Contributed by Anne Stewart
(Editor's Note: This week's guest post continues our list offering. Enjoy! GNK)
Eco-friendly, sustainable, or "green" printing didn't come into existence over the last year, but in many ways, it did come into its own. Here are just a few things that took place in 2008, which made me feel really good about this industry.
Sustainable print went from niche interest to industry standard:
This year saw an amazing leap forward in the sheer number of printers working on how to make their industry sustainable. We began to focus on the
entire supply and production chain involved in the printing "eco-system," and that's led to interesting initiatives such as printing with green energy, carbon-neutral printing, and working with local suppliers to cut down on the environmental costs of transporting materials.
The rise of green certification:
Organizations like the
FSC and the
SGP didn't pop up overnight, but it's only within the last year that they've really become known outside of the printing industry as the standards to look for when choosing a green printer.
"Greenwashing" became the word of the year:
Recognition and certification organizations have become central to the issue of green printing because the last year saw such a growing cynicism in consumers towards industries claiming ecological stewardship. Many companies were accused of making green claims as a marketing tool. As a result, printers, designers, and advertisers have all had to tighten up their practices and philosophies in order to adhere to
an increasingly rigorous green standard.
The cost of printing green became more affordable:
Since green printing has become such a necessary part of the industry, costs have begun to go way down for printers and print buyers. Huge suppliers like
Kohl & Madden introduced low-VOC inks this year, and
waterless printing continued to go down in price as demand increased. Like all innovation in the printing industry, cost has nowhere to go but down, especially during a recession.
We began to act eco-friendly outside the workplace:
Let's face it. We know that printing is a long way from being good for the environment. For this reason, many printers and designers are finding ways to right the balance in their everyday lives. Donating to green initiatives, cutting down paper consumption at home, and choosing to use public transportation are all parts of looking at the big picture and seeing where we can create change.
Industries came together under a common goal:
Last but far from least, this year saw a great coming together of printers and graphic designers in the search for advertising and design solutions that make
commercial printing not only sustainable, but capable of making the world a better place.
I think we all believe that the right words and the right images can be amazingly expressive and persuasive; otherwise we wouldn't be involved in this industry. Through design, we can combat the "
green fatigue" that threatens to turn eco-stewardship into a trend, and we can inspire both consumers and businesses to work and live greener through sustainable design.
I'm not saying that the entire printing industry is due for an unreserved pat on the back, but in 2008, as a whole, we've done a pretty good job of caring, engaging, and producing tangible results in terms of reducing our ecological footprint. And that's not only key to the sustainability of this industry, it might just be what gets us through an economically uncertain 2009.
About Anne Stewart
Anne is a blogger, copywriter, and chief editor of
Hotcards.com - a Cleveland-based printing and design house.
Her work on sustainable printing and design has been published both online and in print. She is currently hard at work with the
Hotcards team, turning the printer into a major force and voice in the burgeoning green industry.
Eco-friendly, sustainable, or "green" printing didn't come into existence over the last year, but in many ways, it did come into its own. Here are just a few things that took place in 2008, which made me feel really good about this industry.
Sustainable print went from niche interest to industry standard:
This year saw an amazing leap forward in the sheer number of printers working on how to make their industry sustainable. We began to focus on the entire supply and production chain involved in the printing "eco-system," and that's led to interesting initiatives such as printing with green energy, carbon-neutral printing, and working with local suppliers to cut down on the environmental costs of transporting materials.
The rise of green certification:
Organizations like the FSC and the SGP didn't pop up overnight, but it's only within the last year that they've really become known outside of the printing industry as the standards to look for when choosing a green printer.
"Greenwashing" became the word of the year:
Recognition and certification organizations have become central to the issue of green printing because the last year saw such a growing cynicism in consumers towards industries claiming ecological stewardship. Many companies were accused of making green claims as a marketing tool. As a result, printers, designers, and advertisers have all had to tighten up their practices and philosophies in order to adhere to an increasingly rigorous green standard.
The cost of printing green became more affordable:
Since green printing has become such a necessary part of the industry, costs have begun to go way down for printers and print buyers. Huge suppliers like Kohl & Madden introduced low-VOC inks this year, and waterless printing continued to go down in price as demand increased. Like all innovation in the printing industry, cost has nowhere to go but down, especially during a recession.
We began to act eco-friendly outside the workplace:
Let's face it. We know that printing is a long way from being good for the environment. For this reason, many printers and designers are finding ways to right the balance in their everyday lives. Donating to green initiatives, cutting down paper consumption at home, and choosing to use public transportation are all parts of looking at the big picture and seeing where we can create change.
Industries came together under a common goal:
Last but far from least, this year saw a great coming together of printers and graphic designers in the search for advertising and design solutions that make commercial printing not only sustainable, but capable of making the world a better place.
I think we all believe that the right words and the right images can be amazingly expressive and persuasive; otherwise we wouldn't be involved in this industry. Through design, we can combat the "green fatigue" that threatens to turn eco-stewardship into a trend, and we can inspire both consumers and businesses to work and live greener through sustainable design.
I'm not saying that the entire printing industry is due for an unreserved pat on the back, but in 2008, as a whole, we've done a pretty good job of caring, engaging, and producing tangible results in terms of reducing our ecological footprint. And that's not only key to the sustainability of this industry, it might just be what gets us through an economically uncertain 2009.
