OUR SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY

Sustainability has been part of Pureprint’s identity for more than 30 years.  Long before sustainability became a mainstream business priority, we were investing in environmental management, responsible materials, carbon reduction and more efficient ways of producing print.

We’ve achieved industry firsts, won three Queen’s Awards for Sustainable Development and continually evolved our approach as our understanding of environmental impact has developed.

But our journey has never been about standing still.

What started with reducing the environmental impact of our own operations has evolved into a broader ambition: to help our customers make more sustainable choices and share what we’ve learned with others.

OUR JOURNEY AT A GLANCE

THREE DECADES OF PROGRESS

 

1990s
Building the foundations

We began by putting formal environmental management, responsible sourcing and measurable environmental performance at the heart of our operations.

1993

September 30, 1993

1st ISO14001 certified printer in the UK

1996

October 29, 1996

1st EMAS certified printer in the UK

2000s
Becoming a sustainability pioneer

We moved beyond environmental management towards taking responsibility for our carbon footprint and demonstrating that sustainability could be embedded into a commercially successful print business.

2001

October 29, 2001

Became the 1st FSC® printer in the UK

2002

October 30, 2002

Became the first CarbonNeutral® printer in the world

2003

March 2, 2003

First printer to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development

2008

March 2, 2008

First printer to win a second Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development

2008

October 30, 2008

Listed 4th in The Sunday Times Best Green Companies

2009

October 29, 2009

Business in the Community Big Tick Award for Impact on Society

2010’s
Influencing the wider industry

Our focus increasingly extended beyond our own operations , working with customers, suppliers and industry organisations to promote better environmental practice.

2010

January 1, 2010

One of the original members of Two Sides promoting sustainability in the graphic communications industry

2013

October 30, 2013

First printer in the UK to achieve WWF-GFTN (Global Forest and Trade Network) graduate status

2013

October 30, 2013

Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development for the third time

2013

October 30, 2013

Awarded the BPIF Seal of Excellence Award in Environmental Management

2017

October 30, 2017

Re-accredited as a CarbonNeutral® Company from Natural Capital Partners

2018

October 30, 2018

Introducing the Carbon Balanced Paper programme enabling customers to offset their emissions through The World Land Trust

2020’s
From credentials to measurable reduction

Our focus has continued to evolve from environmental credentials and carbon balancing towards measuring, reducing and transparently reporting our actual environmental impact. Independent assessments such as EcoVadis, alongside our SBTi-approved targets and CarbonNeutral® certification, provide external validation of our progress while helping us identify where we can continue to improve.

2021

September 13, 2021

Imprint Pureprint our large format print division was awarded CarbonNeutral® status by Natural Capital Partners

2021

September 30, 2021

Puremail® Low Carbon Communications minimum impact direct mail launched

2022

March 2, 2022

1st printer to be certified as a CarbonNeutral® Company for 20 years

2022

October 29, 2022

1st printer to be certified to ISO 14001 for 30 years

2022

November 1, 2022

Pureprint achieved an EcoVadis Bronze rating, providing an independent assessment of our sustainability performance across Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

2024

April 2, 2024

Science Based Targets approved, providing a clear science-led pathway for emissions reduction

2025

May 1, 2025

Our progress was recognised through an improved EcoVadis Silver rating, demonstrating the continued strengthening of our ESG management, policies, evidence and performance. Our 2025 score of 74/100 placed Pureprint in the 92nd percentile, reflecting a strong level of sustainability maturity and placing us well above the majority of assessed companies.

2025–2026

March 2, 2026

Strengthening carbon measurement, ESG governance, sustainable procurement, customer carbon reporting and our wider sustainability roadmap.

THREE QUEEN'S AWARDS

RECOGNISED FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Pureprint has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development three times, in 2003, 2008 and 2013.

For us, that recognition reflects something simple. Sustainability hasn’t been a one-off project. It’s been part of how we’ve improved the business, our processes and the choices we can offer customers over time.

That mindset still shapes how we work today.

Read in PrintWeek