Innovation

The PrintReleaf Exchange is a patented software platform that empowers businesses to sustain and grow our global forestry system. PrintReleaf works closely with industry experts in print and forestry to develop standards for measuring, offsetting, and verifying the successful reforestation of paper consumption. They have developed a standard, methodology, and technology platform that makes it simple for customers to certifiably reforest their paper consumption.

PrintReleaf collects paper consumption data from the source via third-party estimating, quoting, point-of-sale, or print monitoring software. Regardless of the origin of the paper or how it is used, PrintReleaf precisely measures paper consumption on-demand. A customer's paper footprint is represented by the aggregate total of their paper consumption across all sources over time.

PrintReleaf integrates with leading third-party middleware printer monitoring companies and service providers in the Managed Print Services (MPS) and Commercial Graphic Print industries. This allows for simple and automatic transmission of paper consumption data into PrintReleaf to calculate a customer’s paper footprint, and therefore the number of trees that were harvested for the amount of paper consumed. PrintReleaf plants 1 standard tree for every 8,333 letter pages, or 37.17 kg of paper.

Inspiration

Jordan Darragh, founder and CEO of PrintReleaf, joined the printing industry right out of college and held his position for ten years. However, he believed that he could do more environmentally as he felt as though his work was lacking purpose on a long-term mission basis. Darragh worked for CleanTech Energy for three years as he had a noncompete agreement in the printing industry. During his time at CleanTech Energy, he was responsible for helping customers reduce their carbon footprint. While working for reforestation carbon offsets specifically, he came across the idea of applying reforestation concepts to other forestry related products, such as paper consumption and printing.

When asked what inspired him to start and grow PrintReleaf, Darragh responded “I re-entered the print industry and it [PrintReleaf] seemed to check all the boxes. Working well with my experience but also adding this other component about personal mission for the environment. That was the genesis of this” Alongside Darragh's prior experience in the printing industry, PrintReleaf’s goal matched his personal mission of bettering the environment to work towards a more sustainable future.

Overall impact

The promise of printing trees equivalent to the amount of paper printed gives PrintReleaf a competitive advantage as most of their competing paper distributing companies do not offer this kind of environmental benefit. This perk also reflects well on their buyers since they are having a positive impact through their partnership with PrintReleaf. PrintReleaf also has positive impacts on society as a number of PrintReleaf’s reforestation projects provide numerous jobs to impoverished communities, which is one of the United Nations sustainable development goals. PrintReleaf benefits the environment by contributing to global reforestation efforts and reducing consumer carbon footprint. From a short-term perspective, many people around the world are employed now because of PrintReleaf. From a long-term perspective the planet will have way more trees in the future because of PrintReleaf. Over three million trees have been planted thus far through PrintReleaf efforts and this is just the start of the impact the company is planning on making.

Business benefit

PrintReleaf offers the primary deliverable of planting trees which benefits the environment while most paper companies do not. This innovation benefit’s their business model because customers can feel good about buying from a source that is having a positive impact on the world.

PrintReleaf also has a significant contribution in helping their partner companies from a marketing perspective. By partnering with PrintReleaf, a powerful positive impact company, the company can be set apart from their competitors. Darragh described PrintReleaf’s impact on other companies as “giving them market differentiation or competitive differentiation, something new, interesting, different for their customers that their competitors don’t have, to potentially move the needle in sales for their own core products and services.”

Social and environmental benefit

PrintReleaf has global reforestation projects in eight different countries and has recorded 26,703,277,963 of letterpages offset. With this, the company has planted a total of 3,204,469 trees at a current rate of 6,121 trees being planted per day. As felling is an ongoing global issue, reforestation is a monumental task in the current world. A number of the reforestation projects under PrintReleaf have created job opportunities for the impoverished, which is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations General Assembly. By creating job opportunities with the reforestation projects, PrintReleaf has been uplifting communities and the local economies of the project site. PrintReleaf empowers the world to take actions in the right direction to make the planet more sustainable and continues to spread the central message of creating net positive changes, rather than chasing neutrality.

Interview

Jordan Darragh, CEO and Founder