Power Of Print 2023: Afternoon Overview

For many people in the print, paper and paper packaging industries, if it’s November, it must be time for the Two Sides Power of Print Seminar.

A regular fixture in the UK and European paper sector calendar, the annual event is now in its 13^th year, drawing senior industry figures from the UK, Europe and around the world to the historic Stationers’ Hall in London for a day of insight and opinion on the present and future prospects for print and paper.

Simon Heppner, Net Zero Now

Simon Heppner, the founder of carbon accounting and climate action platform Net Zero Now, took the packed room though what net zero actually means before explaining why taking action on net zero makes good business sense and how to get started.

Citing the 2022 IPCC report that stated: “Exceeding 1.5ºC would put the world deep into the zone of risk of triggering climate tipping points,” Simon described the perilous state the world is in when it comes to carbon emissions. “Since current annual global emissions are around 42 GtCO₂e and the remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of keeping warming to 1.5°C is around 250 GtCO₂, we have just six years left,” he warned.

Simon then went on to explain the many reasons why businesses should be demonstrating a coherent response to the climate crisis, including customer demand, employee preference, regulatory requirement, litigation risk and efficiency gains. “Looking at operations through a climate lens helps identify efficiency savings around energy, water, waste and resources,” he explained.

To download and listen to Simon’s presentation, click here!

Mark Shalyer, This Is Ape

The majority of the presentation by consultant, designer, author and owner of creative agency This Is Ape Mark Shayler was dedicated to music. From the opening bars of Lionel Richie’s Hello, through the early days of rock n roll, The Beatles, David Bowie, punk, hip hop, glam metal and girl power, all the way to Psy and Gangnam Style, Mark provided a history lesson in music before making the point that true creativity learns from the past and improves it.

“But digital has made us lazy,” he said. “To get out of lazy we need to remove our constraining beliefs.” Mark’s point was that digital media has made everyone involved in its creation not thoughtful enough and that the real creativity still lies in print. After a series of great examples of creativity in print, he implored everyone to “move hearts and minds” and “use creativity to imagine a better world.”

To download and listen to Mark’s presentation, click here. 

Henry Coutinho-Mason, The Future Normal

Compared to Mark Shayler, Henry Coutinho-Mason’s presentation was a little more sober, but no less fascinating. As a leading authority on consumer trends and artificial intelligence (AI), Henry took the delegates through the latest work in AI and the various ways companies are using it to boost every aspect of their operations.

But while no one can deny the relentless pace of technology and the alarming implications of increasingly intelligent networks, Henry provides a bit of reassurance by stating “We’re the same old humans with the same old human needs.” The key is to take the time to understand AI and work out which tasks you can use it for. It won’t be suitable for everything, but it has the potential to help you, your business and your customers. Henry finishes with the ominous: “Thank you and good luck!”

To download and listen to Henry’s presentation, click here.

Anna Papagrigoraki, Cepi

Finally, Anna Papagrigoraki, Sustainability Director of CEPI, presented the key points of the latest EU environmental legislation and the ongoing review of the Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive. Aimed at tackling the increasing amount of packaging waste and driving the design for the re-use and recycling of packaging, the main policy measure of this regulation states that all packaging must be reusable or recyclable by 2030.

To download and listen to Anna’s presentation, click here.