Green Printing in NYC
"Going Green" is one of the most popular buzzwords we hear on TV, in newspapers and on the internet today. However, it is more than just a buzzword as there are real concerns about our environment and being eco-friendly is every person's responsibility; including printers. Did you know that digital printing is inherently "green"?
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, non-profit association founded in 1993 with the intent “to shift the market to eliminate habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous people and violence against people and wildlife that often accompanies logging.” 
FSC Certification means that an independent third party has established a chain of custody to verify that the paper originates in an FSC-certified sustainable, well-managed forest. For a print product to carry the FSC logo, the chain of custody must have flowed from forest, to paper manufacturer, merchant and printer, all of whom have been FSC-certified.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has a similar goal, but it is managed by the paper industry. It does not use an independent certifier, nor does it address some forestry problems, such as converting old forests into tree plantations, as FSC does. For a point-by-point comparison of FSC and SFI certification, as well as others, see www.marketsinitiative.org/resources.
Green-e certification identifies products and services made with renewable energy that doesn’t pollute, such as wind, solar, biomass and hydrogen fuel. Mohawk Fine Papers, for instance, reports that it uses wind for all of its electric power. The company estimates that the carbon savings is equivalent to planting a 24,400-acre forest or to not driving 138 million miles in a passenger car. www.mohawkpaper.com and www.green-e.org
Green Seal Certification identifies papers that contain at least 30 percent post-consumer material and are manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. www.greenseal.org
Rainforest Alliance works with FSC to help companies work with sustainable sources. Rainforest Alliance certification is an independent seal of approval “that goods and services were produced in compliance with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities.”www.rainforest-alliance.org
Recycled paper saves trees, reduces use of toxic chemicals, uses less energy and produces fewer emissions than virgin paper. According to The Environmental Paper Network, each ton of 100 percent post-consumer recycled fiber that displaces a ton of virgin fiber saves 12 to 24 trees and provides a wood fiber savings of up to 310 percent. And when paper is recycled, it doesn’t go into the waste stream, which now is about 40 percent paper and paper products. www.environmentalpaper.org Recycled fiber may come from pre-consumer waste, material from a mill fabricator or printer that has never been used by a consumer, or post-consumer waste, which has been used and recycled by the end user. Use of post-consumer waste creates markets for local recycling collection systems. Over the years, the quality of recycled papers has improved and the costs have gone down. Today, there are so many choices available in 100-percent recycled paper, there is seldom a good reason to settle for less. At the very least, select paper with 50 percent or more recycled fiber. Then build market points by putting a label on the print product that promotes your responsible choice.Tree Free paper destroys no forests or wildlife habitat. It requires fewer chemicals and less energy to process than papers from tree pulp. It is acid free and can be recycled. Some is made from plants grown in dedicated fields, such as hemp, cotton, kenaf, soybeans and wheat. Others, such as sugar cane husk (called “bagasse”), use husks and straw left in the fields after the main crop is harvested.The downside is that it is more expensive and usually has to be imported. Growing industrial hemp (cannabis) in the U.S. is illegal; it is considered a controlled substance, although it contains only trace amounts of the mind-altering chemical THC that is found in marijuana. Legislation was introduced in Congress in February 2007 to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana, but no hearings have been held on the bill.Using wood to make paper is a relative recent practice. Until the late 1850s, paper was made from linen, straw and hemp. The first paper mill in what became the U.S., established in 1690 near Philadelphia, used rags — recycled cloth. With demand for paper reaching unsustainable levels, interest in tree-free paper is mounting. www.conservatree.org
Sheer Print Solution • 233 Spring Street • NYC • 10013 | p 212.627.1500
