BPIF Seeks To Harnesses Group Energy Buying Power

The spiralling cost of energy was placed centre stage as leaders of the magazine printing industry attended a BPIF summit at the St Bride Foundation Institute.

The spiralling cost of energy was placed centre stage as leaders of the magazine printing industry attended a BPIF summit at the St Bride Foundation Institute.

The major outcome of the meeting is that Dale Wallis, the BPIF's national health, safety and environmental advisor and commercial products manager Steve Walker, have established a BPIF members' working group that will work out how the BPIF can harness the collective buying power of its members to improve their experience of the energy market.

Michael Johnson, the BPIF chief executive, was pleased with the outcome of the summit and he commented: "The meeting has given the BPIF new fodder for lobbying government and working with organisations along the supply chain.

We have identified that, whilst the continued rise in energy prices presents a massive challenge to the industry, we do not have to sit and passively accept the worst.

We have responded to members' concerns and can now act to ensure that our members get the most competitive experience of the energy market and the best available advice on energy efficiency.

No one can do this as effectively on their own." The summit heard expert analysis of the UK energy market, which concluded that, with prices set to rise further and supply chain pressures to reduce waste increasing, companies should be putting the creation of a comprehensive energy strategy at the top of the boardroom agenda, according to the British Priniting Industries Federation.

Independent energy consultant Dr Cedric Rodrigues of CMR Consultants, reported on the future of the UK energy market and led a discussion on the different purchasing options available to business, such as fixed contracts, flexible buying and purchasing as a consortium.

Dr Rodrigues' main message, however, was that businesses need to develop an energy strategy that deals with both purchasing and energy use.

He commented: "Whilst most print companies have focussed on optimising their use of paper and inks, only a small proportion of printers have focussed on measuring and reducing their energy use." Nick Mazur of the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) focussed on projects to reduce waste and promote recycling to consumers.

Those include magazine industry activity to increase the level of post-consumer recyling and minimise returns rates of unsold magazines.

Additionally, the PPA is working with the UK Department of the Environment and the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP) in a study in to the use of recycled content magazine paper.

The study will consider the opportunities and barriers to increasing the use of recycled content paper.

The attendees at the summit represented one-third of the magazine printing industry, including the Polestar Group, St Ives, Wyndeham Press Group and Cooper Clegg.

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