Environmental conservation is an integral part of any business today. Consumers are increasingly giving preference to businesses that appear to be mindful of the environment and shunning those whose actions degrade it. For this reason, many industries appear to be realigning their processes to make them more sustainable. The printing industry is among those that are making radical changes. There are several ways of adopting sustainable digital printing.
Choosing the right type of ink is one of the major steps that can be undertaken. Traditional inks contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs, since they are derived from petroleum. In the presence of nitrogen and sunlight, these compounds react to form smog. Due to this effect, newer, vegetable-based inks that do not contain the VOCs are now available in the market.
Apart from the volatile compounds, the inks also contain some heavy metals. Examples of these metals include mercury, chromium, nickel, selenium and cadmium among others. When they are released through the effluent, they contaminate soil and water sources which in turn poses a danger to plant and animal life. This challenge has been addressed by manufacturing natural inks that have very little of these metals or none at all.
There are two types of paper that can be used by printing firms: virgin paper and recycled paper. The latter is derived from waste paper and should be the natural choice for a person seeking to better the environment. Apart from being cheaper, it reduces the need to cut down more trees. Other advantages include the fact that it needs less water to process and that less effluent is produced when it is used.
Apart from paper, other raw materials can be recycled as well. Water is one of the inputs that are used in large quantities. Without recycling or reusing, at least 60% of it goes to waste. If it was to be reused the savings realized by the firm would be tremendous. Examples of other raw materials that may be recycled and reused include ink and aluminum plates.
Energy efficiency should be emphasized in all the departments. If you have any old, inefficient pieces of equipment, replace them with newer ones that will give you a higher output of products for every unit of electricity used. At the same time, work progressively to reduce the use of petroleum based fuels and hydropower and increase that of wind, solar and other sources of energy that are renewable.
Sustainability is also being adopted in fabric printing processes. One of the areas that have experienced changes is the pre-treatment stage. During this stage, urea and other chemicals are usually used. Unfortunately, urea breaks down to release carbon dioxide in the environment, a major greenhouse gas. Today, there are newer methods of pre-treating fabrics using a special type of foam that does not contain urea.
Using sustainable solutions in printing goes a long way into preserving our natural resources. To the individual firm, it is a way to participate in worthy cause and more importantly, it greatly helps in lowering operational costs. The reduced operational costs will be passed on to the consumer in the form of more affordable products. In the end, it is a win-win situation for everyone.
Choosing the right type of ink is one of the major steps that can be undertaken. Traditional inks contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs, since they are derived from petroleum. In the presence of nitrogen and sunlight, these compounds react to form smog. Due to this effect, newer, vegetable-based inks that do not contain the VOCs are now available in the market.
Apart from the volatile compounds, the inks also contain some heavy metals. Examples of these metals include mercury, chromium, nickel, selenium and cadmium among others. When they are released through the effluent, they contaminate soil and water sources which in turn poses a danger to plant and animal life. This challenge has been addressed by manufacturing natural inks that have very little of these metals or none at all.
There are two types of paper that can be used by printing firms: virgin paper and recycled paper. The latter is derived from waste paper and should be the natural choice for a person seeking to better the environment. Apart from being cheaper, it reduces the need to cut down more trees. Other advantages include the fact that it needs less water to process and that less effluent is produced when it is used.
Apart from paper, other raw materials can be recycled as well. Water is one of the inputs that are used in large quantities. Without recycling or reusing, at least 60% of it goes to waste. If it was to be reused the savings realized by the firm would be tremendous. Examples of other raw materials that may be recycled and reused include ink and aluminum plates.
Energy efficiency should be emphasized in all the departments. If you have any old, inefficient pieces of equipment, replace them with newer ones that will give you a higher output of products for every unit of electricity used. At the same time, work progressively to reduce the use of petroleum based fuels and hydropower and increase that of wind, solar and other sources of energy that are renewable.
Sustainability is also being adopted in fabric printing processes. One of the areas that have experienced changes is the pre-treatment stage. During this stage, urea and other chemicals are usually used. Unfortunately, urea breaks down to release carbon dioxide in the environment, a major greenhouse gas. Today, there are newer methods of pre-treating fabrics using a special type of foam that does not contain urea.
Using sustainable solutions in printing goes a long way into preserving our natural resources. To the individual firm, it is a way to participate in worthy cause and more importantly, it greatly helps in lowering operational costs. The reduced operational costs will be passed on to the consumer in the form of more affordable products. In the end, it is a win-win situation for everyone.
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