Environmental conservation in business is a subject that has to be addressed by all industries including the printing industry. It is increasingly becoming clear that businesses that are not environmental conscious may lose out to their competitors that are in the near future. There are many ways in which individual firms can adopt sustainable digital printing without necessarily compromising on the quality of their work. We will look at some of the options available.
Choosing the right type of ink is one of the major steps that can be undertaken. Traditional inks contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs, since they are derived from petroleum. In the presence of nitrogen and sunlight, these compounds react to form smog. Due to this effect, newer, vegetable-based inks that do not contain the VOCs are now available in the market.
Apart from the volatile compounds, the inks also contain some heavy metals. Examples of these metals include mercury, chromium, nickel, selenium and cadmium among others. When they are released through the effluent, they contaminate soil and water sources which in turn poses a danger to plant and animal life. This challenge has been addressed by manufacturing natural inks that have very little of these metals or none 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.
Choosing the right type of ink is one of the major steps that can be undertaken. Traditional inks contain volatile organic compounds, VOCs, since they are derived from petroleum. In the presence of nitrogen and sunlight, these compounds react to form smog. Due to this effect, newer, vegetable-based inks that do not contain the VOCs are now available in the market.
Apart from the volatile compounds, the inks also contain some heavy metals. Examples of these metals include mercury, chromium, nickel, selenium and cadmium among others. When they are released through the effluent, they contaminate soil and water sources which in turn poses a danger to plant and animal life. This challenge has been addressed by manufacturing natural inks that have very little of these metals or none 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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