How is the print industry staying sustainable?

Printing has been around for thousands of years; in fact, the world’s oldest print book The Diamond Sutra was produced in 868 A.D. Since then, printing has come a long way, but in 2019 it faces a new challenge – to exist sustainably. Printing is generally associated with being harmful to the environment, due to deforestation, which contributes towards the creation of ink and paper. Despite these concerns, the print industry is making a concentrated effort to become more environmentally sustainable.

In this article we will take a look at some of the print companies which have implemented sustainable practices.

The rate of deforestation

Although forests cover more than 30% of the earth’s land, the rate of deforestation is a serious cause for concern. According to the WWF, we lose 18.7 million acres of forests per year, which is approximately equal to 27 football fields per minute. These trees are vital for absorbing carbon dioxide alongside a host of other dangerous greenhouse gases. Tree felling not only causes an increase in air pollution, but it also one of the primary causes of flooding. One study has pointed to the fact that 10% of deforestation has been carried out to cater for the supply of wood products — which includes paper.

Using recycled paper

So, what has the print industry been doing to reduce the amount of paper used? In order to be classified as eco-friendly paper, the paper must have been created in a greener way than traditional paper would have been, therefore having a smaller carbon footprint. Recycled paper is beneficial because it doesn’t involve the use of fresh trees, it’s simply using the ones that have already been cut down.

Recycling paper is a process which starts at home with your recycling bin. After the paper is collected it is taken to the recycling centre, where it is then shredded and pulped. Following this, the paper is rinsed thoroughly to remove any ink or glue-like substances. Reports have suggested that this process can be repeated a further six times before the usable life span of the paper reaches its climax.

The process of producing paper can also be more sustainable. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international not for profit organisation who certify the sourcing of paper to be sustainable. The group assess forest management agencies using 10 rules, which include the impact the deforestation has on both the workers, and those who live indigenously in the forest or the land around it.Unlike recycled paper, which does not return high quality prints and can often cause gritty imagery, FSC paper is undistinguishable from normal paper. This sustainable certification has led certain companies to opt for it as opposed to recycled paper. So far, FSC has certified 174 million hectares of forests worldwide.

Book printing company, Where The Trade Buys are leading the way in sustainable printing practices. The company, who have bases in London, Sunderland and Surrey, has significantly invested in becoming a FSC partner, helping talking care of forests and the people who live in them.

Producing ink

Unfortunately for the printing industry, resolving the issue of the paper being environmentally unfriendly, is only half the battle. Initially, ink was made from plant-based sources, however by the 1970’s, everything had changed. Due to a particularly high demand, vegetable oils were no longer able to meet the needs of the country, and so manufacturers turned instead to petroleum-based products.

These petroleum oil inks are otherwise known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Reports have suggested that offset printing uses more than three million tons of hydrocarbon-based inks and chemicals every year, releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Companies have however, started to invest in alternative methods that are less damaging to the environment. These include vegetable based eco solvent inks, and waterless-based ink. Vegetable based inks consists of 51% sustainable materials, and unlike their petrol counterparts, which release high amounts of VOCs, vegetable-based inks only contribute between 2-15%. Similarly, thanks to technological innovation, significantly less water can be used in the production. In the past, vast amounts of water were used to make the ink and in the same sense, keep it dry, whereas now, waterless technology is helping the industry develop.

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