Sustainability: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage
For years or even decades, sustainability has been a hot topic. From international agreements to cut carbon emissions to corporate promises to act as environmental stewards, the drive toward sustainable goals has been an aggressive one. By choice or by mandate, these decisions have had a positive effect on the environment as society looks to stem the tide of climate change.
But over the past few years, companies that have made the move toward sustainable operations have learned a lot about the way they work. And those initial efforts have paid off—and they’ve paid off in ways that go well beyond compliance. In fact, according to a recent report by Forrester, investments have paid dividends in unexpected ways.
Changing Tides: Operational Excellence as a Result of Sustainability
Regardless of the current—or even predicted—state of environmental regulations, companies remain committed to embracing sustainability. And their reasons for doing so might come as a surprise to some.
Because it’s not simply rooted in EPA compliance, ESG reporting, and emissions goals. It’s not even driven by goodwill generated from advertising their green initiatives. No, these companies are seeing that their sustainability initiatives make for a different kind of green.
This according to Forrester’s 2025 Predictions, which states that despite starting their sustainability journeys with compliance in mind… many organizations have begun to realize operational efficiency—and in turn, cost savings. Because despite the fact that 47% of environmental sustainability decision-makers cite regulatory compliance as the main reason for reporting metrics, the decisions have created a ripple effect throughout the organization.
Four Reasons Sustainable Decisions Have Started to Pay Off
The concept makes sense. After more than a decade of investment in sustainability, organizations have adjusted to the initial costs, rethought the way they work, and turned environmental efforts into ones that drive operational excellence.
In turn, these initial investments delivered a variety of benefits that go well beyond regulatory compliance.
Efficiency
The first of these benefits comes in the form of efficiency. To meet some often-lofty environmental goals, many companies rethought the way they worked. In this, processes were simplified. Lean manufacturing became the name of the game. The company sees productivity gains.
And what began as an opportunity to course correct environmental impact became a bigger picture practice in simplicity, execution, and efficient operations.
Cost-Effectiveness
Efficiency is one thing. It’s a cost-effective practice in its own right. After all, labor is one of the hardest costs to control, and efficiency gains will drive those costs. But it only scratches the surface.
It could be as simple as changing the light bulbs or as significant in equipment modernization. Though the initial cost might be steep and the time to recoup might be lengthy, the investments pay off. And in time, those investments turn into operating cost reductions.
Resource Optimization
A good sustainability initiative requires organizations to take a deep look at who they are. It also requires decision makers to take a look at their purchases. This mindfulness results in scrutiny. Scrutiny results in evaluation. And evaluation turns into improvement.
Rather than simply doing things the way they’ve always been done, companies think about the bigger impact of a purchase. And in doing so, think of ways to do it better.
Data-Driven Decisions
A sustainability initiative requires you to prove its effectiveness. And how do you go about proving effectiveness? Data collection, analytics, and reporting.
Environmental initiatives likely resulted in new equipment, sensor implementations, and other forms of analysis. But that’s the beauty. Just because the data was useful for one thing doesn't mean it’s only valuable for that one thing.
Related: Turn Good Data Hygiene into Sustainable Mail
Over the past decade, processing power has increased and computing costs have decreased. It’s easier to incorporate data from new sources. And even if the data generated didn’t appear significant to begin with… companies have found ways to connect it into their systems.
Today, companies have implemented a wide range of tools that allow them to make better use of the expanding pools of data. In turn, they’ve been able to turn this data into useful insight and information ranging from maintenance to optimization.
And a Few Reasons to Choose a Print Partner Who Was Born in Sustainability
The impact you make is one thing. The impact of the partners you select is another. Not only is there a benefit to measuring the total environmental impact of your company—in the same way a firm seeks out Tier One and Tier Two diverse spending—it’s the set of benefits mentioned above that get passed along to you.
Modern Equipment & Better Data Make for Promises Being Kept
One such example in the print and mail world lies in delivering on a guaranteed in-home date. In order to drive efficiency, the company likely has selected some of the most modern equipment to get the job done. This means fewer breakdowns, faster throughput, smarter scheduling, and better resource optimization. The job will be done on time and on budget.
The Kinks Have Been Worked Out
Another example—and one that can’t be understated—is quality. There’s a huge difference between a firm that’s moving to water-based inks and one that has been using them for years. The latter of these firms knows what works and what doesn’t. And in a world with a lot of doubt on inkjet presses and water-based inks, this is an extremely important consideration.
Related: Six Ways to Keep Direct Mail Green
They’ve carefully tested and selected their inks. Their equipment is built to handle said inks. There is no learning curve for the company that has already worked out the process kinks and potential pitfalls.
They Invest in What Matters
Growing demand for sustainable print makes for sustainable growth. And instead of investing profits into modernization or sustainable initiatives, a company that has already made the investment has more freedom and flexibility to deliver for its clients. Maybe that involves an investment in more capacity. Maybe it’s the in-housing of a special piece of equipment that could better serve a client. Either way, that’s a company that is ready for more.
Bonus: It Can Help You Save on Postage
Plus, did you know that choosing sustainable paper can save you on postage in 2025? That’s right. When paired with one of the other USPS Promotions in 2025, Mail Owners that opt for sustainably sourced paper (Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), etc.) from their Mail Service Provider will get an extra 1% discount.
Sustainable from the Beginning—And Going Above and Beyond
As a print company born in 2019, Sepire didn’t simply transition into being a sustainable company… we’ve always been one. Though it might not give us the opportunity to share our ‘progress’ every year, the only reason we can’t is because there wasn’t much to begin with.
From providing every client the opportunity to use FSC certified paper to only using the highest quality water-based inks, our commitment to the environment was set in place on day one, and we strive to do more each and every year.
Get to know more about Sepire, our commitment to sustainable print practices, and our expertise in direct mail by browsing our site. And when you’re ready to work with a truly sustainable print partner, drop us a line.