This week we picked up a copy of the “Official Air Cargo Europe” daily publication.
     Printed on extra thick glossy stock, the issue felt and looked wonderful.
     But then we got to thinking: how can the air cargo industry, which is attempting to project an image of sustainability, allow itself to be presented to the professionals (at ACE) in a series of printed issues that have the look and feel of having been printed on what remains of the Black Forest?
     Yes, FlyingTypers’ parent company quit print more than a decade ago, so perhaps we are a bit sensitive on the subject, but we think it is past time that air cargo put its money where its mouth is and insist that wasteful usage of paper to print industry news is not consistent with the message that everyone in this industry—from IATA to FIATA to the airport sales clubs—is trying to get across.
     We must accelerate our effort to get as much paper out of the air cargo business as possible, because still today in 2017, despite all our efforts, our industry continues to sink beneath an avalanche of documents every day.
     Did people at ACE who picked up the Daily see the irony reading the lead story about “digitization” printed on slick, heavyweight paper?
     Probably not. There are all the other concerns—operating a business or working for one; being out of office; or looking for an edge at Air Cargo Europe.
     Besides, who in 2017 doesn’t get most of their editorial information, including what you are reading right now, dear reader, from their PDAs?
Geoffrey