Solopress and the environment
At Solopress, we understand that ensuring a sustainable future is an immediate responsibility we all share. From procurement to production and throughout our operations, environmental factors are central to our decision-making.
In addition to our own sustainability initiatives, we seek advice and certification from trusted organisations like the Environment Agency, Alcumus ISOQAR, the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), ClimatePartner, and Two Sides. We also work with delivery and utilities partners who share our ethos, ensuring we minimise our collective environmental impact.
History and culture
Since our beginnings in 1999, Solopress has been ahead of its time, championing sustainability by sourcing eco-friendly paper stocks, becoming early adopters of vegetable-based inks, and actively supporting local green projects.
As our company grew, so did our sense of responsibility towards the environment. This forward-thinking approach continues to shape our values today.
Joining the Onlineprinters Group in 2017 has only strengthened our commitment to environmentally responsible practices. You can learn more about Onlineprinters Group’s environmental standards.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
At Solopress, we recognise the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in shaping sustainable and responsible business practices. As part of Onlineprinters Group, we dedicate significant resources to advancing ESG principles across every aspect of our operations.
ESG policies have become a vital measure of credibility, shaping the way customers, peers and investors view businesses. They encompass more than just environmental initiatives, reflecting commitments to inclusive recruitment, the health and wellbeing of colleagues and responsibilities to the wider community.
Group ESG Report
For Solopress and the Onlineprinters Group, ESG represents more than a benchmark—it reflects values we actively champion as part of our ongoing efforts to operate responsibly and sustainably. To learn more about our comprehensive ESG initiatives, you can read the Onlineprinters Group’s latest ESG report here.
Onlineprinters ESG Report
Responsible Procurement
Whether it’s raw materials, inks, couriers or utilities – whenever we source the essentials we need to do business, we do so with our environmental responsibilities firmly in mind.
In terms of raw materials, the bulk of our consumption is in paper stocks, so it’s important to us that we source them responsibly. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure we use recycled materials wherever possible.
We offer FSC® certification on a growing selection of products. Adding the FSC® logo on qualifying materials communicates to your audience that your materials are sourced responsibly.
Being FSC® Chain of Custody certified means we are able to provide unique code that can be used to trace the paper used back to its origins.
FSC® certification and use of the FSC® logo are subject to strict guidelines. For further information, please refer to our FSC® Certification Guide.
Solopress was among the first commercial printers to adopt vegetable-based inks for lithographic printing. Unlike petroleum-based inks, vegetable inks derive from renewable resources, and don’t release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to global warming. Not only are they a sustainable and less harmful alternative, they also achieve accurate and vivid colour reproduction through our litho presses.
We are committed to powering our factories and offices as efficiently as possible, minimising our impact on the environment. We’re proud to have achieved 100% renewable electricity across all four of our sites, including our most recently acquired facility, where we built a new electricity substation to support its transition to sustainable power.
Affiliations and certifications
Solopress is an associate member of ESSA. The Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) is a trade body representing suppliers of goods and services to the events industry. It focuses on promoting industry safety, sustainability, training and business development.
As an ESSA member, we adhere to recognised industry best practices and quality standards. This membership underscores our commitment to sustainability, reliability and excellence as a trusted supplier to the events industry.
Solopress is registered with the Environment Agency (registration number CBDL217956) and we are diligent in selecting waste management partners who share our commitment to environmental responsibility. These partners ensure that no waste goes to landfill, with all materials either recycled or used for energy production.
Two Sides is a not-for-profit group formed in 2008 to research and communicate data regarding the ecological issues surrounding paper and print. The group promotes environmental practices and provides a voice for businesses involved in the graphic communications supply chain - from forestry to design to print to delivery.
Its mission is to tell the true story of how far the industry has come in reducing its impact on the environment and to expose instances of ‘greenwashing,’ when organisations make disingenuous claims about their eco-credentials. Solopress became a full member of Two Sides in 2021, and as such commits to abide by the Two Sides Principles which outline strict standards of best practice for members.
Solopress green
Solopress Green is a range of products that goes beyond our own high standards of environmental responsibility to offer customers the opportunity to buy print that‘s not only 100% recycled and recyclable after use, but also produced on materials with zero carbon footprint.
Solopress Green uses sustainably-sourced paper, ensuring that all the material used in the range is either recycled or comes from sustainable woodland. In addition, we work with ClimatePartner to ensure that CO₂ emissions produced through paper production are neutralised. You can track exactly how much CO₂ Solopress has offset so far, and which environmental projects we’re supporting through ClimatePartner here.
ClimatePartner is able to calculate the carbon resulting from manufacturing and ensure that an equivalent contribution is made to projects in both Europe and the Amazon that offset the impact of production on the environment.
Just because our paper stocks are responsibly sourced and produced from recycled material, doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality. The de-inking process produces 100% recycled paper stocks that are bright white, opaque, and smooth.
This eco-friendly printing range includes Business Cards, Flyers & Leaflets, Postcards, Greetings Cards, Vegan Stickers and more, meaning you can create an impressive suite of environmentally-friendly print with Solopress Green.
Affiliations and certifications
When you reach checkout at solopress.com, there’s an option to ‘make this order Carbon Neutral’ on selected products. This option lets you make a fixed contribution to offset the carbon emitted as a result of production.
We’ve taken extensive measures to ensure that the contribution you make accurately corresponds to the amount needed to fully offset those emissions through climate schemes. This involves closely considering the origins of our paper stocks and materials, as well as precisely calculating product weights.
To oversee these efforts, we collaborate with ClimatePartner, an organisation dedicated to helping businesses measure their carbon footprint and support climate projects that capture carbon from the atmosphere. These projects are certified and adhere to international standards such as the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Gold Standard. They are regularly audited by independent third parties.
ClimatePartner uses the standard framework established by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which was developed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, to measure carbon emissions resulting from production.
In addition, ClimatePartner follows a strict Code of Conduct to prevent corruption and fraudulent claims. They are also a signatory of the UN Global Compact. We receive a tracking ID number from them, allowing us to trace the reduction measures through our chosen climate projects and monitor the amount of CO₂ that has been compensated.
Climate Partner
ClimatePartner uses the standard framework established by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which was developed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, to measure carbon emissions resulting from production.
In addition, ClimatePartner follows a strict Code of Conduct to prevent corruption and fraudulent claims. They are also a signatory of the UN Global Compact. We receive a tracking ID number from them, allowing us to trace the reduction measures through our chosen climate projects and monitor the amount of CO₂ that has been compensated.
Download whitepaper