The greenest thing

I often find myself trying to be more “green” in my own home. I carpool and recycle and conserve wherever I can. However, recently there has been a lot of focus put on the total impact of an action rather than one specific part of it. To give you an example, a car such as a Mini Cooper may have a lower environmental footprint through the lifetime of the car, including assembly and disposal, than a hybrid or electric. The creation and disposal of the lithium battery in these cars can be incredibly taxing on the environment. While the emissions during the lifetime of these cars are lower, the overall carbon footprint is greater than the Mini.

Okay so maybe I’ve inspired you to buy a Mini; what does this have to do with printing? Well, print buyers are catching on to this trend as well. Part of being green is being educated on how the decisions you’re making are impacting the environment on the whole, not just for a portion of the process. Getting the information and sharing it with your customer will give you the best chance of being as green as you can be.

Paper

Paper is always a key topic for going green. Customers today face more choice than ever. If you’re not FSC-certified already, I do suggest it. Many customers are now making sure their end-users are aware their purchase has come from an environmentally-conscious printer.

If you don’t believe me, take a look at the envelope your bank statements come in. While FSC is more environmentally conscious than nothing, the logo simply means that the fibres are coming from documented sources. Recycled paper is a hot topic also, but processing and cleaning recycled material can have a larger environmental footprint than virgin pulp. The greenest paper is typically something with a high-recycled content, but lower post consumer (PC) content. Tacking the FSC logo on this would be a little bonus for the customer.

Ink

Ink in another major topic on the green side of things. Quality and the end-use will almost always dictate how environmental you can be with ink. UV inks typically aren’t very green. The fumes and disposal are fairly toxic, and the power needed to run the lamps is staggering. Toner on digital presses is actually fairly green, but it’s pretty hard to break down if the unit is recycled and the creation of the product itself isn’t all that eco-friendly. Vegetable-based cold offset inks are as green as you can go at the moment. I’ve heard some people say that the quality is a bit less than conventional ink, and other people have said that you’d never be able to tell the difference. If you’re not already using them, perhaps a quick quality test might be the way to go.

Presses

Your press is always the largest power hog in the plant. Unfortunately, it’s also the hardest thing to change. You’ve spent thousands, if not millions, on a piece of equipment and the power consumption wasn’t your tipping point on the decision. If the press is new enough, contact the manufacturer to see if there are any modifications or upgrades that are available to reduce the power consumption of the press. Bear in mind that there is little you can do except change your power consumption. Unfortunately, the number of government grants for going green is dwindling, but there are still some remaining.

Adding solar or small wind turbines on your plant might curb your power consumption drastically. Switching over to a green power source such as Bullfrog Power might be a way to show a consumer you are environmentally-savvy.

While many green alternatives come at an increased cost, consumers have shown they are willing to incur that charge to show that they are conscious of the environment. As part of this planet, we as printers should show we are willing to make the same commitment to the future of our environment, and that truly is the greenest thing.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at

johnathonanderson@graphicartsmag.com