SCG AND GO OFFER CARBON NEUTRAL BANNERS

Auckland-based print operation SCG, and outdoor media company Go Media, have teamed up to develop New Zealand’s first carbon calculator for large format print products including outdoor banners and vehicle vinyls.

SCG claims it will be will be the first out of home print supplier in New Zealand to offer Net Carbon Zero print services for large format print, and that Go Media will be the first company to implement this. Go Media will also be offsetting the carbon of the printed products including static billboards and bus advertising.

“We have known for a long time how to offset carbon for print,” said SCG co-managing director Fred Soar. “Now we have worked out how to do that for our large format products, by developing a carbon calculator that has been ratified by Toitū Envirocare.”

Both independently New Zealand-owned companies, Go Media and SCG are partners and supporters of the newly launched AdNetZero initiative, an industry-wide response to the climate emergency.

Soar says SCG has made a strong commitment to reduce its impact on the world since 2009, when SCG (formerly Soar Print) became a carbon zero certified company. In 2011 SCG started offering carbon zero paper product services.

Soar said, “Our next step in this journey is now to be able to offer carbon zero certified large format printing services. We are so pleased to have reached this milestone and offer Go Media this service for all its banners and outdoor media products.”

According to Soar, an average outdoor billboard campaign generates 90 kg of CO2 emissions. SCG and Go Media expect to offset 58.4 tonnes CO2 emissions in year one.

Go Media general manager Simon Teagle said, “While paying for offsets isn’t our end game, it’s the best solution available right now. Paying for the offsets motivates us to keep the pressure on our supply chain to develop more sustainable print materials that can perform the function we need of them.

“Environmental sustainability plays an important role in our decision making at Go Media, and our valued partnership with SCG, which is equally aspirational, has enabled positive change to be realised. We’re proud to be recognised as an industry leader in this space and look forward to working with and supporting our clients and partners to adopt more sustainable solutions.”

Fred Soar is also president of PrintNZ, the New Zealand employers’ association.