Kodak Says Sustainability Can Pay. Here’s How.

Press release from the issuing company:

In today’s print industry, sustainability is frequently part of the conversation, points out Kodak. Print service providers are under increasing pressure, whether that is due to increasing regulation, evolving customer demands, or growing scrutiny from brand owners and supply chains. At the same time, maintaining profitability while reducing environmental impact has become a business imperative. Despite this changing landscape, purchasing decisions often still come down to just one factor—cost.

With rising bills and ongoing competitive pressures, focusing on upfront expenditure is an understandable business response. But too narrow a view on upfront investments can obscure the larger picture. The true environmental and operational cost of a product is not always determined by what appears on the invoice, but by the resources it consumes throughout its lifecycle.

One of the challenges of discussions about sustainability is the ability to talk about it in relation to day-to-day print production. High-level goals such as carbon neutrality and total emissions reduction are important, but they can feel far removed from the everyday decisions that shape a printer’s environmental footprint.

As John Diggory, director worldwide health, safety and environment at Kodak, explains, the biggest sustainability gains often come from understanding the cumulative impact of routine operational decisions. “When organizations focus solely on upfront cost, they can miss the wider environmental and operational impacts that emerge throughout the production lifecycle,” he says. “Looking at the total cost of ownership provides a much clearer picture of both sustainability performance and long-term business value.”

Some of the most significant hidden environmental costs (not to mention the higher operational costs) result from inefficiencies throughout the printing process such as outdated systems and low-quality inputs. For example, older equipment may consume more energy than necessary, and lower quality consumables can lead to higher waste rates and increased maintenance requirements.

Product quality and durability play an important role in reducing environmental impact. High-performance consumables and equipment, as well as reducing waste, help minimize intervention and improve overall production efficiency. Fewer failures = fewer reprints. Reliable performance helps printers reduce both operational costs and environmental impact simultaneously: a win/win.

Of course, reliability is not just about equipment – the broader support infrastructure is crucial. Choosing a partner with effective maintenance programs and dependable technical support as well as product longevity can be just as important in reducing unnecessary resource consumption.

Process-free plate technology is a great example of how sustainability and productivity work together. Traditional plate processing requires water, chemicals, and energy during the plate-making stage, and all these inputs carry environmental costs, as well as financial ones.

KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates eliminate the need for processing altogether. That means no water consumption, no chemicals, and none of the energy requirements typically associated with this stage of production. Kodak developed SONORA plates to simplify production while reducing resource consumption and waste. It is an example of how product innovation by design can inherently tackle sustainability challenges at their source, rather than just mitigating their effects.

Pointing to process-free technology as an example of meaningful sustainability innovation, Diggory notes: “By eliminating water, chemistry, and energy consumption in plate processing, you’re removing resource demands from the workflow altogether rather than trying to compensate for them later,” he says.

Rather than evaluating products solely on initial price, businesses should consider total cost of ownership, because lowest-cost does not always equal lowest-impact. Total cost of ownership includes factors such as:

• Energy consumption
• Water usage
• Chemical requirements
• Waste generation
• Maintenance requirements
• Product longevity
• Production efficiency
• Failure and rework rates

It also extends beyond the print shop itself. Across the wider supply chain, hidden resource consumption refers to the invisible water, energy, and materials used to make and transport a product. This includes Scope 3 emissions which are generated during activities such as manufacturing, transportation and distribution. These hidden costs can represent a significant share of an organization’s overall environmental footprint. Considering these wider impacts alongside operational costs provides a more complete picture of both sustainability performance and long-term business value.

Sustainability should be a holistic strategy, not a single initiative. The best approaches are based on a combination of responsible product choices, waste reduction, and operational efficiency, and should be thought of as a continuous improvement project, not a box ticking exercise.

Jim Continenza (pictured), CEO, Kodak, believes sustainability must be considered from multiple perspectives. “We have to understand not only how our operations impact the wider world, but also how environmental and regulatory changes affect our customers and our business,” he says. “At Kodak, that thinking influences everything from product development and investment decisions to how we support printers in becoming more efficient. Sustainability is not a separate business objective; it is part of building a resilient, future-ready organization.”

When sustainability is viewed through the lens of total cost of ownership (TCO), the conversation is less about what costs less today, and more about what will deliver the greatest value tomorrow.