Sustainability Within The Print Industry

 Have you ever thought about how sustainable printing is? With Earth Day fast approaching, we are looking at sustainability in the printing business and what we can do to help. 

Earth Day, 22^nd April is a day to recognise environmental concerns. Because of this, events are held to advertise sustainability all over the globe. It was first established in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson. He believed that the damage happening to the environment, which was not addressed in politics, was a huge problem. Consequently, he created a day for the population to be educated on these issues and spread awareness on what can be accomplished.

Appropriate recycling is imperative whatever industry you are in. Therefore we need to make sure all paper and card are properly disposed of in a way that it can be reused. This is a massive stepping stone into becoming a sustainable business. The paper we recycle gets washed and treated to remove inks, staples and glue. The paper is then turned into what’s known as a slurry which is then used to create new paper without harming the forests any further.

In the UK, it is estimated that we use 12.5 million tonnes of paper annually. On average, it takes roughly 24 trees to make 1 tonne of white office paper. As a result of this, deforestation is a huge issue affecting the climate, animals and most aspects of the environment. The planet loses over 15 billion trees every year, which results in a massive 56 acres of forest every minute. By using recycled paper, we would dramatically slow the current rate of deforestation. We would also reduce the amount of harmful gas released into the atmosphere. The production of recycled paper generates 73% less air pollution than the manufacturing of paper from raw materials.

There are many organisations across the world that dedicate their time to protect the earth and promote sustainability in all aspects of life. Friends Of The Earth and Greenpeace are two very well known organisations that have an abundance of projects to fund long-term solutions to problems our planet faces. You can find out more information on how hard they are working, and what you can do to help by clicking the above links to access their main web page.

Solopress And Sustainability

Solopress are committed to improving in any way we can to make the printing process environmentally friendly and more sustainable. Therefore we are always looking for ways to improve our business. At the moment we offer an extensive range of products on 100% recycled paper. This refers to our Bond and Solopress Green paper stocks. While our coated stocks such as the silk and gloss papers are 55% recycled stocks.

We were one of the first printers in the UK to switch to vegetable-based inks. We were made aware this in no way shape or form affects the quality of our printing. So to us, making the switch from non-renewable sourced ink was an easy one. Giving our customers the option to have an array of products on a next day turnaround is a factor that encourages people to only order what they need.  By allowing consumers to receive print very quickly, this reduces the chance of people ordering huge bulk orders with the risk of units being wasted or not needed.  Which consequently could result in parts of the order being thrown away. As a result, our clients can order in small runs when they need to ensure that there is minimal waste.

We all want our businesses to be successful and functional for the foreseeable future. In order to do so, we need to make sure the way companies are run are eco-friendly and the elements being used will not expire. Adapting to a sustainable working environment is the best way to guarantee a long and happy duration. A small change can make a big difference.