Environmentally Conscious Printing Practices: Are They Ready for Prime Time?

June 12, 2009 12:03 PM

By Michael Aaron Frandy, Studio Manager, The Halo Group

Even if it's not yet a company-wide mandate (or goal) to implement environmentally friendly "green" practices in your business, there is certainly a global paradigm shift toward compliance to the utilization of renewable resources in the workplace. At a minimum, many companies and governmental entities now require the procurement of 30% post-consumer-waste paper stock. Some even require the use of soy-based inks in jobs that are offset printed.

In marketing communications, where voluminous quantities of paper and ink are utilized to manufacture printed materials, the shift in ad agency procurement of printing vendors leans toward those who have certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) — a non-governmental agency that gives its seal of approval only to member organizations who comply with a stringent set of rules about paper stock procurement only from well-managed forests. According to the FSC, each ton of paper equals approximately 8.5 trees.

At Globe Litho, one of Halo’s offset printing vendors, Vice President Bob Lion has received another title, which reflects upon his company's commitment to environmentally sound practices: Chief Sustainability Officer. In a recent television interview with BBC News2, Lion states, "If (Globe) weren't FSC-certified today, there's a possibility we might not even be doing business." Aside from ensuring procurement of paper stock from FSC-sanctioned channels, Globe also purchases electrical power for manufacturing from renewable sources such as solar-energy and wind-turbine power.3

The next time you’re in a situation to direct the green efforts of your company’s printing process, we present you with the following facts — covering both sides of the recycling debate — to consider:

PROS:
The main advantage of utilizing recycled paper product is the contribution to conservation of natural resources, such as habitats where virgin timber is harvested, the trees themselves, water used in both the logging and paper milling processes, and the energy used to operate the machinery during the entire process — usually electricity and petroleum-based fuels. Also, less chlorine-based bleaching agents are necessary to make recycled paper white, as the raw materials have been through the process before. Purchasing recycled stock also ensures that there is that much less paper being treated as waste — taking up space in landfills and emitting environmentally damaging gases, such as carbon dioxide, during decomposition. From a technical standpoint, recycled paper stock handles application of inks and varnishes and is able to be run in virtually any type of offset-printing press as comparable paper stock made from virgin timber.

CONS:
In the arena of business practicality, there are actually a few disadvantages to relying solely upon recycled paper product for printing: There is generally a longer lead-time for print vendors to obtain recycled paper stock (which can add a few weeks to tight production schedules); the brightest of the whites in the recycled category are still dull by comparison to a bright-white virgin stock; the cost of most stock in the recycled category tends to be about 3–10% more expensive than virgin stock; and there is a considerable lack of information — from even the most verbose recycling vendors and proponents — as to where the solid waste product (i.e., ink, clay, paper) from the de-inking process ends up after the recycled pulp is harvested.

On a much smaller scale, we can all take baby steps toward less waste in our immediate working situations. Staples, Office Depot and other big-box office supply chains have myriad 30% post-consumer-waste paper products for sale. GreenPrint4, a unique Windows and Mac software program, eliminates wasteful pages in any printout. And it’s easy enough to read a document, PDF or email on your computer’s display — as opposed to hitting “print” each time. Many corporate email footers now end with “Please consider the environment before printing this email.”

No matter any of our personal or professional opinions on the matter, there’s a strong likelihood that we will, to some degree, be corralled into adopting greener processes — especially in the hopes of obtaining/maintaining working relationships with governmental and municipal entities.

1 FSC
2 http://www.globelitho.com/company-info/bbc-features-globe-litho/
3 Center for Resource Solutions (CRS [green energy])
4 http://www.printgreener.com/

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