More Than a Promise: How Lahlouh Is Building Sustainability Into Everything We Do

Every year around Earth Day, we take a moment to step back and reflect — not just on what we've said about sustainability, but on what we've actually done. At Lahlouh, that reflection has become one of our favorite exercises, because each year the list of real, measurable progress keeps growing.

We've been in this industry for over 40 years. That's four decades of printing, packaging, and fulfilling orders for brands across the country. And over that time, we've watched sustainability evolve from a nice-to-have into what it really is: a responsibility. One we take seriously — not just toward our clients, but toward our employees, our communities, and the planet.

A Framework We Actually Believe In: People, Planet, Product

We organize our sustainability efforts around three core pillars — People, Planet, and Product — and that framework shapes everything from how we run our presses to what ends up on your doorstep.

People is about building a workplace that reflects the values we bring to everything else: one that's diverse, safe, and invested in growth. A company's culture shows up in its products — and we believe that deeply.

Planet is where the bulk of our environmental work lives, and it goes well beyond our own four walls. It covers how we print, how we package, how we ship, and — critically — who we partner with to get it all done. Sustainability is only as strong as the weakest link in your supply chain, and we take that seriously.

At Lahlouh, we've prioritized process improvement and technological investment to streamline production and minimize our carbon footprint. We continuously evaluate our products, services, and processes to ensure we're evolving as a genuinely sustainable, environmentally-conscious company — not just one that talks about it. And sustainability in our world extends to promotional products too — [check out our full guide to sustainable promo here].

Product is about what we put into the world. We constantly re-examine the raw materials and processes behind everything we make, asking: is there a greener way to do this? The goal is an end product our clients are proud of — and one that meets our triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit.

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What's New in 2026: Progress Worth Highlighting

We Expanded Our National Platform — and That's a Sustainability Win

Earlier this year, Lahlouh opened our new facility in Blue Ash, Ohio. For clients, this means faster turnaround and broader reach. For the environment, it means something just as important: fewer miles traveled.

By manufacturing and fulfilling from locations closest to the end recipient — whether that's our California or Ohio facility — we significantly cut the transportation emissions tied to our shipped orders. This national platform approach is one of the most impactful (and underappreciated) ways we minimize our carbon footprint. Fewer cross-country shipments means less fuel consumed, fewer emissions released, and a leaner supply chain for everyone.

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Our Employees Are Part of the Solution Too

Here's something that doesn't always make it into sustainability reports but matters a great deal: how people get to work.

Our Burlingame, California headquarters is located just one mile from public transportation stations for both BART and Caltrain. Many of our employees commute by public transit — some from as far as 70 miles away — collectively offsetting up to 10 metric tons of emissions per employee per year. We also offer an on-site EV charging station for employees with hybrid or electric vehicles.

These aren't grand gestures. They're small-scale, practical choices that compound into something real over time.

The Practices That Define How We Work

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Some of what we do hasn't changed — because it still works, and it still matters. Here's a look at the core sustainable practices baked into our daily operations:

‍Greener inks and coatings. We use soy-based inks and water-based aqueous coatings instead of petroleum-based alternatives, keeping VOC emissions well under compliance thresholds. We've also eliminated all alcohol-based products from our production process, replacing them with water-soluble washes and natural, non-polluting wetting agents.

The Packsize machine. Our custom box-cutting technology right-sizes every package to fit its contents. The result: 60% less void fill, a 28% average reduction in box size, and a 28% reduction in corrugate usage. We also shred the leftover corrugated scraps from this process into cushioning material — so even our waste becomes useful.

Going digital wherever possible Digital printing generates significantly less makeready waste than offset. Our color management practices and ink-key preset automation reduce press makeready waste — paper and ink — by an average of 50%. Print on demand means we're producing exactly what's needed, when it's needed, with no excess inventory sitting in a warehouse.

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Recycling everything we can. We recycle the full range of materials generated during our production process: corrugated, wood products, metal plates, paper, plastic, and solvents. We conduct regular waste audits and provide employee training to make sure our recycling programs actually get used.

Sustainable packaging materials. We offer clients a growing menu of eco-friendly packaging choices: post-consumer paper substrates, water-activated recyclable tape, compostable poly mailers that decompose within 90–180 days, 100% recyclable paper packaging, and production byproduct filler material (our shredded corrugated) as an alternative to bubble wrap or foam.

Thoughtful design from the start. Our structural design team works with clients early in the process to create packaging that's specifically suited to their products — minimizing the need for filler inserts, eliminating plastic components where possible, and finding the most efficient use of material before a single box ever gets cut.

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Why This All Matters — And Where We're Headed

We're not going to pretend we've solved sustainability. No company has. But we do believe that consistency, transparency, and genuine investment in better practices add up to something meaningful over time.

Our 2026 CSR Report represents more than a year of work — it reflects over four decades of a company that keeps asking itself: how do we do this better? The answers aren't always dramatic. Sometimes they're a new machine that right-sizes boxes. Sometimes they're a policy that eliminates alcohol-based cleaning products. Sometimes they're a vendor audit that ensures the people making our products are treated fairly.

What connects all of it is intention. We're not implementing sustainability initiatives to hit a headline or check a box. We're doing it because we believe it's the right way to run a business — and because our clients increasingly need a partner who can help them meet their own environmental and social responsibility goals.

If you're thinking about how to make your next campaign, packaging project, or fulfillment program more sustainable, we'd love to have that conversation. There's almost always a greener path forward — and we're here to help you find it.

Ready to make your next project more sustainable? Let's talk.

Download our full 2026 Corporate Social Responsibility Report here.