Sustainability 101

It takes a wide range of resources to go from pulp to paper to print. How responsibly do you use them? If your target audiences aren’t sure, they may already be guessing — based on random assumptions and hearsay.

Since people will talk, make sure they say the right things about your company. One option: Take charge of your “print sustainability profile” by making intelligent choices about paper, ink and energy. Then communicate your policies clearly and publicly.

These days, environmentally responsible printing can be beautiful ... and cost-effective. This book can help you find the right options. What you do about them is up to you.

Paper Conservation

▢ The larger the format, the higher the impact.
▢ To prevent running out of stock, increase your print run by 25%.
▢ Thicker, heftier publications are more persuasive.
▢ None of the above.

answer: none of the above

Remember the “paperless office”? And how computers and the Internet were going to replace books, magazines, newspapers and catalogues? Predictions of reduced paper consumption weren’t just exaggerated; they were off by 180 degrees. For the past decade, Americans consumed paper at a fairly stable rate, averaging about 300 kilograms per person per year — a staggering 660 pounds or so.¹

Paper consumption affects the environment coming and going. Its production requires biomass (usually wood pulp derived from forests), energy, water, and chemical processing; its disposal takes landfill space or recycling facilities.

Your company’s best paper conservation tool is the intelligence and creativity of your employees. As part of the planning for each printing project, they should be asking: How many of these will we really need? Would a smaller size work as well? A lighter weight? Could we add inserts later instead of reprinting? Ultimately, the value of print is measured not by weight — but by results.

¹ As reported by earthtrends.wri.org

Paper selection (recycled papers)

coated and uncoated paper are equally recyclable.
▢ true
▢ false

you can always tell a recycled sheet just by looking.
▢ true
▢ false

answers: both statements are false

Just a few years ago, no explanatory caption was needed: A subtle fleck, matte finish and natural, creamy hue were sure signs of a recycled sheet. And those innovative papers are still chosen for their natural look. But now your recycled paper options extend much further, to bright solids with nary a fleck in sight ... and don’t stop there. You’ll have to decide just how much and what kind of recycled content you want: 30 percent? 50 percent? More? Pre-consumer waste, or Post-consumer?

With press performance and recycled content on the rise, your company policies and project goals can determine paper selection — not the other way around.

Paper selection (fiber content)

which of the following is not a practical source of fiber for paper manufacturing?
▢ flax
▢ cotton rags
▢ hemp
▢ bamboo
▢ chocolate pudding

answer: chocolate pudding

Let’s face it. Paper just isn’t like it used to be.

Medieval artisans made paper by hand, removing water from a slurry of rag fibers and then pressing, drying and trimming the result. Today’s paper mills do the same thing, but the scale has changed by a factor of a million or so. And they are using fibers that were not widely dreamed of as paper sources a century or even a generation ago — including fast-maturing grasses like bamboo and even inorganic substances. These options present today’s print customers with an unprecedented range of ecological and performance possibilities.

ink selection

what is a non-renewable resource used in many commercial inks?
▢ coal
▢ natural gas
▢ petroleum

metallic inks actually contain metals.
▢ true
▢ false

answers: petroleum/true

How much environmental difference can a little ink make?

Quite a bit, actually. Inks are highly concentrated, comprisedof carriers, pigments and solvents that are powerful chemicals. A little goes a long way — on the page or in a landfill. As it turns out, those based on soy or vegetable carriers are often more benign and easier to de-ink than Petrochemical inks; fluorescents can require more chemicals in the de-inking phase of recycling; metallics can release undesirable metals to landfills.

Processing/bleaching

match the following designations with the descriptions below:
▢ elemental chlorine-free (ECF)
▢ processed chlorine-free (PCF)
▢ totally chlorine-free (TCF)

A. No chlorine used at any point in manufacture
B. No chlorine compounds used in de-inking
C. Chlorine may have been used at some point in manufacture

answers: c/b/A

Whiter whites! Brighter brights! Some descriptions make paper sound like laundry. And like laundry, some recycled papers get their bright look from chlorinated bleaching processes.

Fresh! Clean! Except when they release harmful compounds such as dioxins into the environment.

The processes are improving. But when you’re determining the degree of chlorine usage in a paper, don’t forget to ask: How bright a sheet do we really want?

Prepress

digital prepress is convenient, but it costs more than working with traditional paper-based proofs.
▢ true
▢ false

answer: false

No, it doesn’t make prepress work magically disappear. But digital technology can eliminate multiple rounds of paper proofs, messengers’ fees and travel time.

There is a problem: it’s almost too easy. At least, it can seem that way — if you’re on the client’s side of the press.

Remember: digital changes are still changes. They still cost money.

green power

how much energy does it take to make paper?
▢ not much
▢ a lot
▢ it depends

answer: a lot

Papermaking is a resource-intensive process. The energy, biomass and water required ... well, it’s a lot, and has been for centuries. But only in recent years, paper companies’ stewardship of the earth’s natural resources has come under public scrutiny.

In North America alone, millions of acres of forest are owned by paper companies. Some of these companies —but not all of them — manage their woodlands as pristine natural environments anchored by a renewable crop. Some even offset their carbon dioxide emissions through the use of certified emissions reduction credits (CERs).

Maybe it’s worth checking out these practices before placing your next paper order.

Not every company needs a publicly articulated policy regarding sustainable printing policies.

But every company that buys paper or printing services — including yours — needs to make these purchasing decisions wisely, with an understanding that your choices will affect your public image and the environment, as well as your print media and their cost.

The glossary section of this guide can help you ask the right questions when you’re talking to printers, paper companies and reps. As for the right answers ... well, they’re up to you.

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