Sustainable printers 'need to balance green and economic goals'

Environmentally-friendly initiatives that are not economically viable will be unattractive to clients, it has been suggested.

Sustainable printing firms may wish to heed advice recently given by specialists on the need to balance environmental issues with financial concerns.

Chris Parker, product manager at IT company NEC, said the term eco ought to encompass economics as well as ecology.

He explained a green message that involves saving money and producing less emissions will be attractive to clients, but a strategy that involves high costs is "a harder sell".

Tim Oliver, a public sector sales manager at the organisation, added many businesses are still hesitant about introducing sustainable practices due to the recession and budget restraints.

Mr Parker encouraged bosses to see "the whole picture", noting they need to look beyond different departments and consider the firm in its entirety.

Their comments come after research carried out on behalf of Kyocera Mita revealed levels of environmental concern among UK office workers have fallen over the past two years, with the proportion of employees who reported they were personally worried about green issues falling from 77 per cent in 2008 to 63 per cent in 2010.