Sustainable, local and social. These are the core concepts for printing company Libertas Pascal. From the heart of Utrecht in The Netherlands, they focus on the niche. They set their sights on a creative Utrecht clientele with a sustainable approach. The 12 employees invest in positive contacts and that is very useful to them in the current corona crisis. Director Peter Lagerweij tells how things are going at this eco-friendly printing company in the city of Dom.
CLIENT
Libertas Pascal
Since
2019
Software
WhiteLabelShop
PitchPrint editor
Moving along from a sustainable DNA
The printing company has been firmly rooted in the city of Utrecht since 1974. Peter Lagerweij joined the company in 1998 after studying Commercial Economics. He started as account manager and jumped into various roles until he ended up in the position of director. In these more than 20 years a lot has changed in the graphic industry and thus for Libertas Pascal. Peter explains, “We have always moved with the changing market demands. Starting in 2014, for example, we focused entirely on digital printing because we saw print runs drop. But we are also pushing forward on the sustainability theme which has long been in our DNA. This translates into environmental certifications and a sustainable printing process, as well as solid customer contacts.”
Customers with high favorability factor
Almost all of these client contacts are B2B and come from Utrecht. “They are mostly communication and design agencies, but also end users of printed matter in the art, cultural or financial sector. For us, a good relationship is paramount. That’s how we got a high favorability factor. We ensure that good relationship in various ways. We do that with workshops among other things. In such a workshop we share knowledge about paper, technology or sustainability. Today’s customers have less and less experience with paper, for example. We find that they really appreciate a workshop on this subject. We also regularly invite students from the Utrecht School of the Arts. That is always a lot of fun, we see a huge appetite for information about printing.”
Webshop with paper made from tomatoes and clippings
For all these customers, Peter has also launched a sustainable webshop from early 2020. In doing so, he is filling a need for accessible online ordering. With the focus on sustainable printing, he hopes to be distinctive in the crowded online print market.
“In this white label webshop of Prindustry, we only offer our own printed matter with sustainable materials. Think of circular paper: 100% recycled paper with additions of grass clippings as a residual stream. Or valorise paper: paper made from local agricultural fibers from the tomato plant. Many people are not yet familiar with these options. It goes beyond FSC paper and has a much lower footprint. As with all our orders, you can pick up the order or have it delivered by a bicycle courier. For the customer outside of Utrecht, we do ship via DHL.”
Initiatives in the corona crisis
Libertas Pascal’s sustainable papers are also well suited for postcards. You can put this product to good use especially in this corona period, for example to send a contactless card. Together with Cadform they came up with this action for the cost price of 1.35 euros including stamp. “You choose a particular card or make your own design via the online editor. So with our company we really go for creativity and staying positive in the spotlight. We also notice the downward trend in the market, but we are optimists. In addition, we have our sister company Probook. You can have a book made from as little as 1 copy through this website. That’s going well now. People are taking the time to make a book of poetry, a photo book, a novel or a cookbook. Printing, sewing and binding are all under one roof. The binding company Van Wijk works with us in-house for this.”
Getting energy from togetherness
‘Take good care of each other,’ adorns the Dick Bruna posters now ready to go in the print shop. “That togetherness will remain the starting point for now. We have to draw our strength from that. We are well equipped at our location to work according to the one-and-a-half-meter economy. What the future will bring exactly is uncertain, but we remain ready for the beautiful, positive initiatives!”
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