In 2010 TC130 set up a dedicated Task Force to consider whether there was a need to develop ISO standards related to the environmental impact of print. At the first meeting of this task force an astonishing 35 people participated. By the second meeting in October 2010 the task force had over 60 members, so it was very clear that interest in the topic was high. At its plenary that month TC130 resolved to establish Working Group 11 - Environmental Impact of Graphic Technology (our scope is: "Standards related to the environmental impact of printed materials within the overall scope of TC 130"). WG11 immediately started work on a document to calculate the carbon footprint of printed matter, using a print run as the basic reference.
ISO 16759 (Quantification and communication for calculating the carbon footprint of print media products) was published in 2013 and has been adopted in many countries. For a while in was one of TC130’s bestsellers. The document is basically a carbon calculator for print and it has formed the foundation for various calculators and environmental impact assessment products. The document is in need of updating however as much has changed since 2013, both in our industry and in terms of environmental impact accountability.
Besides ISO 16759 WG11 has completed ISO 21632 (Determination of the energy consumption of digital printing devices including transitional and related modes) for measuring and calculating the electricity consumption of digital production presses with multiple stop/starts such as the wide format devices used in the sign and display sectors. ISO 20690 (Determination of the operating power consumption of digital printing devices) for measuring the electricity consumption of digital production presses with relatively few stop/starts. Generally these are small-format digital presses used to print long runs.
Last December (2022) ISO published the first part of a series of documents TC130 WG11 is working on. They are intended to improve the quality of communications relating to the environmental aspects of printed products and processes. ISO 22067-1 (Requirements for communication of environmental aspects of printed products) provides requirements for reporting detailed and accurate information about environmental aspects of a print production supply chain. The idea is that this information can be shared with all stakeholders, including labelling organisations, for deeper understanding of the environmental aspects of print. ISO 22067-1 (is expected to be useful within and beyond print industry value chains as part of our efforts to help stakeholders share accurate data using a common reporting model.
Work on two additional parts to the ISO 22067 series ISO 22067-2 for Post Print Production, Finishing and 22067-3 Textile printing is underway. WG11 is also considering a new work item intended to help companies in the graphics industry to assess their sustainability with a view to progressing improvements. This is expected to assist with improving the sustainability of an enterprise and its supply chains.
All of this work is needed for the print and publishing industry to have the tools to improve industry-wide sustainability strategies.