Green is more than a colour Ignorance is bliss for some people, fast enough to label the print and paper industry as a big nasty, which is so far from the truth. Sustainability is a serious concern we actively approach as printers, and we are well aware of the resources we use to produce our clients' work. Greenwashing is the myth created by companies to promote an environmentally friendly approach – yet more "Fake News". But here's the thing: paper is a sustainable, harvested product. For every tree used in paper manufacture, more still are planted, and the paper industry goes a long way to prove this. Paper is a product that can be composted, returning the matter to a carbon-rich source locked in the ground. Our paper recycling heads less than 10 miles away to be repurposed into cardboard tubes. With such a low mileage and carbon footprint, it becomes even more credible. Paper has always been a biologically friendly form of communication and recyclable.
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So, where's the evidence? The print and paper industries have always aimed to remain truthful about the credibility and accountability of what we do. Take a look at www.twosides. info where the global paper and print industries demonstrate the facts. Here’s what we at HAD-Print do to prevent the nasties of plastic: ✪ Only specify laminates where a product is one designed for long term use ✪ Use recycled plastic biro’s in our studios and offices ✪ Actively specify products which have low environmental impact.
The ink we use in our digital presses is 94% compostable, and we have solutions that offer a soy-based ink. Our large format machines use latex ink, a water-based ink, with the pigment carried in latex, a subform of rubber. Ultimately, it is easy to throw stones in a glass house. However, the responsibility to be ecologically aware and responsible citizens rests with everyone. While the advent of digital communications - e-mail, social media and online - might appear to use less physical resources at the point of consumption, digital uses significant power to create, upload, store, re-use, and redistribute, questioning how much the wherefores around digital online content.
ECO-STUFF WE LOVE…
If you haven’t seen some of our social media likes recently, then you’ve missed the fact we absolutely love James Cropper Papers. A British paper mill, it means stock travels fewer miles which helps reduce our carbon footprints. They also have a good track record with their environmental credentials. It might be a premium product, but hand on heart it’s a greener one too.
