The IPIA is very proud to have participated in a joint delegation to No10 Downing Street to advocate for the print, paper and packaging industries. Its members met with a senior special advisor to the Prime Minister.
The delegates participated in an industry roundtable, the aim of which was to facilitate discussion with government and set out the contribution of our industries to the economic and social progress of the UK – while highlighting the structural and strategic support that could spur new growth.
The roundtable builds on an initial meeting with No10, attended by IPIA Chair, Charles Rogers, and his resulting invitation to a Business Leaders Reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden MP.
Charles comments: “Our presentation was clear, we are a huge part of the UK economy, and play a key role in every other industry and the health of our society – assist us and we will remain resilient and a key manufacturing asset for UK PLC.
“This was an important day for our collective industries. The input was simply remarkable, and there was consistent messaging from both global corporations and SMEs.”
The paper industry delegation included Puneet Gupta OBE and Lyndsey James-Williams of PG Paper Company.
Puneet comments: “This meeting provided an excellent platform for connecting with inspiring and passionate individuals within our industry and allowed us to engage in a number of meaningful discussions – as we explored the significant contributions our industry makes to the economic and social landscape of the UK. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in such an influential event.”
IPIA member, and part of the paper delegation, Nicholas Thompson, Managing Director, Antalis UK and Ireland comments: “We have an impressive story to share on both innovation and sustainability. Let's continue to work together towards a brighter future.”
Advocating for growth
During the passionate and productive discussion, the Prime Minister’s special advisor heard from participants on a range of areas where progress could be made to encourage growth in the print, paper and packaging industries, and how they in turn could assist UK economic expansion.
These included energy costs and infrastructure development, material costs, recycling and the circular economy, technology innovation, export opportunities, the perception of print and paper, and the promotion of print’s positive contribution to culture and society.
Charles adds: “The room was filled with an air of confidence, optimism and energy from all participants.”
In addition to Charles, the delegation from the print industry was made up of Brendan Perring - IPIA, Lance Hill - Eight Days a Week Print Solutions, Anthony Rowell -Tradeprint, Jane Rixon - HP, Marine Kerivel-Brown - Duplo International, Sarah Kilcoyne-Guilliam – Kingsbury Press/Bluetree Group, Simon Cooper - Solopress, and Mike Hughes -Latcham.
Representing the industry
The impressions from the print industry delegation highlight the impact of the roundtable and point towards the tangible outcomes from the event.
Marine Kerivel-Brown, International Marketing Manager, Duplo International: “Today gave us a unique opportunity to demonstrate the economic and strategic importance of the print industry in the UK. We were able to bring to light the resilience, highly sustainable and innovative nature of our trade and showcased the heritage, expertise and creativity that make the UK a leading print power globally and an industry to protect and invest in.”
Lance Hill, Managing Director, Eight Days a Week Print Solutions: “The government special advisor was clearly very interested in what we had to say and there was some very powerful messages and statistics which conveyed the scale and importance of the industry. The collective group demonstrated, in a cohesive and aligned manor, just how innovative and resilient the paper, print and associated industries are, plus we are all on the same page around sustainability and how we very much lead the way in this field in the UK’s media landscape.”
Jane Rixon, Business Development Manager, Signage and Decoration, HP Inc: “Today was a landmark moment for the print and paper industry in the UK, which HP Inc was proud to be part of. Working collaboratively with such informed, passionate people, we were able to showcase our amazing industry to government. Innovation, sustainability and resilience are at the heart of this industry so thank you IPIA for bringing us all together for the collective good of our industry.”
Sarah Kilcoyne-Guilliam, Deputy General Manager - Kingsbury Press at Bluetree Group: “We educated the government on the contribution that our industry makes to economic growth of the UK, pushed for support and focussed specifically on the tremendous job our sector does in innovation and sustainability. I am so very proud to have experienced and to have been a part of something I feel so passionate about, alongside other inspirational industry figures.”
Anthony Rowell, Sales and Customer Success Director, Tradeprint: “Being invited to No10 to showcase our amazing industry, we showed how competitors, supply chain and trade organisations in our sector are serious about sustainability – we showcased our collaborative approach, we explained in detail how we innovate and how passionate we are about the industry we love. If government needed a sector to show how we make Britain Great, then I feel we delivered that.”
Mike Hughes, Managing Director, Latcham: “The IPIA have provided a fantastic opportunity to ensure that the UK print and paper industry is being considered in government policy making. We are an important part of the supply chain for many consumer brands and public sector services, in that we supply them with essential print and packaging. It is critical that we have been able to demonstrate the significant progress we continue to make to support innovation in print and packaging – such as removing plastics, reducing our carbon footprint, and providing highly personalised and target solutions.”
Simon Cooper, Managing Director, Solopress: “It was a truly unique experience and one that I hope will deliver benefits to the industry. One thing that stood out to me was the powerful moment where we were able to get the Special Advisor to realise the damage that’s unfairly been done to the image of the printing and paper industries. It’s so easy for our sectors to be demonised, and therefore we need to keep educating people around their inherent sustainability.”
The IPIA encourages wider representation from our sector as the process continues, and we would like to thank all those who attended for their sterling work to represent the industry as a whole.
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