Case study – Onlineprinters
Onlineprinters is the leading online platform for individualised B2B sales and marketing products focusing on Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) customers.
Bregal Responsible Investment Report - 2017
Onlineprinters almost exclusively markets its products via the internet. The company produces more than 1,500 printed products including flyers, posters, advertising banners, catalogues and brochures. Onlineprinters produces more than 2.5 billion print runs per annum and serves more than 1,000,000 customers in 30 European countries. The company was established in 1984 in Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany and now also has operations in Southend-on-Sea (UK), Aarhus (Denmark) and Szczecin (Poland).
Sector: Business services
Head office: Neustadt an der Aisch
ESG industry relevance
The supply chain of the printing industry has a considerable impact on the environment and is relatively labour intensive with c. 770,000 employees in the EU. The European printing sector operates under strict environmental regulations and companies increasingly focus on undertaking ambitious voluntary initiatives to improve their sustainability. The printing sector is inter-connected with forest-based industries such as wood-working, pulp and paper, hence the sustainability of sourcing paper is an important ESG aspect for the industry. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are global verification and certification schemes ensuring the responsible management of the world’s forest by certifying paper supply and labelling them eco-friendly.
Direct ESG impacts of printing companies mainly relate to chemical and solvent usage, Volatile Organic Compounds (‘VOCs’) emissions, waste streams and energy usage.
Material issues:
Responsible paper sourcing and paper waste
Energy usage and emissions
Good employment
In 18 months of Bregal ownership, we almost doubled our revenue and have a unique position in the European online printing market. With the “Imprim Vert” certificate we now comply to one of the toughest ecological printing standards in Europe.
Responsible paper sourcing and paper waste
Onlineprinters promotes the usage of FSCand PEFC-certified papers by its customers. During the period 2015–2017 the use of certified sustainable paper increased by 10% per annum. Paper waste is both an important economical and environmental consideration. In general, online printing generates 30–40% less paper waste compared to traditional printing due to a more efficient gang-run printing process. However, by nature of printing processes, waste levels are still significant. Onlineprinters has reduced its waste level from 33% in 2016 to below 30% at the end of 2017. This compares to a theoretically achievable, optimal level of 20%. The paper waste stream is 100% recycled.
Energy usage and emissions
Energy consumption relates to printing machinery operations, lighting and heating as well as logistics and transportation. This is an important cost driver and Onlineprinters’ dedicated energy management officer is responsible for continuous improvements in energy efficiency. In 2011, the company was certified ISO 50001 for its energy management processes.
Good employment
With 1,400 employees, of which the majority work in the production facilities, occupational health & safety standards and employee well-being are essential. During 2015-2017, Onlineprinters realised a 24% reduction in the number of employees’ sick days. In September 2017, nine high school graduates joined Onlineprinters as part of its apprenticeship programme. Operational personnel receive extensive training to be able to operate the high-tech printing machines.
Bregal Unternehmerkapital
Equity capital for mid-sized companies in the DACH region and Northern Italy.
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