Contact us

The Planet Hates Waste – Print on Demand Lets You Be Kinder

by | Jan 2, 2023

print on demand is kinder on the planet compared to more traditional production methods

Earth doesn’t take kindly to emissions and waste. And your customers and employees care about this. As the effects of climate change become too apparent, more and more people are adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, with many looking to purchase from brands with similar values to them. It’s easy to see that your sustainability practices have a direct impact on your brand’s reputation. But how do you balance sustainability and growth, specifically when it comes to marketing? In this blog post, we’ll show you how you can still reach your audience with on demand printing and reduce the negative impact on the planet.

Sustainability: just a buzzword?

As a term, ‘sustainability’ is grossly overused – and sometimes even for the wrong reasons or to ‘greenwash’ unsustainable practices. It’s high time we all did better. But how, when all this is juxtaposed with a perfectly reasonable human and business need for growth?

Let’s take a ‘selfish’ reason:

Deloitte’s 2022 survey into consumer attitudes and behaviors around sustainability showed that consumers are increasingly making conscious decisions with sustainability and the environment in mind. They are also ready to pay more if it means that the product is more durable or lasts more, emphasizing the importance of: 

  • Sustainable packaging and products
  • Reduced waste in the manufacturing process
  • Commitment to ethical working practices
  • Reductions in carbon footprint, and
  • Respect for human rights

Following sustainability practices in your day to day operations can get you into customers’ ‘good books’, benefiting trust and nourishing brand pride.

Where to find sustainable merchandise and print material

There are plenty of options for sustainable merchandise and promotional items in the branded print industry. A simple Google search shows you as much. However, a product or print item stops being sustainable if it’s being overproduced, shipped across long distances, or simply wasted. So that promotional bamboo tumbler is no longer earth-friendly if it had to travel across the world three times to get to the end user – or the sustainable forestry business cards with a typo that went straight to the bin…

You get the gist.

Luckily, we live in a day and age where technology can help us care for our planet, with little to no impact on business growth. So why not make the most of it, including in your marketing efforts?

Ciloo: The print on demand platform for both print and merchandise

The Ciloo print on demand platform combines both print and merchandise into one, branded portal accessible to global teams. It’s as easy to use as any online shop, with extensive catalogs for high quality flyers, business cards, direct on garment printing, conference giveaways and more. The platform allows global companies to: 

Utilize smart, more environmentally-friendly alternatives

When your team orders through the print on demand platform, that order is automatically fulfilled close to the user’s delivery address, drastically reducing transportation distances. This means less waste of valuable natural resources and less of an impact on the environment, reduced fuel expenditure, and lower transportation costs.

Avoid overproduction

Thanks to print on demand and extensive analytics that make demand forecasting easier, teams can print what is needed at that point in time rather than overstock in fear that they’d end up without sufficient stock levels. This reduces waste up to 50%.

Lower overall marketing costs

Reduced shipping costs, lower or 0 customs costs and currency conversion fees due to localized print. Less intensive on human resources and less space for human error with automated processes and integrated DAM (Digital Asset Management) systems that give teams access to approved material, and hence less waste.

As we’ve seen, technology makes it much easier to bring sustainability to traditionally resource-intensive print processes. Get in touch with us if you’re looking for a reliable, planet-friendly, print on demand solution for your branded print and merchandise.