Sustainable Printing

Sustainable Commercial Printing

Biodegradable, vegetable inks are available to use in print. Vegetable based inks are an alternative to petroleum based inks and produce rich colours as well as making the paper much easier to recycle. This type of ink does not use solvents and therefore is generally better for the environment. There are also environmentally friendly toners that can be used in digital printing.


Footprint

Footprint are a leeds based co-operative we brand themselves on being 'ecologically minded'. To ensure their printing methods are ethical they use recycled papers, a green electricity tariff and processes that have the lowers environmental damage as possible. 

Risographs

This process is most efficient on short runs of work (50-10,000). The printing methods works by squeezing ink through a paper 'master'. This is a process similar to screen-printing however can mean that photographs print with a slight pixilation. The ink used in this print method is soy-based and is therefore the most eco-friendly printing technology that the business are aware of. 


Sustainable/Eco-friendly Papers

Environmentally friendly paper is a paper that is sourced from alternative fibres (hemo, wheatstraw, rice straw, etc). These forms of paper have minimal pulp and papermaking emissions. They also do not require the use of chlorine bleaching.  (Rainforestinfo.org. Environmentally Friendly Paper)


Recycled or FSC-certified paper?

Recycled paper

- Recycling 1 tonne of paper would power a home for 9 months

- Save 7,000 gallons of water

- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one metric tonne of carbon equivalent

- Ensuring that the paper you are buying is 100% "post-consumer waste paper'


FSC - a global forest certification system

- Help to take care of forests, the people and wildlife who call them home

- Recognised by WWF as "hallmark of responsible forest management"

- 50% of people in the UK recognise their logo

- Uses a system of inspecting and tracking timber and pulp through the chain


The Guardian. Is it better to use recycled paper or FSC-certified paper? Lucy Siegle 31.03.13 [ONLNE]


Using sustainable and eco-friendly print methods and materials is something that is greatly important in producing a physical to studio brief 01. It would be contradictory to produce a piece of design encouraging more sustainable behaviours when the product itself does not follow similar regulations.