mardi 12 avril 2016

By Shirley Jones


In recent times, there have been sustained campaigns aimed at sensitizing the public on the importance of environmental conservation. This is what has given rise to the sudden change in product preferences among a significant proportion of consumers; the consumers want to play their small role by promoting businesses which protect natural resources. This has been seen in almost all industries including printing. Brochure printing that is eco friendly appears to be getting an edge over the conventional methods.

You need to properly utilize your raw materials and other resources which go into the creation of the brochure. These include, for example, the paper, ink, electricity and so on. One way of saving on paper is to ensure only the essential information is contained in it. A design in which the paper is folded up several times helps save on paper even more.

Conventional printing involves the use of petroleum based inks. These inks degrade the environment by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere during the drying process. Vegetable inks have been accepted as a substitute for the petroleum based inks. Just like the commercial types, they have monochrome and color printing options. More importantly, they are environment friendly as they do not contain any VOCs.

Using recycled paper is another of ensuring that you remain environmentally conscious and save on operating costs at the same time. This can be made possible by using either post-consumer or pre-consumer waste materials. Post-consumer waste paper refers to that which was used to make another product and was later discarded after the product had been used. Pre-consumer waste, on the other hand, refers to excess paper from the manufacturing process.

Apart from reducing on the rate of deforestation, paper recycling contributes to environmental conservation in several other ways. For example, the amount of water that is needed to process recycled paper is a lot less than that needed for virgin paper. Consequently, there is less effluent from the process. The main downside of using this type of paper has been the need to use chlorine as a bleaching agent but this has been changing as newer bleaching techniques are devised.

Recycling and reuse should be extended to the other raw materials. Water is among the most important inputs and is the easiest to reuse. Studies show that one can reuse at least 60% of the water going through the first cycle of processing. Ink can also be recycled but more emphasis should be placed on reducing wastage.

Work progressively to increase energy efficiency in your firm. Reduce the use of fossil based fuels in favor of the renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. Old inefficient printers should be replaced with printers which give more output for every unit of energy they consume. You may need to subject them to regular servicing to ensure efficiency is maintained.

Once you make the decision to go green, be prepared to meet the associated expense. While this may discourage you in the beginning, the long-term benefits are huge. Consider outsourcing part of the process if you are not in a position to finance the shift. In case of such a partnership, make sure your partner company is also environmental conscious.




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