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OUR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
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Our Policy and Vision |
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Global Warming |
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It's all about you |
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Tough Targets |
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Setting Standards |
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It's time to recycle |
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Prevention, rather than cure |
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Eco-friendly printing |
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Responsible Mail |
Here are some basic considerations
to help achieve ‘green printing’:
PAPER
Use paper that is FSC certified or 100%
recycled either from ECF or TCF bleached
pulp (elementally or totally chlorine free – the kindest way to bleach pulp).
INK
Using vegetable based inks rather than mineral oil based inks.
SEALANTS
Using inert water based protective coating
rather than polymer based coating and plastic
laminates.
PROCESS
Using low alcohol or alcohol free printing presses.
WASTE
Ensuring waste is segregated, reused and recycled.
Any colour you like…. but make it green!
There is still much confusion in the print industry with so many different points of view on what constitutes ‘eco-friendly’ printing and print buyers – like most everyday consumers - being subjected to "greenwash": the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company to create a pro-environmental image or to sell a product.
Carbon Neutral, FSC, PEFC, ISO14001, Carbon Balanced, Carbon Neutral, EMAS, alcofree, sustainable forestry, ECF, TCF, 100% recycled PCW, biodegradeable, etc - these are all terms that print buyers are now having to wade through if they make environmental choices for their finished products.
Whilst many printers now promote their ‘ecofriendly’
practices and increasingly have one
of the many officially recognised accreditations
for this, hard line environmentalists will still
dismiss them as vague and would be happier
if they promoted themselves more accurately
as using processes that are ‘less
environmentally damaging’.
However, the bottom line is that the
environmental issue is now starting to get
through to more and more people in the
printing industry.
This is welcome news according to a recent
report (from Williams Lea) with an objective of
placing a financial value on the environmental
impact of the UK print industry…
- The direct cost o f environmental impact quates to around £80 million
- And the indirect or supply chain environmental costs are in excess of £500 million
The report also reveals that the carbon intensity of the print industry is comparable to that of other industries, but it is by no means the worst performing sector.
Paper, paper, read all about it
As a paper based industry we, perhaps
more than most, are aware of the arguments
regarding the use of recycled paper.
What might be less well known is that here in the UK we consume approximately 12.5 million tonnes of paper and board per annum. Of this over 4.7 million tonnes end up in the waste stream.
How is recycled paper defined?
There is currently no accepted industry standard of what constitutes recycled paper.
WRAP
The Waste and Resources Action Programme suggest the use of pre-consumer and post-consumer terms is an unnecessary distraction for those purchasing recycled paper. Recycled content percentage (excluding mill broke; waste paper generated during the manufacture of paper) is a simpler, clearer term and should be the one specified when procuring paper.
FSC
For non recycled paper use look out for
the FSC logo. This will identify products which
contain wood from well managed forests and
other controlled sources certified in accordance
with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.
For further information visit www.wrap.org.uk
Outside, as well as inside
Like other industries, mailing
production
houses will also need
to adapt its products to
make
them more environmentally friendly.
After putting in efforts to source
paper
and printing inks that are environmentally
considerate, thought must also be given
to the outside of the mailing pack.
According to the Royal Mail, around 1.9 billion items were sent plastic-wrapped last year, accounting for 12% of the total post. An estimated 900 million weekend newspapers are also wrapped each year.
Polywrapping has acquired a bad reputation,
but it can be an environmentally responsible
option. Degradable, biodegradable or even oxobiodegradable
films can be used which will, over
time, disintegrate when in landfill. All low-density
polythene is recyclable (but will take years to
degrade); awareness and willingness to recycle
polythene is growing.
Alternatively the use of polythene of a lesser
micron could be encouraged. The lower the
micron, the faster it degrades. But many
polywrap users, such as publishers, have
traditionally opted for a micron too thick for
its purpose simply for aesthetic reasons.
Another option available to mailers is an
unwrapped mailing. The concerns of damage to
a catalogue are no longer valid, with the advent
of sophisticated postage sortation systems.
We would urge all mailers to include a recycle message on their mailing piece and to speak to their production mailing houses about the options available to them. For additional advice please do not hesitate to speak to any of the ONEPOST team.
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