The ability to create prosperity and sustain that prosperity into the future is not only the common goal of most businesses, but also the central theme of a new book by Dr Peter Ellyard, respected futurist, environmentalist, strategist and author. We spoke to Dr Ellyard as he prepared his keynote address for the upcoming PacPrint 09 Forums, to find out what he means by sustainable prosperity and how that relates to the graphic arts
If you stifle an inward groan every time you hear the word sustainability, you’re not alone. The thought of transforming your business to meet new environmental standards makes most business owners think dollar signs…and not in a good way.A recent Printing Industries survey shows that while more than 60 per cent of graphic arts businesses already have a company environmental policy, and nearly three quarters plan to introduce more advanced environmental practices within the next two years, just 35 per cent feel this will give them a competitive advantage.
This belief, that good environmental performance involves significant cost – and minimal return – is widespread. And yet, says Dr Ellyard, it’s based on ground as unstable as an Antarctic ice shelf.
In his book “Designing 2050 – Pathways to sustainable prosperity on spaceship earth”, Dr Ellyard explores the challenges facing the planet and outlines the kind of responses we must consider if we are to create a successful future. Central to this response is the interdependence of sound environmental performance and future success – the idea of sustainable prosperity.
Change, of course, is always inevitable, and nowhere is this more evident than in environmental matters. Yet while our response to climate change will create a raft of new imperatives, especially for manufacturing businesses, it will also create a wealth of new opportunities. To benefit from those opportunities, however, Ellyard says most businesses, large and small, will need to implement a strategic process of change.
He says, “The first step is to remove obstacles to sustainability – whether that be related to production materials, processes, product distribution or waste generation and management, or issues like consumption patterns, behaviour and future directions.
“The challenge is then to reduce, or eliminate those obstacles and improve performance with new initiatives. Continuous improvement involves investing in infrastructure, facilities, equipment and technology, creating and implementing quality standards, and identifying new methods and materials.
“The printing industry has already made significant progress in this area, reducing or eliminating many harmful methods of production and introducing new, more sustainable alternatives.”
More importantly, however, Ellyard says businesses need to be open to changing their entire mindset – that is, to envision new possibilities for a more sustainable future and to map a path by which to achieve that vision.
“For example, print businesses should resist the temptation to define themselves as simply people who put ink on paper. A more useful, and ultimately sustainable, view would be to identify as communicators.
“When you think about print, in all its forms, it is essentially about communication, whether that is conveying a message, telling a story or reproducing an image. The question is not, how can we put ink on paper better, but how can we help our clients communicate in a way that best answers their needs.”
Change in any form has its challenges and for those in industries with a long history of success, like the graphic arts, the experience can be a double-edged sword.
“History gives us relevant and important knowledge, wisdom and practices from the past which can inform good choices,” he says, “but it also brings with it the baggage we have collected along the way.
“Often, success is hampered not by actual limitations, but by self-imposed restrictions based on deeply entrenched practices and behaviours. Every graphic arts business has the power to achieve sustainable prosperity if its owners can find the courage to shed self-imposed limitations and embrace the opportunities that change provides.”
This proactive approach is equally successful in responding to other challenges, such as attracting and retaining new talent, utilising experienced older workers, creating new leaders…and even surviving tough economic times.
“It’s a fallacy that sustainability is only for prosperous times,” says Dr Ellyard. “On the contrary, challenging times force us to put a value on what we do, and to carefully consider where our money and resources are spent.
“A sustainable society does not necessarily mean a more austere future – it simply means doing old things differently and doing many new things that we have never done before, in order to ensure continued – or sustainable – prosperity.”
Dr Ellyard will be addressing the PacPrint 09 Forum on the morning of Thursday 28 May at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Dr Ellyard’s book “Designing 2050 – Pathways to sustainable prosperity on spaceship earth” is available from all good bookstores.
