Green Focus: 6 ways the print industry has changed in the last 60 years
The world is seeing a shift towards more sustainable and greener practices, and this is no different for the printing industry.
In our penultimate instalment of our series exploring how the industry has changed over 6 decades, Liz Smith, Managing Director, tells us about her passion for reducing waste and carbon emissions.
5. Greener focus
Print has always traditionally been a very carbon heavy industry. The extensive use of paper, chemicals, inks and powder needed to create the materials means that in recent years, like other industries, printers have had to adapt to provide greener solutions.
New ways of working have helped to reduce the impact on resources and the carbon footprint. With more emphasis on responsibly sourced paper.
“I don’t think growing up we really appreciated the impact that printing could have on the environment.
“As with all industries the impact wasn’t felt until much later. Now it is something I am very aware of and passionate about changing. As an industry, huge changes have already been made to cut down on waste and carbon emissions. Recycled and responsibly sourced paper is now a given and we are personally pleased to have solar panels to use greener energy to power our site.
“There is still more that can be done but I am proud to see how far things have come in providing printers with greener technology.”
In the last few decades technology has advanced to provide more environmentally friendly paper, machinery and even ink. Responsibly sourced paper has limited the impact on trees with tree-free paper offering the opportunity to create paper alternatives from vegetable products such as bamboo, straw or agricultural waste. Machines are continually being improved to create greener and leaner solutions with soy ink and biodegradable toner, creating more sustainable waste by products.
If you have been reluctant to use print because of concerns about the impact on the environment, please talk to us as we can share a range of options that are more sustainably sourced and that come with better green credentials - it is what we stand for. Looking for some ideas? Why not read our greener printing tips.
In the last of our series of changes in the industry, next week find out how things have been speeding up over the last 6 decades, or look back at other changes in past blogs on reduced costs, advances in technology, changing faces or home printing.
