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The environment is our world so it has always been on people's minds, from primitive attempts to keep the cave clean to the naïve tree huggers who think print is bad for the objects of their desire. In fact print is very good for trees, because for every tree sacrificed on the altar of hard copy output three new saplings are planted. But we digress. This desire for a more harmonious relationship with nature is not just a hippy thing. It is also moving up the agenda for more people as they start to think about the world they are leaving behind for their children and grandchildren.

Couple this with the rise over recent years in shareholder activism and the internet's ubiquitous power to help keep corporations accountable, and you get a very compelling argument for companies to put the corporate social responsibility (CSR) higher up the agenda. CSR is also rising up the list of priorities because printers are increasingly aware of the threat faced from digital alternatives. Being seen as socially responsible is no longer just about philanthropy or vanity. These days social responsibility is about competitive positioning and edge.

Despite the rise in its priority, there are still far too few printing companies, particularly in the sign and display sector, which are particularly focused on the environment. Most players in the wide-format sector are relatively small companies without a hoard of shareholders to answer to, so they are much more focused on churning jobs out than on faffing with their CSR.

However, large printing companies doing volume work for blue chip corporates who themselves have a CSR policy are looking to improve their environmental image. But this isn't necessarily because they care desperately about said social responsibility. Unfortunately it is more often to do with wanting to appear to share the same values as the clients. And that is understandable given the toughness of today's market.

There are plenty of actions printers can take to improve their CSR, even if shareholders and business owners aren't squeezing the green screws. They can start with coming up with an environmental policy statement that outlines their approach to energy and resource management, recycling and waste handling. This costs little, but to be really bold consider putting hands in pockets and investing into projects that are working to improve print's environmental impact and of course its image. Now there's a thing.

Click here to read Sophie Matthews-Paul's response to the Question of the Week, Why is corporate social responsibility high on the agenda? What do you think? Use the comments form below to give your opinion.