Innovation

Inkifingus addresses UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Goal 13, Climate Action, by reducing their waste through reducing, recycling, and reusing. According to Justin, paper waste is unavoidable for a printing business. However, they take the initiative to ensure most of their unused white paper is “clean waste.” Justin said, “Clean waste is useful recycling material, as there is just minimal ink stains. They are usually first-generation paper, which means it can be recycled up to three times.” In addition, Inkifingus works with a recycling group named Close the Loop. This recycling group collects their digital printing waste, such as toner waste and plastic containers, to be recycled and made into different products. Moreover, Inkifingus uses digital technology in their communication processes to reduce unnecessary paper waste generated by paper communication.

Besides that, Justin introduced stone paper into his business. He said, “Four tons of trees are needed to make one ton of paper, but for stone paper, only one ton of stone is needed to make one ton of paper.” Inkifingus also uses Australian-made paper milled from managed forests in Victoria. According to Justin, these forests provide affordable, high-quality, and sustainable paper products, as there is less transportation-related pollution and reduced marginal energy usage. In the development of sustainable forests, the forests are replanted before proceeding to other areas of the forest. This practice encourages the growth and replacement of trees; therefore, by using this supplier, Inkifingus can reduce their carbon footprint.

In addition, Justin stated that the store has replaced all regular lights with energy-efficient lights. Justin said, “At Inkifingus, we consider being sustainable as part of our lifestyle. So, we try to reduce our energy consumption by installing LED lighting.” By using LED lights, Inkifingus successfully reduced their power consumption by 30%. He further added, “This is not only saving the company’s energy usage, but also helps to reduce cost.” Therefore, this shows that Inkifingus contributes to Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy.

Inspiration

Justin Annesley, the business owner of Inkifingus, strongly believes that every business should be sustainable, as this creates long-term economic benefit as well as positive impacts on environmental and social aspects. He wants to practice sustainability initiatives to benefit the environment, community, and future generations. Furthermore, he said, “In today’s competitive business world, customers value companies that go beyond profit making and care about more than just the product.” He added, “Customers are willing to pay slightly more if they consider you to be a socially or environmentally responsible company.”

Overall impact

Inkifingus's business innovations include ensuring unused paper is clean waste, providing stone paper as a tree-free option to customers, opting for a sustainable supplier for paper, and using LED lights to save energy. By using these innovations, the company makes economic gains while bringing significant benefits to the business, community, and environment.

Business benefit

The primary aim of Inkifingus is to generate revenue while promoting sustainable printing. Therefore, by undertaking sustainability initiatives, Inkifingus successfully reduces the overall operating costs of their business while enhancing the company's reputation. This positive reputation makes the company more attractive and reliable to customers and manages to build customer loyalty as well as attract new customers. Furthermore, by giving away waste to a recycler, Inkifingus develops a meaningful business relationship and creates a win-win situation for both companies.

Social and environmental benefit

Inkifingus reduces their environmental footprint by purchasing locally made paper and recycled paper. This helps prevent global warming as it involves less fossil fuels in transportation, in turn generating less greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, Inkifingus introduced stone paper in their print business, as stone paper is Earth friendly, 100% recyclable, and tree free. In addition, Inkifingus promises that their waste will not be placed in a landfill. They recycle all their paper waste, digital print waste, metal plates, and plastic waste. This helps to reduce the overall waste from a print company and leads to a better environment. Also, Inkifingus has reduced its energy consumption significantly by using energy-efficient lights.

Interview

Justin Annesley, Business Owner