The Anticipated Partnership: Printers and the Environment

It can be tough trying to help the environment when you’re printing materials on one of its most valuable resources. Besides all the paper we use, the inks are also harmful to the ozone layer, what with all the VOCs released into the air while the ink is drying.

But designers have printing options. One is to go with an environmentally friendly printer. Online printing companies like PrintPlace.com have established sustainability systems that decrease waste and support environmental responsibility. Any printer can take steps toward being more environmentally responsible, oftentimes without upping the prices of its products significantly. I don’t know about you, but I’d pay a few cents extra to know that the paper product I’m designing is going to be printed without as much harm to the Earth as traditional printing methods.

Here are some ways that printers can be more environmentally friendly:

Use FSC certified or SFI certified paper. The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies that the paper comes from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources. FSC certified forests are under strict environmental and social standards and the tree fiber from these forests are tracked all the way to the consumer, including mills, pulp providers, merchants and printers must all follow the strict guidelines. FSC certification ensures that printers are doing the right thing and it takes business away from other companies that may be supporting unsustainable and illegal logging practices.

The Sustainable Forest Initiative is one of the largest in the world and promotes the same behavior as the FSC, but also includes measures to protect wildlife habitat, endangered species and water quality. The SFI requires all harvested areas be reforested promptly.

Use vegetables-based inks. Vegetable-based inks reduce the amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released into the air. VOCs react with nitrogen oxides to form ozone. This lower level ozone from VOCs contributes to smog formation. Ozone is needed in the upper atmosphere, but in the lower level atmosphere, ozone is a lung irritant, which can cause health problems for people, animals and plants.

Vegetable oils are a renewable resource, and the pigment often used in these oils can be toxic. Certain colors of ink contain heavy-metal pigments like barium and copper, which are associated with various health problems. Printers can use certain colors that don’t have these heavy-metal pigments.

Other Ways Printers Can Be More Environmentally Friendly:

• Use water-based aqueous coatings
• Recycle all paper waste
• Use 100% recyclable shipping cartons
• Pack shipping cartons with 100% recyclable material
• Recycle metal printing plates, inks and solvents
• Use three-phase lighting to reduce power costs up to 50%  

Comments

[Poster Printing | DesignsnPrint.com]

Green is a great thing these days.