Regardless of the industry in which a business is operating, conserving the environment is today a necessity for one to remain in business. Consumers are now more concerned about the environment and favor products originating from businesses that share the same concerns. The printing industry is one of the areas that has come under pressure to make changes. As an individual business, there are various ways of adopting sustainable digital printing.
One of the areas in which changes can be made is in the choice of ink used. The conventional types of ink are usually made from petroleum products. They contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs that have the potential to pollute the environment. This happens when the compounds react with nitrogenous gases to form smog. A number of vegetable based inks that are free of VOCs have been introduced to the market.
Apart from volatile organic compounds, petroleum-based inks also have a high level of heavy metals as key ingredients. These include, for example, chromium, cadmium, selenium, nickel and selenium. Such heavy metals are known to cause environmental degradation directly especially if released in high quantities and over a prolonged period of time. The business should strive to choose inks that have very little of these metals if at all.
Using recycled paper is beneficial to the environment as well as the business. Whereas virgin paper has to be produced directly from trees, recycled paper is the product of waste paper. This means that the need to cut trees is reduced. The cost of purchasing and processing recycled paper is lower than what is seen with virgin paper. Another advantage is that the effluent that is produced by waste paper is less.
Recycling and reusing raw materials can be extended to involve other inputs other than paper. Water, a key component in the process of printing, is among the easiest to reuse. Studies have indicated that more than two thirds of the water being used in the first cycle can be reused in the second cycle. Ink and aluminum plates can also be reused in subsequent cycles.
Energy efficiency should be emphasized in all the departments. If you have any old, inefficient pieces of equipment, replace them with newer ones that will give you a higher output of products for every unit of electricity used. At the same time, work progressively to reduce the use of petroleum based fuels and hydropower and increase that of wind, solar and other sources of energy that are renewable.
Sustainability can also be adopted in fabric printing. In the pretreatment stage, urea and other chemicals are used. When urea is broken down during the steaming stage, it releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Carbon-dioxide is a well-known greenhouse gas that can directly damage the ozone layer. Alternative methods that are free of urea are now commercially available in the market.
When you choose to use sustainable solutions, you will be helping to preserve natural resources. The main benefit to your firm is the fact that your operating costs will be significantly reduced. This can be passed on to the consumer through reduced prices of products. As can be seen, it becomes a win-win situations for all that are involved.
One of the areas in which changes can be made is in the choice of ink used. The conventional types of ink are usually made from petroleum products. They contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs that have the potential to pollute the environment. This happens when the compounds react with nitrogenous gases to form smog. A number of vegetable based inks that are free of VOCs have been introduced to the market.
Apart from volatile organic compounds, petroleum-based inks also have a high level of heavy metals as key ingredients. These include, for example, chromium, cadmium, selenium, nickel and selenium. Such heavy metals are known to cause environmental degradation directly especially if released in high quantities and over a prolonged period of time. The business should strive to choose inks that have very little of these metals if at all.
Using recycled paper is beneficial to the environment as well as the business. Whereas virgin paper has to be produced directly from trees, recycled paper is the product of waste paper. This means that the need to cut trees is reduced. The cost of purchasing and processing recycled paper is lower than what is seen with virgin paper. Another advantage is that the effluent that is produced by waste paper is less.
Recycling and reusing raw materials can be extended to involve other inputs other than paper. Water, a key component in the process of printing, is among the easiest to reuse. Studies have indicated that more than two thirds of the water being used in the first cycle can be reused in the second cycle. Ink and aluminum plates can also be reused in subsequent cycles.
Energy efficiency should be emphasized in all the departments. If you have any old, inefficient pieces of equipment, replace them with newer ones that will give you a higher output of products for every unit of electricity used. At the same time, work progressively to reduce the use of petroleum based fuels and hydropower and increase that of wind, solar and other sources of energy that are renewable.
Sustainability can also be adopted in fabric printing. In the pretreatment stage, urea and other chemicals are used. When urea is broken down during the steaming stage, it releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Carbon-dioxide is a well-known greenhouse gas that can directly damage the ozone layer. Alternative methods that are free of urea are now commercially available in the market.
When you choose to use sustainable solutions, you will be helping to preserve natural resources. The main benefit to your firm is the fact that your operating costs will be significantly reduced. This can be passed on to the consumer through reduced prices of products. As can be seen, it becomes a win-win situations for all that are involved.
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