Many people are looking for ways to become more earth-conscious and protect the environment in which they live â and green printing is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint on Mother Earth. However, just what are the advantages of green printing and how can you use it to benefit the environment? Here are just a few ways green printing can help you be kind to our world.
Earth-friendly Inks
Traditional printing uses petroleum-based inks, whereas green printing techniques commonly used inks that are soy or vegetable-based. To create soy ink, soybean oil is refined and combined with waxes, resins, and pigments to achieve the desired color and consistency. Since soybean oil is clearer than petroleum-based oils, it uses less pigment to arrive at the desired colors, meaning that fewer harmful chemicals are used. These inks can also be easily removed from paper, allowing for more reuse and recyclability of post-consumer products. In addition, the waste that is created during this recycling is not hazardous, making it easier and healthier to dispose.
Eco-friendly Paper
Another advantage of green printing is that it uses eco-friendly paper. Besides being 100% recycled, the paper used in green printing has not been processed with chlorine.
While the recycling process does need a certain amount of pulp that has never been used, green printing companies use pulp that comes from sustainable tree farms, instead of old-growth forests, thus limiting their impact on the environment.
For those who are really looking to preserve the forests, there are options available for tree-free papers. Some companies are creating papers made from plant waste, including banana, papaya, and coconut trees. Bamboo and bagasse are other options. These types of papers do have some limitations. Another option is stone/rock paper, which is made from natural chalk and can be used in a variety of green printing methods.
Cleaner Power
Like all printing facilities, green printing facilities need power to operate. However, green printing facilities take into consideration the environment when they are considering a power source. Many are run on energy alternatives, such as wind power, and others will invest in renewable energy credits to help reduce the impact that their facility has on the environment.
For many green printing companies, their carbon footprint is a real concern. Besides the carbon that is produced during shipping, simply producing recycled paper creates a large amount of CO2. When coupled with the fact that an average of four trees are cut down for each ton of recycled paper, many green companies look for ways to minimize their carbon footprint. In some cases, being more conscious of the carbon footprint and placing less emphasis on a 100% recycled product actually allows for greener printing practices.
Education as a Consumer
If you truly want a green printing company that will allow you to take advantage of green printing methods, you will need to do some research. Find out how the company operates, what its carbon footprint is, and how it avoids the depletion of non-renewable resources. In addition, making sure that you take the extra steps necessary to recycle paper products after use, as well as encouraging others to do so, will help to keep green printing strong.
Learn about how you can be kinder to Mother Earth with your company’s printing needs. Capitalize upon PsPrint’s green printing services to save our environment – and your bottom line.
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