How Insite Graphics Continues to Raise the Sustainability Bar
For Insite Graphics, sustainability is not a badge to collect or a box to tick. It has become part of how the business operates, invests and makes decisions.
That approach has now seen the Surrey-based large-format graphics specialist achieve ESSA Tier 5 Sustainability Accreditation for the fourth consecutive year, with an impressive 96% score in its 2026 assessment.
For a business producing graphics, signage and branding for exhibitions, conferences, sporting events and live activations, maintaining the highest level of ESSA sustainability accreditation is a significant achievement. More importantly, it gives clients independent evidence that the commitments Insite makes around sustainability are being backed up by action.
From ambition to everyday practice
Insite Graphics has been supporting the business events industry for more than 25 years, combining large-format print, signage and exhibition solutions with increasingly sustainable ways of working.
Its sustainability journey began well before environmental credentials became a regular feature of tenders and procurement questionnaires.
The team wanted a way to measure what it was doing, identify where it could improve and, crucially, provide independent verification that its environmental claims stood up to scrutiny. ESSA's Sustainability Accreditation provided that framework.
When Insite first achieved Tier 5 in 2023, it represented an important milestone. Four years later, sustainability is woven much more deeply into the business, influencing everything from procurement and production to logistics, technology investment, employee wellbeing and community activity.
Chris Berrisford, Owner of Insite Graphics, said:
“Achieving Tier 5 for the fourth consecutive year is something the whole team should be incredibly proud of. Sustainability isn't something we've added to the business, it’s become part of who we are and how we operate every day.
“Every investment we make, every process we improve and every decision we take is viewed through the lens of creating long-term value for our clients, our people and the environment.”
Accreditation as a tool for improvement
Like many businesses approaching an accreditation process for the first time, Insite expected plenty of paperwork. What it found instead was a useful framework for managing continual improvement.
Because many sustainable practices were already in place, the process became less about creating activity purely for the assessment and more about providing evidence, improving documentation and identifying where the business could go further.
Annual reassessment has also helped keep sustainability firmly on the agenda.
Rather than reaching Tier 5 and considering the job done, the business has continued to challenge itself year after year. This is reflected in Insite's latest 96% assessment score.
Building trust with customers
The commercial value of independent accreditation has also become increasingly clear. Clients, organisers and procurement teams are asking more detailed questions about the environmental performance of their supply chains. Broad sustainability statements are no longer enough. Buyers increasingly want evidence.
ESSA Tier 5 gives Insite a straightforward way of providing it.
The accreditation is now regularly used across tender submissions, procurement questionnaires, client presentations, the company's website, marketing material and social media.
It has helped strengthen tenders, simplify pre-qualification processes and give clients greater confidence that Insite's environmental commitments have been independently assessed.
For Carolyn Seager, Head of Sustainability, Corporate Wellness and Communications at Insite Graphics, that distinction matters.
“Sustainability is increasingly part of the buying decision, particularly in an events industry working hard to reduce its wider environmental impact. Being able to demonstrate progress with recognised standards makes those conversations clearer and more credible.”
Investment that delivers measurable change
Insite's sustainability programme reaches well beyond recyclable substrates. The company has continued investing in technology designed to improve both productivity and environmental performance. Recent investment includes the EFI VUTEk Pro 32r+, helping the business increase production efficiency while reducing energy consumption and ink usage. The printer also uses GREENGUARD-certified inks.
At the same time, Insite has maintained its commitment to Zero Waste to Landfill and Carbon Neutral operations while continuing to deliver at scale, completing more than 900 client projects during 2026.
Its wider responsible-business credentials now include:
· ESSA Tier 5 Sustainability Accreditation for four consecutive years
· 96% in its 2026 ESSA sustainability assessment
· Certified B Corporation status
· ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification
· ESSA Health & Safety Accreditation
· Alcumus SafeContractor accreditation
· Carbon Neutral operations
· Zero Waste to Landfill
Taken together, these standards provide clients with independent reassurance across sustainability, safety and responsible business practice.
Sustainability is about people too
Environmental performance is only one part of the picture. Insite has deliberately taken a broader view of sustainability, recognising that a responsible business also needs to consider its people and the communities around it. Employee wellbeing initiatives include Mental Health First Aiders, regular sustainability training and wider wellbeing support.
The team has also continued to contribute to community projects, including its Chapel Corner Community Wood partnership, a company beehive in Cornwall, fundraising through the Camino de Santiago for Mind and the British Heart Foundation, support for Sutton United Football Club and the donation of accessible wayfinding signage to Merstham Park School.
It is an approach that treats sustainability less like a standalone programme and more like a thread running through the organisation.
So what comes next?
Maintaining Tier 5 for four years could easily become a reason to celebrate what has already been achieved. For Insite, it is more of a prompt to keep going.
Chris added: “The events industry is changing rapidly and our clients rightly expect suppliers to do more than simply talk about sustainability. They want evidence, innovation and transparency. ESSA's Tier 5 Accreditation provides that independent benchmark and challenges us to keep pushing forward. We'll continue investing in cleaner technology, supporting our communities, developing our people and helping clients reduce the environmental impact of their events. Sustainability is a journey of continuous improvement, and we're excited about where it will take us next.”
Four years after first reaching Tier 5, Insite Graphics provides a strong example of what happens when accreditation becomes more than an annual assessment.
For ESSA members looking at their own sustainability journey, that is perhaps the biggest takeaway: you do not need to have everything solved on day one. What matters is being able to show where you are, measure your progress and keep raising the bar.
Find out more about ESSA Sustainability Accreditation and how it can help your business measure, demonstrate and improve its sustainability performance.
