Buyers’ guide
The Imaging Warehouse › theimagingwarehouse.com
Hahnemühle › hahnemuehle.co.uk
While this leading inkjet photo paper specialist has won acclaim from the likes of industry experts TIPA for its Natural Line of Digital FineArt papers, fashioned from natural and sustainable materials including hemp, sugar cane, agave and bamboo, it has recently gone further with an affordable, everyday Sustainable Photo Satin paper, tested elsewhere this issue. Its latest product’s chief claim is that it’s fully recyclable with regular household paper. Thanks to a newly developed bio inkjet coating free of plastic composites, this photo paper is 100% sustainable and pulpable, and yet at the same time claims to be scratch resistant and boast a velvety smooth surface with brilliant colour reproduction capabilities. It’s worth highlighting that proceeds from the sales of its Natural Line papers go into a Green Rooster fund – a reference to its logo – which helps finance reforestation and conservation projects. In such ways, Hahnemühle is proving that you can deliver cutting-edge products and be commendably ethical with it.
Perhaps better known for the brands it represents, most notably Permajet inkjet photo paper alongside Nova Darkroom, Online Paper and Premier Ink, umbrella company The Imaging Warehouse has now been established for 40 years. In celebration of this milestone, it has become a member of, and is raising funds for, the Woodland Trust. “As we are primarily a paper company, we like to do our part in giving back,” says an Imaging Warehouse spokesperson. Its company statement outlines that it protects the environment, supports the law and respects international human rights. It does this via sustainable sourcing and requesting copies of FSC certification from its supplier base where all pulp products are concerned. Packaging is also created from environmentally friendly materials and it claims that, where applicable, all packaging materials received in the deliveries from its supply chains (and in its daily business) are either reused or recycled responsibly. Smaller changes have included the transition to electrically driven forklifts in its warehouse and LED light bulbs utilised throughout its warehousing and office facilities. Saving paper, digital downloads are now available for its two free Permajet-branded digital guides: The Knowledge Vol 1: The Art of Paper Selection and Vol 2: The Step by Step Guide to Printing .
Lowepro
› lowepro.com/global/green-line
Also placing a real focus on sustainability is Lowepro. The company has introduced a Green Line series of camera bags, which will be identifiable via a green globe logo on its products by 2024. These are made from recycled fabric and the packaging is recycled, too. Lowepro is replacing the material used in existing lines with recycled fabric. Its popular Protactic bag has now become part of its Green Line and its new Photosport series was launched with up to 85% recycled fabric, depending on bag size.
The plan is that, by next year, 80% of the volume of fabric used in its products will be from recycled sources, and it’s also aiming for a 20% reduction in the shipping size of new products, without changing their carrying capacity. To spot its sustainable products straight away, look for Lowepro’s Green Line logo and investigate the Protactic II, Adventura III and Trekker Lite series in particular. For further details of the brand’s ethical contributions, head to the website.
MPB
› mpb.com
By the very nature of its set-up – namely that it buys and re-sells used or unwanted photo and video gear – online retailer MPB is involved in a form of recycling from the get go. Voted best used specialist retailer in the 2022 Photography News Awards, it’s saving users money as well as saving the planet. We’re told MPB customers spend an average of a third less when buying used kit versus brand new. They likewise earn £650, on average, each time they sell their used gear to the online platform.
Sustainability is also at the heart of the MPB offering. It claims all its packaging is 100% plastic free, its cloud-based platform utilises 100% renewable electricity and zero in-bound or operational waste is sent to landfill. It’s on target to reach net-zero carbon emissions for its buildings by 2025, for its data centres by 2030 and its courier services by 2035. MPB offers over a decade’s worth of experience in buying and selling kit, having become the trusted reseller of thousands of customers in the UK.
40 Photography News | Issue 112
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