The Recycler Issue 331

EDITORIAL
Survival of the fittest?
The arrow of time never points
backwards is the right phrase as we
assess where we are and what might be
happening as we go forward. There are
lots of questions about when we will get
back to normal, and the short answer to
that is, nobody expects that we will.
The headline numbers depending on
where you are in the market are that sales
have declined between 20% and 82%.
Combine that with the perfect storm
of demand falling, customers who are
unable to pay to terms, suppliers wanting
payment with order, and banks that are
unwilling to assist. And even if the banks
can help, you have to be sure you can
repay them.
Some businesses will be forced to close
as they run out of resources, and some
business owners will reflect and decide
for many reasons the time is now to exit.
How will office printing evolve after the
crisis? If we knew the answer to that…
But digital is going to be more significant
than ever as 82% of consumers now shop
online. Sustainability is another trend
that has been accelerated by the crisis.
Collaboration and data will also feature
in the survivors' guide. Look for more on
this in the next issue.
Is it a case of survival of the fittest, or
maybe it is a time of opportunity, who
knows? Read our feature on starting on
page 4 to see what we have discovered.
Is it a case of survival of the fittest, or maybe
it is a time of opportunity, who knows?
In the week leading up to writing this
editorial, the busiest page on our website
was the always popular recruitment page.
Of more concern or interest was the
fact that 140 people signed up for our
recruitment newsletter in the same week.
It is a challenging time indeed.
Last month we published our ‘One
Planet’ feature where we explored the
OEMs desire for a voluntary agreement
(VA) with the EU and the aftermarket.
Javier Martinez, ETIRA's President,
reached out to make the point: "While the
first VA agreement achieved very little for
▲ Stefanie Unland Editor
& Publisher, The Recycler
the consumer or the environment, two
further drafts have already been rejected
for extremely low circular ambition.
" It looks increasingly likely
that legislation, similar to that in the
motor industry, will be needed to create
an open market for consumers and to
protect the environment.
Is the Pelikan bio-based reusable
cartridge the game-changer that can take
market share from the OEM? Time will
tell, but interestingly, consumer trends
are changing, and 60% of consumers that
would have been brand loyal ten years
ago, are more likely to switch brands for
price and better brand connection.
Look at how Lidl and Aldi have disrupted
the supermarket space in the last ten
years. The technology itself could be
worth a fortune as companies switch
to bio-based plastics.
I know it is only May and Remanexpo
/ Paperworld is eight months away but
have a read about the new concept from
Paperworld for Remanexpo on page
11. Three zones, Reuse, Distributor
and Print Plus all give a focused and
individual identity to the various
market segments and is a good time
and opportunity to "kickstart" the
office imaging economy. ■
Issue 331
June 2020
3