As lofty a goal as it may seem, running a paperless business (or even a paperless home) just isn’t feasible at this point in time. Businesses need to reach consumers, and until we all have “digital advertising wallpaper” or “interactive mirrors and windows” the only sure way of reaching customers is with paper.
So what is an environmentally conscious individual or company to do?
That makes us seriously consider if “paperless” is really a viable environmentally conscious option. Case in point: the US Government’s “paper reduction act,” which has created more paper than we had prior to its inception.
What are the “problems” with paper?
Paper, in and of itself, is a product of a renewable resource. A resource that helps clean our air, reduce erosion, and provide food and habitat for an entire ecosystem of plants, animals, insects, and countless other forms of life. Yes, we’re talking about trees.
The “problem” with paper being made from trees is four-fold:
- The way trees are harvested and replanted,
- The manner and method by which paper is produced,
- The manner and method by which information is printed onto paper, and
- The ability to reuse and recycle products made from paper to reduce the need to harvest fresh “stock” to create new paper.
By now we’re all familiar with how trees are harvested and replanted (if you’re not and would like me to write on this, please comment!) We have become more aware of how paper is produced and are having an impact on the types and amounts of chemicals used (bleaches, etc.). We all have paper recycling boxes in our offices or outside our children’s schools. We’re making inroads in all these areas areas.
The area I want to focus on today is printing. Not just the ink on the paper, but the whole process from raw stock, to finished product.
The Printed Page
It’s been a lofty goal for hundreds of years to make a good ink that doesn’t deteriorate over time; one that doesn’t fade, chip, or bleed. To accomplish this many different recipes for ink have been used over the years.
Today, most traditional printing is done with either ink or toner. With the inks of today we’ve been able to make the resulting printed information last almost forever, and with non-acid inks, they don’t eat the paper they’re printed on either (yes, that really was a problem!). Even still, most inks today use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are derived from petroleum.
Toners are different. They’re basically plastic particles that are melted onto the page using a thermal process. Laser printers and most copies use this method. Lasers printers became famous for their speed, their affordability, and the quality of their printed output. The downsides have been that toner is fairly nasty stuff, and a lot of packaging is required to house the toner for proper application.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many consumer options today to address printing in an environmentally conscious fashion.
The best solution at present would be to outsource printing jobs to a company that has the same environmental objectives that you do. And yes, they are out there.
Take PSPrint, for example
PSPrint is a company that prides itself on being environmentally conscious when fulfilling your green printing needs. They recycle all their paper waste and use soy based inks (which emit fewer VOCs than traditional petroleum inks, and is also helpful in recycling).
Whether it’s business cards; custom stickers, postcards, and greeting cards; posters; or catalog printing, PSPrint has a green option already in place for you or your company.
For those truly committed to the cause, PSPrint offers 100% recycled paper stocks for most of their printed products.
