HP Industrial Print - Decarbonising Print Through Innovation and Collaboration

In the evolving world of print, where environmental expectations are sharpening and regulation is accelerating, HP Industrial Print is reshaping its role—not with rhetoric, but through structural commitment. Under the guidance of Carlos Lahoz, who leads sustainability strategy for the division, HP is embedding decarbonisation into its core operations and long-term roadmap. Based in Barcelona and backed by over two decades of experience within the company, Lahoz represents a shift from compliance-driven messaging to measurable, industry-wide transformation.

Click on the image above to link to a podcast interview with Carlos

At its core, HP’s industrial print strategy is integrated, evidence-based, and collaborative. It aligns with HP’s wider corporate DNA—an ethos forged over 80 years ago and reinforced through company-wide goals on climate action, human rights, and digital equity. These aren’t soft ambitions: they are business objectives backed by metrics and tied to commercial accountability.

Take the material waste challenge, for instance. “In print, substrates are the primary contributors to CO₂ emissions,” Lahoz explains. “Digital printing offers huge gains by eliminating wasteful processes such as plate making and make-readies, and by enabling agile, on-demand production.” It is here, he argues, that digital’s environmental and operational value converge. Leaner inventory, reduced obsolescence, and faster turnaround times are not only good for the planet—they’re good for business.

HP’s own innovations speak to this ethos. The recently launched A2200 web press boasts a 60% energy efficiency gain per square metre printed—an advance enabled by high-efficiency drying technology. Elsewhere, Indigo’s new CMYK Plus consumables promise more output with less ink, translating to savings on materials, logistics, and emissions. The impact is measurable: in some scenarios, these advances equate to hundreds of ink tubes saved per customer per month.

But sustainability isn’t confined to hardware. HP’s take-back programme for used ink containers—already active in parts of Europe—has now launched in the US, tackling one of the less glamorous but essential aspects of industrial waste management. On the service side, the HP Sustainability Amplifier programme offers customers bespoke support, including tools, data, and assessments to help them progress their own sustainability strategies. “It’s not just about us,” Lahoz notes. “If our customers reduce their footprint, so do we.”

The shifting landscape of regulation and consumer expectation is forcing brands to move beyond slogans. “We’ve moved from fluffy statements to data-driven action,” Lahoz reflects. With the European Union leading the way on regulatory reporting and eco-design requirements—and states like California and countries like China following suit—compliance is no longer optional. In tandem, consumer sentiment has become a powerful lever. “In the US, over 70% of consumers expect brands to lead on climate and human rights.”

To meet this moment, HP has doubled down on transparency. It was the first IT company to disclose its full carbon footprint—Scope 1, 2 and 3—over a decade ago. Today, its industrial print division provides customers with lifecycle assessments (LCAs), product certifications, and compliance data. Notably, this includes LCAs not only for HP equipment but also for printed applications such as flexible packaging—helping customers evaluate sustainability across the value chain.

Still, Lahoz is pragmatic. “Third-party LCAs are time-consuming and expensive,” he acknowledges. As a more accessible alternative, HP recently launched a beta CO₂ calculator, empowering customers to estimate the environmental impact of individual print jobs. While not yet externally validated, it’s already proving useful in guiding design and production decisions.

Collaboration, Lahoz emphasises, is the next frontier. “Most of our emissions come from customers using our presses. These are manufacturing systems running non-stop. If we want real change, we must collaborate.” Hence the Amplifier programme and other ecosystem initiatives, such as the recently unveiled Manifesto for More Sustainable Print—a cross-industry collaboration spearheaded by Lahoz and supported by FuturePrint. “The idea is to align the entire value chain—materials suppliers, printers, brand owners—around shared principles and clear sustainability goals.”

Progress, of course, is uneven. Europe leads on regulation. North America sees pockets of advancement, driven by both legislation and consumer pressure. Asia, while regulatory momentum is growing, remains more fragmented in terms of consumer-driven sustainability. “But we serve the world,” Lahoz asserts. “So we must act across the board.”

The journey, he concedes, is complex. Accurate data gathering across global supply chains remains a challenge, especially in the absence of shared standards. But HP is investing in internal systems and specialist teams to meet this demand—ensuring both rigour and scalability.

Looking ahead, Lahoz sees three levers to decarbonise print. First, accelerating digital adoption: “By moving to HP digital technologies, we can cut industrial print emissions by up to 40%.” Second, relentless innovation in energy use, materials, and circularity. And third, robust data ecosystems to enable industry-wide transparency and improvement.

It’s not just talk. By the end of 2025, HP expects to have cut its carbon intensity by 27% from a 2019 baseline. And crucially, sustainability is delivering commercial gains. “Efficient dryers and inks not only reduce emissions—they cut costs,” Lahoz concludes. “If we are smart, sustainability adds value for customers. That’s the future we’re building.”