Our Sustainability Truth Score

The Sustainability Truth Score

For procurement teams, marketers and sustainability professionals, the challenge is no longer finding companies that talk about sustainability but finding companies that can prove it.

Steve Lister's Sustainability Truth Score is generating attention across the print, retail and manufacturing sectors for this very reason. He is a Global Sustainability Consultant, an independent assessor and therefore unbiased in his approach. He cuts through greenwashing and focuses on trust.

His framework asks a simple question: Can the evidence support the claims being made?

What Is The Sustainability Truth Score?

The Sustainability Truth Score is designed to assess the gap between the work that has been done and what customers, procurement teams and stakeholders actually see.

Doing the legwork, the research and manifesting progress can be a lengthy process, and it is not always visible.

The Sustainability Truth Score evaluates how clearly organisations communicate sustainability performance, how accessible the supporting evidence is and whether claims are backed by credible data and documentation.

As Anthony Rowell, Sales & Customer Success Director and Sustainability Lead at Tradeprint.co.uk, said:

"Steve is one of the most credible voices in sustainability in the print and retail world, someone who calls out greenwashing without hesitation and champions genuine, evidenced progress."

This strikes a chord because this report is about showing where a company's sustainability communication is strong, where the evidence is clear, and where the gaps still need work.

The Sustainability Truth Score is designed to assess the gap between the work that has been done and what customers, procurement teams and stakeholders actually see.

Doing the legwork, the research and manifesting progress can be a lengthy process, and it is not always visible.

The Sustainability Truth Score evaluates how clearly organisations communicate sustainability performance, how accessible the supporting evidence is and whether claims are backed by credible data and documentation.

As Anthony Rowell, Sales & Customer Success Director and Sustainability Lead at Tradeprint.co.uk, said:

"Steve is one of the most credible voices in sustainability in the print and retail world, someone who calls out greenwashing without hesitation and champions genuine, evidenced progress."

This strikes a chord because this report is about showing where a company's sustainability communication is strong, where the evidence is clear, and where the gaps still need work.

The Executive Summary: A Positive Assessment with Clear Opportunities

One of the most valuable aspects of the Sustainability Truth Score is that it highlights strengths while identifying practical opportunities for improvement.

The assessment found that our website demonstrates genuine sustainability activity across several important areas, including:

• Carbon reduction commitments
• Focus on Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
• Responsible sourcing initiatives
• Waste diversion and waste reduction efforts
• Preparation for evolving environmental regulations

These are all areas that increasingly matter to procurement teams and corporate buyers evaluating supplier sustainability credentials.

The review also highlighted that our carbon strategy is stronger than that of many businesses operating within the print sector.

However, the report identified an opportunity to make sustainability evidence easier to access and evaluate through a downloadable Tradeprint-level sustainability dashboard and clearer explanations around assurance and reporting.

This is exactly the type of insight that will help us move from good sustainability communication to best practice sustainability communication.

Making Proof Easier to Find

A recurring theme throughout the report is the need to make evidence easier to find. It’s all there, but you have to navigate to see it.

We already have a range of recognised credentials and supporting documentation, including:

• FSC® and PEFC responsible sourcing certifications
• ISO 14001 environmental management certification
• Cimpress ESG reporting
• Modern Slavery disclosures
• Environmental policies and commitments

Buyers increasingly want immediate access to evidence to build a picture of supplier performance.

We aim to make sustainability information transparent, accessible and easy to verify to build on the trust we have already established.

Product Sustainability Is Becoming More Important

The review also recognised the progress we have made in product sustainability.

Initiatives such as the expansion of recycled product ranges and the transition towards PVC-free alternatives demonstrate a commitment to improving the environmental profile of products available to customers.

However, the report notes have given us a steer towards product-level sustainability information that could be easier to compare.

We want to help people understand:

• Which products contain recycled content
• Which products offer a lower environmental impact
• Which materials are recyclable
• How alternative products compare

Independent Reviews Focus Our Initiatives

We are serious about sustainability, so independent assessment is welcome. External reviews such as this provide objectivity, identify blind spots and often reveal opportunities that we may miss internally.

As Anthony Rowell explained:

"The report shines a light on where we have real work to do… The gaps are clear. The roadmap is clear. And that's exactly why a review like this is so valuable."

For us, sustainability is not a destination; it is a process of continuous improvement. For our credibility, we are always willing to acknowledge where improvements can still be made.

The Sustainability Truth Score is already creating the right conversations around how we can improve sustainability marketing, build trust and turn real progress into a clearer commercial advantage.

Watch this space as Anthony builds on this throughout the next year.

In a bid to make a start on putting things all in one place, here are some handy links to our Sustainability documents and our sustainability highlights:

• Our Environmental Policy
• Our Banner Return Scheme
• FESPA UK Waste Accreditation
• Cimpress ESG Report
• Our Commitment to the “Sustainable Print Manifesto”
• Our own Anthony Rowell, Chair of the BPIF Environmental Forum
• Conversations at Number 10 Downing Street on Sustainability in Print
• Sustainable Kit Credentials
• We work with Two Sides, Love paper, FESPA Reconomy, Print Green, The IPIA, FEEFO’s TREEFO and the BPIF
• We have an internal Climate Action group, comprising of peer ambassadors
• We support time off for volunteering within our own communities
• We have a partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust

Awards

• FEEFO TREEFO
• Print Week’s Innovation of the Year Business Strategy for our work on sustainability
• The Scottish Green Apple Award from the Green Organisation
• The IPIA Sustainability Advocate Award

Independent Assessment

• Sustainability Truth Score
• ISO 9001 certified quality management
• ISO 14001 certified environmental management
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance support through Valpak
• We comply with the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations
• We comply with EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 
• We are committed to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and EU Plastics Pact.
• All our paper-based products are FSC® & PEFC-certified
• At Tradeprint, our decarbonisation work follows a science-based approach, aligned with a 1.5°C pathway and the GHG Protocol methodology for Corporate Carbon Footprint.