With the largest offer of fine papers in the market, Antalis’ portfolio ranges from creative papers and premium printing grades to graphical board and packaging.
Vicky Weatherington, Antalis’ Creative Paper Sales Manager UK looks at the current factors influencing the choice of substrates, the challenges facing the design and print industries and addresses how creativity, sustainability with practical considerations such as media availability can be addressed.
The dilemma of dealing with projects that balance cost, aesthetics and sustainability continues to be a difficult challenge during the global pandemic.
CORONAVIRUS HAS SUBDUED SUSTAINABILITY PROGRESS
In a recent edie survey1, more than half of respondents confirmed that their business had postponed sustainability-related announcements and priorities. Protection against the coronavirus has taken priority but for many businesses the need, and desire, to address climate change, will continue, and fairly soon, as public support grows, we will once again, need to focus on this important issue.
The rise of carbon offsetting – when it comes to selecting and specifying a sustainable substrate the options may not always be clear. However, at Antalis we have recently announced that ALL material purchased from across our paper, packaging and visual communications ranges can now be carbon offset. In the case of our creative papers range, we have already carbon balanced the entire portfolio so that it is supplied to our customers’ premises with no environmental impact from manufacture, processing, or logistics.
By opting to balance, or offset the carbon that would have been used in the production and distribution of the products purchased, Antalis customers are able to work towards limiting the environmental impact of their business while at the same time making an important contribution to the wider, global challenge of reducing global warming.
We anticipate the demand for sustainable solutions will increase as end users and printers, designers and brand owners look for environmental product support from suppliers. Carbon balancing the likes of Rives, Olin, Curious, Conqueror, Pop’Set and Keaykolour paper and boards – produced locally in Scotland – will make the process much simpler for our customers. A dedicated logo can used on printed communications to show commitment to the environment.
As a nation, we recently celebrated World Environmental Day in June. It was a time to reflect and consider the choices we make but the options, particularly when it comes to decisions about sustainable paper, aren’t always clear-cut.
Virgin fibre or recycled – Whether virgin fibre or recycled is best for a business is no longer a binary choice. Products range from 100% recycled all the way to 100% virgin fibre. Virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests are needed to maintain the recycled paper cycle; without new fibres, from new trees, this paper cycle cannot be maintained. Some applications are better suited to the use of recycled fibres and therefore there is a real need to understand virgin fibre and its recyclability and the use of recycled fibre in this circular industry.
Recycled papers will continue to arrive in the market. In 2019 Antalis introduced NAUTILUS® Uncoated to its portfolio of environmental papers. The 100% recycled paper and board is perfect for those customers wanting to make a clear environmental statement. NAUTILUS® is a paper with true recycled aesthetics – its look (flecks) and feel (roughness) clearly distinguish it from a virgin uncoated grade.
Keep it local – as the coronavirus outbreak has spread across the globe, availability of materials has become a key priority. The trend for UK sourcing has also influenced, and will continue to effect, the choice of substrates. Antalis has a vast range of UK produced luxury paper and boards such as Keaykolour, the 48 shade range produced in Scotland and Iggesund’s UK manufactured paperboard brands including Invercote and Incada – all suitable for the most demanding of projects and renowned for their design versatility.
Antalis has remained fully operational during the recent pandemic and continue to be committed in supporting the print and design communities in specifying the right materials for their projects via our dedicated team of experts as we transition and anticipate a post-covid future.
