New ISO standard for calculating the carbon footprint of print

The Verdigris Project is pleased to announce the publication of ISO 16759, the standard that describes the framework for quantifying and communicating the carbon footprint of print media. The standard is not a carbon calculator but a specification for what carbon calculators should cover for print media products.

ISO 16759 is the first standard of its kind: a sector-specific implementation of generic carbon footprinting methodologies such as PAS 2050 and TS 14067. This standard provides a common reference for the development of carbon calculators for all sectors of the graphic arts industry, from labels and packaging to books, transactional documents and newspapers. Print buyers can use it to ensure that carbon calculations of print media products are produced using a common framework, minimising variables that might otherwise confuse results. ISO 16759 is essential for comparing the carbon impacts of print produced in different markets, or by different printing companies and methods.