Does printing on recycled paper make you a green printer? No according to Rodney Wade, environmental and technical manager at Finsbury Green, one of the country's leading environmentally-friendly printers, who says the following are key attributes of a true green printer
Adelaide's Finsbury Green Printing is one of the most awarded print houses in the country, with more than 350 Awards to its name. It is also one that is investing more in presses than almost anyone else in the country, with a trio of heavyeight Akiyama J-Print stacked perfectors having gone into the company in the last couple of years.
And it is also one of the handful of leading green printers in the country, in the vanguard of the developing environmental print movement. It also must be one of the most profitable printers, judging from its investments. Are these factors linked? We think so.
Now that the environment is on top of the agenda of virtually every print buyer in the country every printer is looking to see where their own environmental credentials lie. Rodney Wade from Finsbury Green says that nine out of every ten new clients they win say that the environment is in the top three reasons why they choose Finsbury Green over other printers.
And with other leading green printers such as Focus Press in Sydney and Fishprint in Melbourne making equally big investments, and winning swathes of new work and printer worth his salt will surely be looking at how to get on board the bandwagon.
However even a cursory talk with the owners of the green printers will reveal that simply offering recycled paper or soya based inks does not make you a green printer, and will not be acceptable to the big print buyers from the corporate, agency or public service worlds.
A much more thorough move into environmental awareness is required, with external auditing the key. The major print buyers now have to contribute to the sustainability reports of their organisations, they need to show how the print they are buying is reducing its environmental impact, and not just now but every year To do that they need to have from you, the printer, measured monitored authenticated statements on your lessening environmental impact. And to do that there are several; key attributes you need to show, including the following:
• External Environmental Certification
At the bare minimum any printer aiming for a green approach must have ISO14001 EMS (environmental management system) and ISO 9001 QMS (quality management system). These are the starting point to get going, as they provide external accreditation.
• Computer to Plate
As CTP eliminates the need for film and its associated chemistry, and especially eliminates the silver waste material , which is extremely ecologically unhelpful. Latest developments in platemaking are becoming even more environmentally friendly, including totally chemical free and processless plates.
• Digital Proofing
Again digital proofing means no film and no chemistry. Furthermore it enables remote proofing, which can eliminate CO2 emissions from motorbikes, cars that usually transport proofs around if they are being sent to the client, as the proofer can be calibrated and located in the client's premises. Soft proofing is one step further, but is yet to be accepted
• Eco Ink
Green printers should only be using vegetable based inks, such as soy or linseed. Traditional inks which are a combination of mineral and solvent have significant amount of VOC (volatile organic compounds) What's more, according to Wade, vegetable inks deliver a brighter cleaner image, whereas solvent inks tend to reproduce with flatter colours.
• Green Press
The printing press itself should be specified as green, that is it should come with all the latest environmental benefits. These include features such as recyclable wash up solutions, and low waste ink feed solutions, such as cartridges or pumps which eliminates 95 per cent of ink wastage. The format of the press itself should be a perfector, as this means a huge energy saving, and a significant waste saving. A long or stacked perfector will save around 55 per cent of the energy compared with putting the job through a straight press twice.
• Alcohol free
The chief pollutant on the press is IPA (iso-propyl alcohol). Green printers should be reducing or eliminating IPA from their font solutions, which not only reduces VOCs but will eliminate health problems that press operators encounter.
• Effective Waste Management
This means separating everything at source, recycling or reusing wherever possible. Focus Press for example sends its used blankets off to the Philippines. An in-house mindset needs to be created so that all employees are sensitive to waste issues
• Carbon Neutral Footprint
The definition of carbon neutral and how you attain varies according to who you talk. It is inevitable that a business will be carbon negative, however there are steps it can take to neutralise its carbon foot-print. This may include plant-ing trees, it may involve sourcing power from a green power provider, it will certainly involve actively reducing energy consumption where possible - switching off PCs and lights at night for instance.
• Membership of a progressive challenge
The are several volun-tary entry programmes you can join, Finsbury Green is a member of the Federal Govern-ment's Greenhouse Challenge Plus programme. These programmes usually involve the setting, fulfilling and reporting on targets, with the bar being raised every year.
• Full disclosure
Any aspiring green printer must be prepared to embrace full disclosure, in order to convince its potential customers that what it claims is actually capable of being substantiated.
• Sustainable Paper
Paper is huge issue for the printing industry, as public perception is not favourable. However the reality is that there are more paper manufacturers on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index than com-panies from any other sector, and paper companies are reforesting the world at a greater level than they are deforesting it. Green printers need to ensure they are buying paper that is FSC or PEFC certified, and that they are communicating to their customers the realities of paper. AP
