HP’s industrial print strategy is deeply rooted in sustainability, driven by an integrated, evidence-based, and collaborative approach that aligns with the company’s broader corporate ethos. Over its 80-year history, HP has consistently emphasized climate action, human rights, and digital equity, treating these not as abstract goals but as measurable, business-driven objectives tied to accountability. This mindset is particularly evident in HP’s efforts to address material waste, a significant contributor to CO₂ emissions in the printing industry. By leveraging digital printing technologies, HP eliminates wasteful processes like plate making and make-readies, enabling on-demand production that reduces inventory, obsolescence, and turnaround times. These advancements benefit both the environment and business efficiency.
HP’s innovations underscore its commitment to sustainability. The A2200 web press, for example, achieves a 60% energy efficiency gain per square metre printed, thanks to high-efficiency drying technology. Similarly, Indigo’s new CMYK Plus consumables reduce ink usage, saving materials, logistics costs, and emissions. These advancements translate into measurable savings, such as hundreds of ink tubes saved per customer each month. Beyond hardware, HP has expanded its take-back program for used ink containers to the U.S., addressing industrial waste management. Additionally, the HP Sustainability Amplifier program provides customers with tools, data, and assessments to advance their own sustainability strategies. As HP’s representative Lahoz notes, supporting customer sustainability efforts also reduces HP’s own environmental footprint.
The global landscape of regulation and consumer expectations has shifted, pushing brands to move beyond vague commitments to data-driven action. The European Union’s stringent regulatory reporting and eco-design requirements, alongside similar measures in California and China, make compliance essential. Consumer sentiment has also become a powerful driver, with over 70% of U.S. consumers expecting brands to lead on climate and human rights. In response, HP has prioritized transparency, becoming the first IT company to disclose its full carbon footprint—Scope 1, 2, and 3—over a decade ago. Today, HP offers lifecycle assessments (LCAs), product certifications, and compliance data, even for printed applications like flexible packaging, to help customers evaluate sustainability across the value chain.
While third-party LCAs are resource-intensive, HP has introduced a beta CO₂ calculator to help customers estimate the environmental impact of individual print jobs. Although not yet externally validated, the tool is already aiding design and production decisions. Collaboration is the next frontier for HP, as most of its emissions stem from customers using its presses. To drive systemic change, HP has launched initiatives like the Manifesto for More Sustainable Print, a cross-industry effort supported by FuturePrint, to align the value chain around shared sustainability goals.
Progress varies across regions. Europe leads in regulation, while North America sees advancements driven by legislation and consumer pressure. Asia, though gaining regulatory momentum, remains fragmented in consumer-driven sustainability efforts. HP, serving a global market, is committed to acting across all regions. However, challenges persist, particularly in data gathering across supply chains due to the lack of shared standards. HP is addressing this by investing in internal systems and specialist teams to ensure rigor and scalability.
Looking ahead, Lahoz identifies three key levers for decarbonizing print: accelerating digital adoption, which can cut industrial print emissions by up to 40%; continuous innovation in energy use, materials, and circularity; and building robust data ecosystems for industry-wide transparency and improvement. These efforts are already yielding results, with HP on track to reduce its carbon intensity by 27% by the end of 2025 compared to a 2019 baseline. Importantly, sustainability is proving to be commercially beneficial, as innovations like efficient dryers and inks reduce emissions and costs simultaneously. Lahoz concludes that sustainability, when approached intelligently, adds value for customers—a vision HP is actively working to realize.
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