There has been a lot of "print bashing" going on from folks who think print is not "green." But wait! It turns out as a manufacturing process, print is getting greener by the day.
Here are a few statistics from a new report,
Sustainable Print in a Dynamic Global Market: What Going Green Means, soon to be available from
PRIMIR. Of the more than 200 North American printers surveyed:
- 71% use vegetable inks on press
- 55% are alcohol-free
- 25% use renewable energy or purchase renewable energy credits
- 95% recycle plates
- 95% recycle paper
- 70% recycle ink cans
- 50% recycle shrink wrap
- 41% have a document environmental management plan in place
- 13% measure their carbon footprint
- 68% measure their energy use
- 46% measure VOC emissions
- 67% are FSC-certified
- 60% said certification was worth it
Characteristics of Green Organizations
The
Sustainable Print report found that the greenest graphic arts companies had certain common characteristics:
- They pursue sustainability of their own initiative.
- They have an environmental management system (EMS) in place.
- They understand the importance of accreditation.
- They enjoy management commitment on sustainability issues.
- They actively promote their green practices.
The report (300+ pages) will soon be available for purchase. The study "
Sustainable Print in a Dynamic Global Market: What Going Green Means" was distributed earlier this year to PRIMIR and NPES members.
For more information about PRIMIR or this report, contact
Jackie Bland,
PRIMIR Managing Director via e-mail at
jbland (at) primir (dot) org or phone: 703/264-7200.
