At the dawn of 2020, our world is one generation away from a population exceeding 9 billion people. By 2050, the United Nations projects the Earth will add another 1.2 billion human souls. For perspective, in 1990, the global population was 5.3 billion persons.
With numbers like these, sustainability has become a vital issue. “You can’t fake it anymore,” warned Don Carli, president of market research firm Nima Hunter,Inc. and a senior research fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Communications (ISC) in New York City. Entering its 17th year, ISC, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is devoted to raising sustainable awareness throughout the printing, digital media, and advertising industries. Carli and ISC have worked with chief sustainability and marketing officers at major corporations, including IKEA and Walmart. “These initiatives require infrastructure and capacity,” he pointed out. Aaron Dyck, senior vice president of marketing at ink/toner cartridge remanufacturer Clover Imaging Group, concurs with Carli.