One article that kicked up a storm on the forums of late has been the BPIF's response to Sainsbury's decision to send out its latest company financials to shareholders electronically. BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson described the move as greenwashing a cost-cutting exercise.
Quite how you present Sainsbury's move is somewhat redundant (you could argue that Sainsbury's is taking its green remit very seriously as it is also now printing receipts on both sides).
Our printweek.com poll on the issue showed that 9 in 10 of our readers expect more companies to file accounts electronically, rather than sticking with paper, and this is backed up by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US that is urging companies to use a new format called XBRL to file accounts. This allows shareholders to view financial data side by side with that of other companies. It makes the data more useful in electronic form than in print.
What's more telling is that one of the key backers of this is none other than RR Donnelley. A spokesperson told me: "As we provide this expertise, we strengthen our relationships
with our customers, create opportunities to become involved further upstream in
their financial reporting processes, and better position RR Donnelley to provide
a full range of financial services – from virtual data rooms to printed
communications." In short, "get with the program".
The body covering how companies report in the UK is the Financial Reporting Council. They say they are well aware of the benefits of XBRL but have yet to formulate a policy on its adoption.
They say the US sneezes and the UK catches a cold. It seems inevitable that printing company accounts increasingly become an on-demand business.