Our Environmental Story

Our Environmental Story

Right from the start…

We always knew we wanted to ‘do our bit’ for the planet.

Over 30 years ago, back in 1989, Impress had big dreams to print and be conscious about our impact on the planet.  Along the way, we have researched the best options and gradually refined our processes.  From inks, to materials, to sourcing paper from sustainable and well-managed forests and refining the technology we use.  We have made great efforts to measure, engage and communicate our impact and are constantly looking for ways to improve.

A whistle stop tour of our environmental achievements through the years


  • 1970
    The Beginning
  • 1985
    Discovery
  • 1989
    Entrepreneurs
  • 1990
    Vision
  • 2001
    Vegetable Inks
  • 2007
    ISO 14001
  • 2007
    FSC®
  • 2008
    Less Waste
  • 2011
    LED Lights
  • 2012
    Deinkable
  • 2013
    Cycle to Work
  • 2014
    25 Years
  • 2016
    Two Sides
  • 2016
    Green Energy
  • 2016
    Carbon Balanced
  • 2016
    VIP Visit
  • 2017
    Eco Winners
  • 2018
    Impress 'Bee'
  • 2018
    Planet Mark
  • 2019
    Electric Vehicles
  • 2019
    Plastic Free
  • 2019
    Technology
  • 2019
    Crisp Packets!
  • 2019
    Vegan Print
  • 2020
    Community
  • 2020
    Supply Chain
  • 2021
    Zero Waste
  • 2021
    Electric Vehicles
  • 2021
    Process Free Plates
  • 2021
    Solar Panels
  • 2021
    Water-Based Print
  • 2021
    Net Zero
  • 2022
    Triangular Tubes
  • 2022
    Carbon Free Mail
  • 2023
    Electric Vehicles
  • 2023
    LED Lights
  • 1970 -
    The Beginning

    1970

    Scientists have predicted the world will change through the effect of global warming.

  • 1985 -
    Discovery

    1985

    There is a hole in the ozone layer which will increase in the amount of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere.  Experts have told us that as a result the future will change and there is likely to be a global treaty on climate change.

  • 1989 -
    Calling all Entrepreneurs!

    1989

    Brother and Sister team Mike and Helen establish ‘Impress Print Services’. A business with great respect for the environment and care for the world around us.

  • 1990 -
    Creating our sustainable pathway

    1990

    With vision and ambition, we overcome small challenges but stick with our beliefs to make sustainable improvements.

  • 2001 -
    Vegetable-Based Inks

    2001

    We have start printing with vegetable-based inks because they are less harmful to the natural environment than the petroleum-based counterpart.

    Vibrant colours, crisp edging, glossing and bold designs are all possible while using vegetable-based inks.  A win-win with the improved ethics and environmental consciousness that comes with it too!

  • 2007 -
    ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard

    2007

    Phew!  No mean task, but we have mapped out our framework and set up our environmental management system.  This helps us refine our print production and processes, and great to receive an accreditation for all our hard work – well done team.

  • 2007 -
    FSC® Certified

    2007

    The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) have awarded us with our Chain of Custody Certification.  How exciting!   This provides trust that our paper procurement and processes are sustainable and from well-managed forests to curtail deforestation.

  • 2008 -
    Our Waste to Landfill Reduces by 80%

    2008

    We focus on the waste we produce, separating the majority of our waste streams for recycling.

  • 2011 -
    Switch to LED lighting

    2011

    Making the switch to LED light bulbs saves approximately 80% less energy.

  • 2012 -
    100% Recyclable & Deinkable Print

    2012

    Impress inks are assessed and approved ‘deinkable’ by INGEDE.  The deinking process is the key step in the production of recycled paper and the recycling process.

     

  • 2013 -
    Cycle to Work

    2013

    Bikes are good for everybody, so we have introduced the ‘Cycle to Work’ Scheme. This saves our staff the cost of the commute and supports a healthy, happy workforce.

  • 2014 -
    Happy 25th Birthday

    2014

    We have put pen to paper!  Tracking, measuring and recording our data on a journey to become carbon neutral.

  • 2016 -
    A Two Sides Member

    2016

    Becoming a ‘Two Sides’ member demonstrates our environmental leadership and shares the great environmental story of paper, print and paper packaging.

    The European paper industry is a world leader when it comes to sustainably sourced raw materials, renewable energy and recycling rates. Yet the myths around paper are still prevalent amongst consumers. From “European forests are shrinking” to “Only recycled paper should be used”,  Please contact us to discover the facts about print and paper!

  • 2016 -
    Converted to 100% Green Energy

    2016

    Our new green renewable energy tariff uses offsite wind power to reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels.

  • 2016 -
    A Carbon Balanced Printer

    2016

    Choosing Carbon Balanced Print feels like a purposeful and a natural progression for us.

    First, we are doing all we can to reduce our carbon emissions and now we are taking this one step further to formerly calculate our Carbon Footprint.  In doing this, there are some emissions that are unavoidable so we have chosen to offset these as a World Land Trust Certified Carbon Balanced Printer.

    This means that we can exclusively offer our customers ‘Carbon Balanced Print’, where both the paper AND THE print production impacts have been offset.  This programme will help protect some of the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats and avoids the release of stored carbon to enable the regeneration of degraded habitats and will gradually re-absorb atmospheric CO2.

  • 2016 -
    A VIP Factory Visit!

    2016

    Local Government and the Mayor of Elmbridge visit our factory.  They are really impressed how we take the future of our planet seriously and we are super proud to be presented with our official Carbon Balanced Printer Certificate.

  • 2017 -
    Environmental Award Winners

    2017

    Congratulations to our team!  We have just won two ‘Environmental Awards’ at the Print, Design & Marketing Awards and the Digital Printer Awards.  Amazing work everyone.

  • 2018 -
    The Impress ‘Bee’

    2018

    We compare ourselves to the dedicated bees, working together and having a sustainable, positive effect on our environment so, we have introduced our ‘bee’ mascot into our brand communications.

  • 2018 -
    Planet Mark

    2018

    Delighted to become the 1st UK printer certified with The Planet Mark™ for Carbon Reduction.

    This recognises our commitment to continuous improvement; measuring and reducing our carbon emissions, energy and travel.  Through our Planet Mark membership, we are also supporting the charity Cool Earth to help protect endangered rainforest to combat global warming.

  • 2019 -
    Electric Vehicles Are Here

    2019

    The transition to electric vehicles is happening.  20% of our fleet has been replaced with electric.  We have even wrapped them all up in our environmental branding so no one can miss us now!

  • 2019 -
    Eliminating Plastic

    2019

    We are working hard to ensure all our supplies are as environmentally friendly as possible.  As a result we have changed…

    Business card boxes from plastic to recyclable card, our sales team now send out envelopes with recycled paper padding rather than plastic bubbles.  Customers are offered Large Format paper display board instead of plastic and we have even switched to paper packing tape.

    We are not stopping there!

  • 2019 -
    New Technology Eliminates 9,600 Ink Cartridges Annually

    2019

    We have invested in a brand new 10 Colour Print Press with an upgraded ink pumping system to enable us to remove single use plastic ink cartridges.

  • 2019 -
    Recycling Crisp & Snack Packets

    2019

    How great, we have found a way to recycle our crisp and snack packets which were one of our landfill items and help our community at the same time.

    We have joined the KP Snacks® scheme working with TerraCycle® and are now a UK collection point here in leafy Hersham.

    What Happens to the Waste?
    Once collected, the aggregated nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels packets are sorted, shredded and washed. The material is then densified into hard-granulated plastic granules. The granules are then extruded so they can be incorporated into the production of different products such as fence posts and benches.

  • 2019 -
    Vegan Print

    2019

    Leaving no stone unturned, we have reviewed the whole of our supply chain. This has included meticulous analysis of all component ingredients to ensure no animal based products or derivatives are used and that no animal testing has been carried out by our suppliers, including our inks and papers.

    Following extensive work, we are delighted to become Vegetarian Society Vegan Approved – a huge achievement.

  • 2020 -
    Coronavirus (COVID-19)

    2020

    Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a major impact on various aspects of life.  To reduce the spread of the virus, the Prime Minister has announced that the UK will begin a full nationwide lockdown on 23rd March.

    Fortunately Print companies can continue to operate.  Impress is printing for front line services as well as volunteering to help our local community.

    We are helping with fresh fruit and vegetable door drop deliveries, volunteering to print patterns for NHS medical scrubs which are in short supply and helping families who are home-schooling with online eco-learning resources.

    We are a constant in times of change…

  • 2020 -
    Sustainable Supply Chain Engagement

    2020

    Great News!  We have received ‘Highly Commended’ for our Sustainable Supply Chain Engagement at the Planet Mark Awards.

  • 2021 -
    Zero Waste to Landfill

    2021

    We improve our waste management process to sort and recycle even more than we have done before. To avoid sending waste to landfill energy is recovered from our non-recyclable waste.

  • 2021 -
    52% of our vehicle fleet is now Electric

    2021

    … and we’re not stopping there!

  • 2021 -
    We Use Process Free Plates

    2021

    We are reducing environmental impact by using Process Free Plates for offset printing. Process free printing plates don’t need to be developed in a plate processor with a chemical developer before they go to press, so we’re not only using less chemicals, we’ve significantly reduced water and energy usage in prepress by skipping the processing step.

  • 2021 -
    On-site Solar Energy

    2021

    330 solar panels have been installed and now power our print factory and offices. This clean energy is equal to the carbon sequestration of nearly 30 average homes every year.

  • 2021 -
    Latex Water-Based Printing

    2021

    A shiny new latex water based printer has been delivered.  This is going to make our workflow speedy and we can tackle more ambitious projects.

    It’s exciting to help lead the change in more sustainable large format and signage printing.

  • 2021 -
    Net Zero Carbon Commitment

    2021

    We recognise the threat of the climate crisis and pledge to halve our absolute greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, then achieve net zero emissions before 2050.  We are ambitious though and have already start with a 25% reduction in emissions planned for 2022 against 2019 levels.  We are set to go as far as we can, as fast as we can!

    From all our achievements over the years we know it is important to actively reduce the climate impact of our operational footprint now. That is why, as we work towards 2030, as a Carbon Balanced Printer will continue to mitigate our impacts today and balance our unavoidable emissions through World Land Trust and high quality, credible offset projects.

  • 2022 -
    Triangular Packing Tubes

    2022

    With all straight edges, we have switched to triangular postal tubes.  Easy to stack and don’t roll around like round equivalents. The triangular design also makes a group of them easy to band together for easier handling and shipping. Space saving and 100% recyclable, the interlocking tabs means no more plastic end caps – Hooray!

  • 2022 -
    100% Carbon Free Mailing

    2022

    Our mailing house facilities and equipment are 100% self-sustaining, running entirely on solar power!

    We have added 51 solar panels to our existing large solar array.  This takes our Hersham, Surrey site to a total of 380 on-site solar panels, making our clean energy electricity production to hopefully be 120MW per year.

  • 2023 -
    70% of our vehicle fleet is now Electric

    2023

    … and we’re not stopping there!

  • 2023 -
    Energy Efficient LED lighting

    2023

    All our buildings are now upgraded to LED lighting, using much less energy than other forms of lighting. As much as 70% to 90% less!

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