There is a week remaining for printers to help the industry qualify for vulnerable industry status. The recognition would give printers some respite from rising energy prices though a long term utilities cost cap.
The Graphic Print Media Alliance, the super federation uniting the BPIF, IPIA, Picon and other trade bodies in a common purpose. This is to persuade as many of their members and non members in the industry to complete a government questionnaire in order to provide as detailed a view of the challenge that companies in the sector face.
This is in response to a request from the department of business energy and industrial strategy for as many as possible to complete the confidential form. “The wider evidence we have the more likely it will be that sectors will be considered for support,” according to the civil service.
The government introduced the energy bills relief scheme which provides support to relevant organisations (those at risk from higher energy costs), but this runs only to 31 March next year. At the same time there is a three month review underway to identify those businesses and sectors which will require support beyond the end of March.
The questions ask about energy usages, how businesses are charged, and what the impact of full exposure to rising energy costs might be. The survey asks about energy use mitigation measures that are in place or planned.
That energy is just one of a number of cost increases is reflected in some of the other questions asked along with changing patters of demand and prices.
And it asks “would there be wider impacts on society if your products and/or services were not produced?”.
The questionnaire can be found here with a deadline of midnight on Monday next week.
The effort comes on the success of a GPMA-led campaign leading to the government to rethink its plans to reclassify the GBL “date rape” drug, pointing out the problems of registration would cause printers using GBL in some wide format inkjet inks.
