2 minute read
KGK GENIX adopts ESG strategy to drive growth
Graham Pitts, Group MD of creative large format print company, KGK Genix explains why developing a successful ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) strategy is essential to drive business growth.
If you know anything about KGK Genix, you will know that we have a strong focus on the environment. We talk about it A LOT! But there is reason for this, and it all forms part of our overarching ESG strategy.
Understanding our target market and their needs is what helps set our business apart from our competition. Of course, delivering a great creative print project is right up there on the list of importance, but so is appealing to what they truly care about too. Our ESG strategy aligns our business to what our audience cares about, such as recycling to help save the planet or donating to charity.
We’re more than just a creative print production partner, and we’re proud of the ESG initiatives we have implemented so far to help propel our journey of growth.
Carbon neutral plus
We’ve been certified ‘carbon neutral plus’ for scopes 1 & 2 for a few years now, and we’re actively monitoring and offsetting the carbon emissions in scope 3 too. Being carbon neutral essentially means offsetting our carbon emissions to the extent that – through activities, donations and/or behavioural changes, we take as much carbon out of the environment as we put into it however, offsetting on its own is not enough, we also have a detailed carbon reduction plan that aims to reduce our carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and as technology becomes available we will work to reduce this further.
Supporting Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Primary School Initiative
In February 2023, we signed up as a sponsor to Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust, to help educate and equip primary school students with skills for life. We decided to support EHAAT as not only a great thing to do, but as a charity that operates across the two counties where we have production sites (Herts and Essex), it also helps to raise awareness of our business.
Retail Design & Careers competition
To drive interest in retail design and the creative print industry, we’ve also recently launched a ‘Retail Design and & Careers Competition’ which offers students at Herts College the opportunity to develop their skills and kick-start their career. Not only does this encourage new talent into our industry, but also builds relationships with students who could become clients in a few years’ time.
New sustainably sourced and 100% recyclable banner range
We’ve recently developed a range of portable and recyclable display products that are great sustainable alternatives to traditional roller banners and pop-up displays. We started by creating a single banner, which proved so popular its snowballed into a completely dedicated range of 100% recyclable display products, from banners and backdrops through to counters and literature racks. You can check these out online at www.totallyeco.co.uk.
Schools upcycling scheme
To prevent substantial waste ending up in landfill, we’re working with five local high schools to supply waste off-cut materials such as fabrics, foam boards, cardboard, papers, and vinyl that students can repurpose and upcycle in creative, design and technology classes. This eco-initiative has proved to be a win-win for everyone involved and has gained our business some great exposure in the press. Our clients also admire these exclusive and independent initiatives, which also helps to separate us from our competitors.
