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.
There are two types of paper that can be used by printing firms: virgin paper and recycled paper. The latter is derived from waste paper and should be the natural choice for a person seeking to better the environment. Apart from being cheaper, it reduces the need to cut down more trees. Other advantages include the fact that it needs less water to process and that less effluent is produced when it is used.
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.
Efficiency in the use of power is an aspect that has to be closely monitored to ensure that wastage is put at the minimum. Strive to reduce your use of hydropower and petroleum based fuels and increase utilization of wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy. One of the decisions that you may need to make is to get rid of old, inefficient equipment and replace it with that which has higher output for every product produced.
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.
There are two types of paper that can be used by printing firms: virgin paper and recycled paper. The latter is derived from waste paper and should be the natural choice for a person seeking to better the environment. Apart from being cheaper, it reduces the need to cut down more trees. Other advantages include the fact that it needs less water to process and that less effluent is produced when it is used.
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.
Efficiency in the use of power is an aspect that has to be closely monitored to ensure that wastage is put at the minimum. Strive to reduce your use of hydropower and petroleum based fuels and increase utilization of wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy. One of the decisions that you may need to make is to get rid of old, inefficient equipment and replace it with that which has higher output for every product produced.
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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