Eco-Friendly Printing

Printing companies consume a large amount of forest trees and energy everyday. That’s what different research bodies found out at the very least. Ecocycle.org reported that 12 to 24 trees must be cut just to make one ton of paper. U.S. Department of Energy added that paper is one (along with metals, plastics and glass) of the four materials which consume 30.2% of the energy used for over all US manufacturing industry.




It’s no wonder why different sectors are now patronizing eco-friendly companies. These printing firms don’t only care for profits; they also act responsibly to protect the environment. As a consumer, it’s your responsibility to select the ones which do green printing. To give you an idea, here are eco-friendly practices you should look for in an custom printing company :

They should give you the option to use recycled paper stock
Some companies use recycled papers instead of virgin papers. Virgin papers use pure fibers from trees while recycled papers are made from processing paper wastes. The latter contains high levels of post-consumer content which can decrease water, trees and energy consumption. These also save landfill spaces and reduce harmful substance emissions.

They should use vegetable-based and soy-based inks
Soy-based inks have low amounts of volatile organic compounds (V0Cs) as opposed to petroleum-based inks. VOCs are found to be harmful to both human and the environment; these can cause cancer or other birth defects.

They should follow industry standards
Different organizations set standards to encourage companies practice green printing. For one, Environmental Protection Agency requires that uncoated papers must contain at least 30-percent post-consumer content while a minimum of 10 percent content for coated ones. SoySeal grants certification to printing companies which use inks that contain a certain percentage of soybean oil. Chlorine Free Products Association promote chlorine-free policies in the production of paper.

As a consumer, you should choose a company which practices green printing. UPrinting for instance observes all the above mentioned eco-friendly practices to help protect the environment. Remember that the next time you choose a printing company, know first what ink they use, what paper to print on and what standards they follow. It’s not an option; it’s your responsibility.