Sustainability in printing

Sustainability entails meeting present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own. Despite the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s increased innovation drive, more individuals and businesses are opting for sustainable printing methods.

For environmentally-conscious individuals, sustainable printing strikes a balance between operational needs and environmental concerns. Integrating sustainability into a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plans aids in aligning employees, management, directors, and suppliers with the corporate goals, both economically and environmentally.

The reduction, recycling, and reuse of waste can lead companies and individuals to achieve Goal 12 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Goal 13, Climate Action. While paper waste is inevitable in printing, printers can utilise their unused white paper, known as “clean waste,” and transform it into new and valuable products. Clean waste is a useful recycling material as it only has minimal ink stains and can be recycled up to three times since it is first-generation paper.

In essence, purchasing locally made or recycled paper reduces the environmental impact of printing. This printing method also prevents global warming by using fewer fossil fuels in transportation, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Stone paper is a highly eco-friendly alternative to traditional paper and an excellent sustainable printing method. It is 100% recyclable, tree-free, and made from calcium carbonate (limestone) and bio-polyethene resin (HDPE), with HDPE as the binder. This innovative approach to papermaking utilises existing limestone quarries as the raw material. It processes it into a fine powder to create a naturally white product without further bleaching. Furthermore, stone paper products boast high density, which allows them to retain their shape over time.

It is worth noting that environmental awareness and sustainability are not interchangeable concepts. While reducing the environmental costs of economic activity and other human impacts, such as proper waste disposal, falls under the former, sustainability goes beyond harm reduction. It encompasses the ability of a system to endure indefinitely without exploiting resources at a faster rate than they can replenish themselves.

A sustainable economy operates with a smaller gap between its use/abuse of resources and the Earth’s capacity to replenish them. Some green practices may be commendable in their own right, but they do not necessarily narrow this gap. In other words, while all sustainable systems are green, not all green systems are sustainable.

In this regard, what measures are you taking in your professional or personal life to enhance sustainability and foster a more eco-conscious approach?