Sustainability: Customer Demand & Market Reality

Sustainability expectations are accelerating across global print markets, and brand owners are sharpening their criteria for choosing production partners. In this session from the Global Online Sustainability Summit, Canva’s Emma Russell and Vomela Companies' Lou Raiola explore how major brands are shifting from broad environmental commitments to measurable, verifiable action — and what it means for PSPs navigating the changing landscape.

Their discussion reveals that sustainability is a core requirement embedded in commercial conversations, supply chain relationships and long-term growth strategies.

Emma explains that Canva’s sustainability framework is deeply connected to how the company evaluates and supports its global network of print partners. Canva’s responsibility, as she frames it, is twofold: reduce the environmental impact of its own operations and help partners build the capability to meet the same expectations. That means clearer baselines, shared metrics and practical guidance. Canva is strengthening the way it collects and analyzes sustainability data from partners, focusing on aspects like material sourcing, emissions transparency, packaging choices and waste reduction practices. PSPs who can demonstrate consistent progress position themselves for deeper, longer-term collaboration with the brand.

Across the discussion, Emma emphasizes that Canva’s partner ecosystem spans many countries and production models, which makes alignment challenging — but essential. Rather than imposing uniform solutions, Canva aims to meet partners where they are, offering pathways, tools and resources that gradually raise the sustainability maturity of the network. The goal is not perfection; it’s momentum. Consistent, measurable steps build trust and allow Canva to confidently steer more volume to partners who demonstrate accountability and innovation.

Lou provides a complementary perspective grounded in the realities of print production and on-the-ground customer expectations. He observes that sustainability requests from brand owners are becoming far more specific: detailed life-cycle data, validated reporting, circularity plans, and clear evidence of reduced environmental impact. Many customers now ask about material transparency, carbon measurement capabilities, substrate selection and the waste implications of each job. PSPs who cannot answer these questions — with numbers rather than general statements — increasingly find themselves at a disadvantage.

He also notes that sustainability is becoming a differentiator not only for end brands but for the service providers who support them. Companies investing in measurement tools, operational efficiencies and sustainable materials are winning conversations that previously centered solely on price or turnaround time. Lou stresses that sustainability strengthens the value proposition: reduced waste lowers cost, increased transparency builds trust and smarter production workflows streamline operations.

Both speakers highlight a shared market reality: Sustainability must be operationalized. In practical terms, this means integrating data tracking into everyday processes, building internal alignment and collaborating across the supply chain to ensure progress is verifiable. Printers who embrace this mindset — and who communicate it clearly — are seeing stronger partnerships, more predictable demand and reputational advantages in competitive markets.