Inspiring the Tipping Point: How New Ideas - Can Cross the Chasm
New ideas rarely succeed by accident. They succeed because either a visionary individual, collaborative movement, or brand inspires belief and creates the conditions for change to spread. In his book, Revenge of the Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell explains how ideas and movements accelerate once they reach a critical mass. Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm complements this thinking, describing how early enthusiasm transforms into mainstream adoption. Together, these frameworks provide a roadmap for how the print industry can achieve meaningful, sustainable transformation.
From Vision to Movement
The Sustainability Print Manifesto is built on a shared belief that print must play a more sustainable, intelligent, and responsible role. It’s not a campaign or a report – it’s a movement shaped by collaboration, innovation, and purpose. Through the leadership of its Founding Partners, the manifesto embodies the spirit of the tipping point: when belief, momentum, and action converge to create lasting change.
The Power of Context
Gladwell reminds us that every tipping point happens within a unique context – and today’s context for print is clear. Sustainability is no longer optional. Digitalisation, automation, and circular design are redefining production. The print industry stands at a threshold – ready to cross from incremental improvement to systemic transformation. The Sustainability Print Manifesto provides the framework, the story, and the momentum to help make that leap.
The Founding Partners – Catalysts for Change
As Gladwell describes, big shifts begin with small groups of the right people. These are the Founding Partners – visionary organisations from across print, packaging, materials, and technology who have united to shape a shared vision for a more sustainable future. They provide credibility, insight, and influence – the essential ingredients to help the movement grow and inspire others to join. Together, they are helping the print industry cross the chasm between awareness and action.
What It Takes to Tip
In Revenge of the Tipping Point, Gladwell identifies six interconnected forces that determine when change accelerates. Each plays a vital role in how the Sustainability Print Manifesto gathers momentum:
Overstories – The Power of Narrative
Every tipping point begins with a powerful story that gives people a reason to care. The Sustainability Print Manifesto defines that story for our sector – a vision for how print can lead the transition to circular, low-impact production.
Superspreaders – The Law of the Few
Movements rely on a handful of influential connectors who amplify belief. Our Founding Partners act as these superspreaders, bringing their expertise and networks to accelerate adoption across the industry.
Context – The Environment for Change
Transformation only happens when the timing and conditions are right. With sustainability now a commercial, regulatory, and cultural imperative, the industry is primed for action.
Critical Mass – The Threshold of Momentum
Change accelerates when participation becomes self-sustaining. As more partners, suppliers, and customers adopt the principles of the manifesto, the movement gains its own energy.
Stickiness – The Memorable Message
For ideas to spread, they must resonate. The manifesto’s eight principles are clear, actionable, and memorable – designed to stay with people long after they first encounter them.
Responsibility – Tipping with Purpose
Gladwell also reminds us that tipping can go wrong. The difference lies in intent and integrity. The Sustainability Print Manifesto ensures our movement is grounded in responsibility, ethics, and a commitment to measurable impact.
These six elements define how the manifesto will move from concept to catalyst – a deliberate act of collaboration designed to transform print’s role in a sustainable future.
Crossing the Chasm – Together
Just as Geoffrey Moore observed, every great innovation faces a gap between early belief and mainstream acceptance. The Sustainability Print Manifesto helps bridge that divide by uniting pioneers and pragmatists around shared principles, measurable goals, and transparent collaboration. Together, we can inspire the tipping point that turns sustainable print from aspiration into reality.
Join the Movement
To learn more or to become a Founding Partner, visit www.sustainable-print-manifesto.com. Together, we can help print lead the way towards a more responsible, circular, and intelligent printing future.
Why not join us for our Sustainable Print Manifesto Launch, Dec 17, click here to register, or click on the image below :)
