dimanche 14 février 2016

By Angela Thomas


In line with environmental conservation guidelines which are being adopted by many countries all over the world, many industries have made an effort to be more environment conscious in their operations. The printing industry is no exception. The general trend is to move away from practices which degrade the environment and adopt those which create a more positive impact. There are a number of ways through which you can create digital printing that is eco friendly.

One of the major changes being implemented is replacing the mineral based inks with those which are vegetable oil based. The mineral based inks emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The VOCs react with nitrogen oxide found in the environment to produce ozone gas. This type of ozone is different from the protective ozone as it is formed much lower in the atmosphere. It attracts materials such as dust particles forming smog.

Recycled paper is a product which is increasingly being accepted as an alternative to fiber paper by many printing plants as well as customers. One of the benefits of using recycled paper is the fact that it requires less water to process compared to virgin paper. It also has less effluent. More importantly, however, recycled paper reduces the rate of deforestation and helps conserve the environment. New methods which do not use chlorine for bleaching now exist.

There are many other raw materials which can be recycled or reused. Water, one of the major inputs in the process, is the easiest to reuse. In an optimally functioning system, close to 65% of water can be reused at different stages. The other materials include, ink aluminium plates and waste paper. The main objective should be to reduce the waste as much as possible.

Energy conservation should be a priority. Efforts should be made to cut down on the use of fossil fuels as much as possible and use renewable sources of energy instead. If you are to buy new equipment, ensure it is more efficient with faster running speed which ensures there is more output per kilowatt of electricity used. Regular servicing ensures that your printers remain efficient and use less energy, ink and water.

There is a need to reduce the use of paper as relates to the handling of proofs. The increased use of emails is making this a reality in most printing presses. Through emails, customers can easily make changes and track their work as it goes through all the stages. Such changes have greatly helped in environmental conservation as well as increase efficiency of the process.

There are changes which have been adopted in the screening of fabrics. One area in which this is taking place is in the pretreatment process. The conventional process involves using chemicals which contain significant amounts of urea. The urea is broken down during steaming to produce carbon dioxide. A special foam which does not require the inclusion of the harmful compounds is now increasingly being used.

There are numerous opportunities which can be taken by businesses that are conscious about environmental conservation. Huge successes can be achieved by making small changes over time. Be ready to embrace technologies that will help increase efficiency in the printing process and reduce the wastage of inputs.




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