggles to align on what good actually looks like.

That ambiguity is precisely what the Sustainable Print Manifesto set out to address.

In a recent FuturePrint Podcast conversation, Carlos Lahoz, who leads sustainability and environmental strategy for industrial print at HP, framed the challenge with unusual clarity. The problem, he argued, is not a lack of standards, certifications, or targets. It is the absence of a shared foundation – a common language that the entire print value chain can recognise and rally around.

From fragmented definitions to shared direction

Lahoz’s role at HP spans large format, publishing, labels, and packaging – a vantage point that exposes the full complexity of print’s sustainability debate. Each segment brings its own priorities and pressures. Consumers focus on recyclability. Brands often gravitate towards compostable packaging. Material suppliers highlight certified inputs. Regulators push carbon reporting. None of these perspectives is wrong, but none is sufficient on its own.

The Manifesto does not attempt to replace existing schemes or impose another layer of compliance. Instead, it establishes nine high-level principles that reflect areas of broad consensus across the industry. These principles are deliberately non-prescriptive. They do not dictate how sustainability must be achieved, nor do they set binding targets. Their purpose is directional rather than regulatory, a “north star”, as Lahoz describes it, that aligns behaviour rather than enforces it.

This distinction matters. Print already operates in a dense thicket of standards, labels, and legislation. Adding another rulebook would likely create fatigue rather than momentum. By focusing on principles, the Manifesto aims to shape decision-making upstream – influencing how companies think about materials, design, procurement, and innovation before sustainability becomes an afterthought.

Why principles, not rules

The choice to lead with principles rather than metrics was intentional. As Lahoz explains, the first challenge was to bring together a diverse group of founding partners and reach agreement on a minimum common denominator – basic truths that everyone in the value chain could accept. That process took time. It required compromise. And it demanded that participants step outside their own silos.

Only once that foundation exists does it make sense to ask harder questions: how should progress be measured, what “better” looks like in practice, and how trade-offs should be handled. Phase one of the Manifesto, then, is not the end of the work but the beginning of it.

Phase two is where ambition meets execution. The focus now is on translating those nine principles into more practical guidance – not rigid instructions, but frameworks that help companies move from intention to action. Smaller working groups are being formed to deepen each principle, drawing on expertise from across materials, manufacturing, printing, brand ownership, and recycling.

This structure reflects a pragmatic understanding of how change happens in complex industries. Large, unwieldy forums can establish consensus, but detailed progress requires focus. Breaking the work into smaller groups allows deeper technical and commercial discussion without losing alignment.

The power - and limits - of a pledge

Central to the Manifesto is a public pledge. On the surface, it is a modest commitment. Signing does not bind companies to specific investments or timelines. It does not carry penalties for non-compliance. Critics might see it as symbolic rather than substantive.

Lahoz sees it differently. The pledge is less about obligation than belief. By signing, a company is signalling that it accepts the direction of travel and intends to let these principles inform its decisions – whether in purchasing, R&D, design, or supplier engagement. It is a statement of intent, not a guarantee of perfection.

This approach echoes other successful industry initiatives. Lahoz points to the Agile Manifesto in software development, which began as a set of shared beliefs among a small group and went on to reshape an entire sector. Its influence did not come from enforcement, but from adoption - from practitioners choosing to align because they believed the outcome would be better.

In print, the same dynamic is at play. The more companies publicly align around a shared framework, the more confidence the industry gains to move together. Visibility creates legitimacy. Legitimacy, in turn, encourages adoption by brands, customers, and eventually regulators.

Collaboration as a competitive advantage

Perhaps the most striking theme in Lahoz’s reflections is his emphasis on collaboration. Sustainability, he argues, is one of the few areas where competitors are willing, even eager, to work together. The reason is simple: the challenge is systemic, and no single company can solve it alone.

HP’s own customer programmes illustrate this point. Lahoz describes cohorts of competing print businesses collaborating to improve sustainability performance, sharing insights and benchmarking progress. What might seem counterintuitive in a competitive market becomes logical when viewed through a sustainability lens. Shared learning accelerates progress and reduces risk.

The Manifesto is designed to scale this dynamic. By creating a neutral framework owned by the industry rather than a single brand, it provides a safe space for collaboration. It allows companies to move forward together without fear of exposing competitive vulnerabilities.

Over time, this could unlock more ambitious forms of cooperation - joint purchasing of sustainable materials to reduce cost premiums, shared tools for measuring carbon footprint, or coordinated engagement with policymakers. The principles provide the scaffolding for that next phase.

From framework to standard

The long-term ambition is not hidden. If enough of the industry aligns around the Manifesto, it begins to function as a de facto standard. Brands start referencing it in sustainability conversations. Customers use it as a benchmark. Suppliers design offerings that map explicitly to its principles. Reporting frameworks quietly absorb its language.

Importantly, the Manifesto is open. There are no royalties. Any company can use the principles to guide decisions or communicate progress. This openness is deliberate. It maximises reach and minimises friction, two essential ingredients for systemic change.

For companies hesitant to sign, Lahoz offers reassurance. The pledge does not force action; it invites it. It is a public acknowledgement that the direction makes sense. What happens next depends on each organisation’s reality, pace, and priorities. The expectation is progress, not purity.

Why now matters

The urgency underpinning the Manifesto is not abstract. Climate pressure is real, and regulation is accelerating across regions. Print, as a material-intensive industry, cannot afford to wait for perfect clarity before acting. The framework now exists. The knowledge exists. What remains is mobilisation.

That is why scale matters. The Manifesto’s goal of attracting hundreds, even thousands, of pledges is not about optics. It is about confidence. Large numbers signal that sustainability is not a niche concern or a marketing exercise, but a shared industry priority.

In that sense, the Sustainable Print Manifesto is less a document than a coordination mechanism. It aligns language, intent, and direction at a moment when fragmentation has become a liability.

For print, an industry accustomed to reinvention, this may be one of its most consequential redesigns yet, not of technology, but of thinking.

Find out more about the Manifesto here.