 Printing
Introduction
Printing is the fourth largest manufacturing industry in the world,
and in the UK it is the fifth largest. However, printing has the
lowest take-up of environmental policies of any major business sector.
The majority of the industry has converted to off-set lithography
over the past 30 years, and today around 20 tons of Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) are released per printer per year in the UK, accounting
for around 10% of the UK’s emissions. Additional considerations
for the printing industry include waste and pollution.
Uses of and Impacts on Biodiversity
Printing companies’ impacts on biodiversity are often associated
with other environmental impacts, such as energy use, waste generation
or emissions of VOCs. Major impacts arise from the technology employed
in the printing process, procurement decisions as well as the way
in which a company manages and interacts with wildlife on its own
site as well as within the community where it is based.
Off-set lithography, employed by the majority of printers operating
in the UK, emits Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the process
of eliminating water surface tension necessary to make ink adhere
to paper. When oxides of nitrogen (NOx) react with oxygen in the
presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), sunlight ozone is
produced. At ground level, ozone poses a significant threat to ecosystems
as well as humans. By destroying chlorophyll, it interferes with
the ability of plants to produce and store food, making them more
susceptible to disease, insects, other pollutants and harsh weather.
This is turn limits the food availability for foragers, threatening
the health of an entire ecosystem. Other ramifications include potential
economic effects due to crop damage by ground level ozone reducing
crop yields. Off-set lithography also requires water, and in the
UK potentially millions of gallons are diverted from habitats and
species each year by the printing sector.
The industry’s demand for paper provides companies with an
influence over the amount as well as the type of paper supplied.
Forest stewardship promoting sustainable management is essential
for balancing the need for forest products, including wood pulp
used in paper manufacturing, and conservation of trees, soil, water
courses, plants and animals. Destruction of ancient woodland, rain
forests or other important woodland habitats for the production
of paper have important ramifications for biodiversity within the
de-forested and surrounding areas as well as globally. Regardless
of the type of paper sourced, excessive paper use due to inefficiencies
can add to unnecessary waste streams and high demands on paper can
place pressure on forest environments.
Where a company is located on or near a site with some wildlife
potential, the way in which this land is managed will have a significant
impact on biodiversity. Biodiversity can flourish in urban environments
given the right conditions such as un-mown grass verges, hedges
or bird-feeders or boxes. There are now many examples of how the
integration of biodiversity into urban areas not only helps wildlife,
but provides people with potential for enjoying and taking part
in activities which benefit nature conservation.
What you can do
There are many ways in which printing companies can take action
to benefit biodiversity. While some of the biodiversity –
and environmental – gains which printing companies can make
require considerable investment decisions, others can be achieved
with relatively little investment - and actually save the company
money. Many of these steps will be linked to addressing other environmental
issues such as, waste reduction which can not only help a company
to reduce inefficiencies and save money, but will also provide associated
benefits to biodiversity.
The majority of printing companies in the UK are classified as
Small or Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). Guidance from organisations
such as Environwise
can help to provide many small and medium sized printers with useful
information needed to develop and implement frameworks for managing
environmental issues within their companies.
Many SMEs choose to integrate biodiversity into their overall environmental
policies and management systems, however there are a number of examples
of companies which have specifically spelled out a biodiversity
policy (Seacourt and Beacon Press).
Regardless of the route chosen, setting specific biodiversity related
targets will help not only to monitor the effects of a company’s
actions on biodiversity, but raise awareness amongst staff, customers
and suppliers and motivate them to contribute towards activities.
Click here
for more information about developing a Company Biodiversity Action
Plan.
There are three main aspects for printing companies to consider
when addressing biodiversity issues: technology, the supply chain,
and site management.
1. Technology
There are significant opportunities for printing companies to reduce
their ecological footprints, thereby benefiting biodiversity, through
adopting innovative technologies. Installing printing, developing
and rinsing mechanisms that work without water will reduce water
use and effluents making more ‘clean’ water available
for other biological processes. Printing processes which work without
water, such as photosensitive analog plates, also can help to reduce
VOC emissions. Information about converting to waterless printing
is available from Environwise
and for more information about waterless printing visit the Waterless
Printing Association.
Other technology, such as computer to plate or using vegetable
based cleaning agents, can help to reduce pollution or waste, also
providing benefits for biodiversity. See www.p2pays.org
or www.greenart.info
for more information. Efficient printing processes will not only
reduce paper waste, but also save in the amount of paper used in
the first place, reducing the need for wood harvesting (and costs).
2. Management of the Supply Chain
The supply chain of printing companies can relate to direct product
use of machinery, inks and cleaning products or to the longer chain
leading to the production of paper.
Many products are now available which offer opportunities for reducing
the ecological footprint of a company’s supply chain. These
include biodegradable vegetable oil based inks or cleaning products
or recyclable packaging or printer cartridges.
Paper and paper products form one of the most significant elements
of printing companies’ supply chains. Companies can influence
their suppliers not only through their decisions about the type
of paper to use – including the degree of recycled paper and
thickness and grade of the paper – but also by enquiring into
the source of wood pulp and the paper making process. There are
now numerous certification schemes which can help provide assurance
about the degree of sustainable forestry management practices employed
by a supplier. Click here
for more information.
By engaging suppliers, it is possible to raise awareness and engage
them in the process of biodiversity conservation. For more information
about supply chain management click here.
3. Site Management
Companies located on or adjacent to property containing wildlife
may benefit from numerous environmental services from clean air
and water to pleasant surroundings, presenting numerous opportunities
to contribute to the conservation of wildlife sites, forests, rivers
and streams.
On a company site, using local species for landscaping can be helpful
for attracting many types of native species. Guidance on planting
native species can be found at www.businessandbiodiversity.org.
Urban environments also contain biodiversity pockets which any company
can contribute to either by developing on-site projects to help
wildlife or supporting local conservation initiatives. Other opportunities
for companies located on sites without significant opportunities
for wildlife include supporting external conservation organisations.
More information is available for local biodiversity action plans
at www.ukbap.org.uk.
Regardless of what type of site a company occupies, developing
a Site Biodiversity Action Plan (Site BAP) will help raise awareness
of biodiversity. Enlisting staff and other stakeholders in developing
and implementing a CBAP will encourage ideas and can help contribute
to building relationships with the local community. More information
about Site BAPs can be found here.
Benefits
Integrating biodiversity into a company’s management systems
not only benefits wildlife, but can help to develop the business
itself. Not only do markets exit for environmentally friendly printers,
but there are also potential cost savings associated with managing
environmental risks. For instance, the transition to waterless offset
printing can be relatively affordable, and will result in printing
processes generating higher quality products as well as safer working
conditions.
Case Studies
Click here to view Priting Sector
case studies.
Resources
Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system
Green
Futures- The UK’s leading magazine on environmental solutions
and sustainable futures
Co-operative
Financial Services paper guidelines- on what constitutes an
ecologically-sound paper
Confederation of Paper Industries
(CPI) - The CPI provides a focus for the paper industry to unite,
discuss, and resolve issues of common interest and to promote a
positive image for paper in its many applications
UK Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
British Printing
Industry Federation (BPIF)
Waterless Printer Members in the United Kingdom include Seacourt
Limited, Beacon Press,
Final Films Limited, Finger Prints, J D Printing Services, Seargeants
Brothers Printers Ltd., and WORDS & GRAPHICS LIMITED.
Net
REgs has all of the current UK legislation on water and toxic
chemicals.
Photo Credit: Paul Glendell/ English Nature
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