Eco-friendly Green Printing

Printing is widely used for personal, business and commercial purposes — students submit printed assignments, while offices and businesses use paper for documentation and advertising. Because the process involves the use of paper, ink and energy, however, the high demand for the production of these materials have caused deforestation, as well as water and air pollution.




To address these problems, printing industries and environmental advocates have come up with eco-friendly green printing. This movement pushes for the recycling and reusing of resources to reduce the waste produced by printing processes and minimize the emission of harmful chemicals.

As a user of home printers or a client of a printing company, below are some of the ways that you could help in conserving our resources through green printing:

Paper

Ways of saving on paper consumption include:

• Using recycled paper (consists of reused paper fibers)
• Using post-consumer papers (sheets that have been previously discarded)
• Going for paperless communication through instant messages and emails

Printing companies can use alternative raw materials that have long fibers made from hemp, wheat straws, and cotton. Synthetic fibers are also considered to decrease the use of wood as primary source of pulp fibers.

These products lessen the toxins released to the environment. One of over 40 chemicals used for pulp and coating manufacturing is chlorine gas (this irritates human respiratory system and sticks to surfaces longer because it is heavier than air), which is used for pulp bleaching and water treatment. Also, using tons of 50% post-consumer content paper saves 12 trees.

Ink

Pigments used in regular printing contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that return to water and air supplies. VOCs, when taken in certain amounts, can cause cancer to humans. As a response to this, there are printing companies such as UPrinting that use soy-and vegetable-based inks, which are more environment-friendly pigments that reduce the release of VOCs in the environment.

Energy

To decrease power consumption, companies that practice green printing use energy-efficient computers and machines (for example, solar-powered presses).

Eco-friendly green printing is a movement that has to overcome misconceptions of companies and consumers. Printing companies need to be patient with experiencing the benefits of green printing because it may be costly at the beginning. Consumers, on the other hand, have to know that recycled paper can be as durable as virgin pulp and that soy/vegetable-based inks also produce quality colors similar to petroleum-based pigments.

Given this information, green printing should eventually encourage you to print using cost-effective ways to commit less harm to the environment.