How Corporate Social Responsibility is Becoming the Norm in Commercial Digital Printing
With the growing consciousness about global warming and how our actions directly affect climate change, more and more people are making a concerted effort toward conservation. At an individual level, people are changing the type of light bulbs they use, bringing their own reusable bags to do their shopping, starting neighborhood composts and buying locally grown produce, among other measures. At the corporate level, many businesses are taking steps to become more energy efficient by installing solar power, reducing their interoffice paper usage, setting up recycling programs and more. Corporate social responsibility is also dictating the standards expected of commercial digital printing. Many big businesses require that any printed materials that are created for their use must be done by a “green” printing company. Fortunately, many commercial digital printing companies are ahead of the trend and have options available for their customers – big and small – who want to make a difference with their printed projects.
Printing on Recycled Paper
In the early years of recycled paper, the standards were not very high as far as quality and clarity went. Oftentimes the finish to a recycled piece of paper was rough to the touch and not even close to white in finish. Fortunately, technology has advanced and so has the quality of recycled paper. These days you would be hard-pressed to even know the difference between recycled paper and “virgin” paper. Because of the high standards required by corporate printing projects, many businesses may have shied away from using recycled paper for their important documents in the past. But with the increased quality that is the standard now, businesses can request recycled paper for all of their projects.
Printing with Eco-Friendly Inks
The ink that is used during the printing process can be harmful to the environment, which is a fact not many people know about. The standard ink used in the printing process is petroleum-based. These inks dry more quickly and produce sharp colors but unfortunately they release volatile organic compounds, better known as VOCs. VOCs have been proven to be harmful to the environment because they contribute to air pollution and affect the ozone layer negatively. Because of the high levels of VOCs that petroleum ink emit, many printing companies are switching to, or at least offering, soy or plant-based inks for printing projects. Soy and plant-based inks do emit VOCs but at a much lower level. The best part is that the quality of these eco-friendly inks is actually comparable to the finish of their petroleum cousins.
Shipping with your Printing Company
To reduce extraneous shipping practices, which contributes to air pollution and gas consumption, many commercial digital printing companies are offering shipping services to their clients. Projects such as brochures, postcards, catalogs and more, are often going to be mailed out to a mailing list. Instead of shipping the final product back to their clients, only to have these products mailed out again, many printing companies offer to do the mailing for their clients, directly from the printing factory. This service saves a step and works towards saving the planet.
