As sustainability pressures grow, the print industry needs greater alignment and transparency. HP’s Carlos Lahoz spoke to Jan Arreza to explain why the newly created Sustainable Print Manifesto matters, and how collaboration can drive a greener future for print.
The print industry is reaching a critical turning point, as sustainability pressures intensify across global supply chains, and businesses face rising regulatory demands, heightened brand scrutiny, and the urgent need for collective action.
Fragmented initiatives and competing agendas are no longer enough to meet rising regulatory, brand and consumer expectations, and the newly launched Sustainable Print Manifesto aims to provide the sector with a shared, credible framework to align ambition with measurable progress.
The Manifesto was shaped through extensive consultation with major global brands, retailers, manufacturers, and technology providers – ensuring it reflects the realities of the entire print ecosystem, rather than any single agenda.
It was created by a global working group consisting of founding partners that include HP, CarbonQuota, Gallus, Domino Printing Sciences, FuturePrint, Sun Chemical, Nazdar, Kavalan, io.tt, CPI Books, The PackScout, Cimpress and Bespoke. It also has the backing of key global trade bodies including BPIF & IPIA (UK), VIGC (Belgium), and Printing United Alliance (USA).
Whether commercial print, packaging, wide format, textiles, labels or industrial manufacturing, the Manifesto is deliberately print-agnostic and compatible with any process, technology, or business model.
While this document will continue to evolve as the collaboration grows, its creators say it marks a collective commitment from across the industry to “create a clearer, more coherent and more impactful pathway towards a sustainable future for print”.
In the Q&A that follows, Carlos Lahoz, who leads sustainability strategy for HP Industrial Print, explains why fragmented sustainability efforts are no longer sufficient, arguing that without common principles and a data-driven language, progress risks being slow, confusing, and ultimately ineffective.
Lahoz has spent over 20 years at HP, building a career that spans the full spectrum of sustainability. With an engineering background, he began his career in R&D and quickly advanced to lead global regulations and environmental management for the Large Format and 3D Printing businesses.
His technical expertise later opened the door to a new challenge – driving global sustainability marketing across HP’s Industrial and 3D portfolios.
After contributing to innovative incubation projects in areas such as textiles and the creator economy, Lahoz now shapes the direction and execution of sustainability initiatives.
His mission is clear – to steer industrial printing towards lower emissions and a net positive impact, combining strategic vision with hands-on experience in design, marketing, and innovation.
HP joined as a founding partner as it believes that no company can decarbonise an industry alone, and collaboration across the board is needed to deliver a more sustainable future for print.
Why is this shared framework urgently needed?
The print industry has made significant progress in sustainability, from reducing deforestation to improving resource efficiency. However, these efforts are often fragmented, driven by individual agendas or narrow perspectives. This lack of alignment creates confusion and slows progress at a time when sustainability challenges demand urgent, collective action. We can do better.
The Manifesto addresses this gap by providing a shared language and a practical, evolving framework. It moves the conversation beyond well-intentioned slogans and towards a data-driven, transparent approach that balances ambition with what is realistically achievable. By uniting the industry under shared principles, we can accelerate meaningful change and ensure print continues to thrive sustainably.
How will it support brands seeking greater transparency?
Transparency is one of the biggest challenges for brands today. The Manifesto was developed in consultation with leaders across the print value chain to create a consistent and credible framework that everyone can trust.
Shared principles reduce ambiguity and enable clearer and more transparent communication between customers and suppliers. And while the principles provide the structure, the language we advocate is data. Data facilitates collaboration and helps brands demonstrate credible progress and meet growing consumer and regulatory demands for sustainability.
Which brands and retailers were consulted?
The Manifesto reflects input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders. We engaged leading brands and retailers through working groups, summits, and one-on-one discussions. Companies like Nestlé, Diageo, Twinings, Aldi, Walmart, and Unilever played an important role in validating and shaping the principles.
Beyond brands, we involved material manufacturers, technology providers (including HP and competitors), print manufacturers, converters, publishers, workflow solution providers, and industry associations. This diversity ensures the framework represents the entire print ecosystem, rather than the priorities of any single segment.
Have new companies joined since the launch?
Since the launch back in December last year, more than 30 companies have already pledged their support, and many are eager to participate in working groups.
This momentum is encouraging because it demonstrates a clear appetite for collaboration across the industry. Together, we are shaping the next phase – focused on shared promotion, co-innovation and education – to drive real impact across the industry.
Why did HP join as a founding partner?
HP has a long-standing commitment to sustainability in industrial print. We have pioneered innovations to help decarbonise print production, reduce waste, improve energy and ink efficiency, and advance circularity. But transforming an entire industry is not something any company can achieve alone.
The Manifesto offers a platform for collaboration and shared progress. Over the past year, we have worked closely with other leaders to develop and align with this first version. Joining as a founding partner reflects our belief that collective action is essential to ensure print remains sustainable and relevant for the future.
What does this mean for the future of sustainable print?
My ambition is for this initiative to set a clear ‘north star’ for the industry.
With agreed principles, collaboration becomes easier, innovation accelerates, and progress becomes measurable. Over time, this will transform how print is designed, sourced, produced, and managed throughout its lifecycle – embedding sustainability at every stage, ensuring the long-term resilience and relevance of print.
What’s next?
The immediate focus is education and awareness-building around the nine principles, to drive endorsement and adoption. But this is only the starting point. The work continues through collaboration – defining metrics, identifying gaps, and creating actionable roadmaps to further develop the initiative.
In the longer term, the goal is to catalyse a broader transformation of industrial print, embedding sustainable practices across the entire value chain.
Has Australia’s print industry been involved?
Not extensively yet. The first version was developed with a small group of global leaders, but the initiative is now open to everyone. Companies can engage by pledging support and adopting the principles, or by actively contributing to the next phase through participation in working groups, via the contact link on the website (sustainable-print-manifesto.com).
A collective commitment: The Sustainable Print Manifesto was launched to provide a shared, credible framework to align ambition with measurable progress
The 9 principles of the Manifesto
At the heart of the Manifesto is a set of nine practical, non-competitive principles that any organisation can adopt immediately:
- Designing print for purpose;
- Producing efficiently;
- Choosing better, lower-impact materials and inks;
- Minimising waste;
- Reducing carbon and energy consumption;
- Improving water stewardship;
- Applying finishing only where it adds value;
- Recycling and reusing operational materials; and
- Communicating impacts transparently using accurate, data-led reporting.
This article was first published in the January-February 2026 edition of Print21, page 16.