What does it take to be a truly “green” printing company? It takes a lot more than it used to. Using recycled paper, being FSC-certified, and using digital presses for appropriate run lengths is the baseline. That doesn’t impress me anymore. It’s the minimum of what companies should be doing.
Recently, I was contacted by BizCard.com, which calls itself a “green” printing company. At first, it sounded like the same-old pitch: an “environmentally friendly online print marketing company . . . with a commitment to develop environmentally friendly printing solutions.” Efforts include use of postconsumer paper, elimination of damaging photo chemicals from the printing process by using digital presses, and purchasing materials from GreenSeal-certified companies.
You and everybody else. What else is new?
Then came the part of the pitch that caught my eye: efforts toward environmental responsibility that aren’t so easily seen by the customer’s eye. I mean, who looks in the bathroom?
- The company uses a special film on all the windows to reduce the heat within the building and decrease its energy consumption.
- All the lights in the building were changed from standard with normal transformers to fluorescent electronic bulbs.
- Its bathroom sinks are automated, reducing the amount of water being wasted.
- It encourages team members to carpool and to bring their own food to reduce the carbon footprint produced when driving to restaurants at lunch time.
- As part of its mission statement, it seeks out partnerships with nonprofit organizations that are committed to social responsibility. By building partnerships with reliable non-profit organizations, such as American Forests, it strives for “nothing less than a complete reversal of our environmental impact.”
This more unseen “green” efforts suggest that the company actually has a deeper philosophical commitment to environmental sustainability.
As the number of printers taking these additional steps (think of it as “Green Printing 2.0”), marketers looking to “green” their print marketing programs may want to look beyond the obvious. They may want to look for companies that use wind power (see related post), solar power, and like BizCard.com that take additional steps at the corporate level that demonstrate a deeper commitment to environmental sustainability than just the easy way out.
After all, there are more of them than ever before.
Like this post? See all of my “Greening Print Marketing” posts.
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Glad to hear someone is taking a look below the surface. As a green printer, I was frustrated to find “green” websites directing folks to “green” printers, only to discover those printers don’t even meet the “baseline”.
It’s a matter of education and unfortunately, detailing efforts that set you apart aren’t necessarily dazzling, in fact they are a bit exhausting to those that don’t care, “don’t have the time” or those that have heard it before.
Truth is, there’s a great deal more than certification. At Colormark, Kathryn made the choice to use vegetable-based inks, as opposed to petroleum based inks, before it was cool to be green. She also retrofit our office lighting so that the lights go out when you leave the room and turn on when you enter, we also did florescent lighting, and these efforts cut our energy bill in HALF. That’s huge and it’s worth it all the way around.
We have recycle bins all over this company and the offices. We have “green” cleaners, support green organizations and consistently take new efforts to make an impact.
It’s not just a talk, it’s a journey and it’s neat.
Thanks for pointing out that just because a company or products claims “green”, doesn’t mean they are.
Glad to hear someone is taking a look below the surface. As a green printer, I was frustrated to find “green” websites directing folks to “green” printers, only to discover those printers don’t even meet the “baseline”.
It’s a matter of education and unfortunately, detailing efforts that set you apart aren’t necessarily dazzling, in fact they are a bit exhausting to those that don’t care, “don’t have the time” or those that have heard it before.
Truth is, there’s a great deal more than certification. At Colormark, Kathryn made the choice to use vegetable-based inks, as opposed to petroleum based inks, before it was cool to be green. She also retrofit our office lighting so that the lights go out when you leave the room and turn on when you enter, we also did florescent lighting, and these efforts cut our energy bill in HALF. That’s huge and it’s worth it all the way around.
We have recycle bins all over this company and the offices. We have “green” cleaners, support green organizations and consistently take new efforts to make an impact.
It’s not just a talk, it’s a journey and it’s neat.
Thanks for pointing out that just because a company or products claims “green”, doesn’t mean they are.
The efforts are noble and I’m glad that a deeper commitment was sought. However, I have this nagging little voice in my head that says “online printers can never truly be green”. Sure they have some great online green printers and some online printers may be green at the core, but since 100% (maybe slightly less) of the finished orders are shipped out, how can that be a sustainable practice?
The shipping and freight industries are some of the worst offenders to our environment with the CO2 emissions. How can a company that supports such transportation of their finished products be “green”? To my knowledge, they haven’t come out with a green freight liner yet, so the alternatives are UPS, FedEx or DHL.
The efforts are noble and I’m glad that a deeper commitment was sought. However, I have this nagging little voice in my head that says “online printers can never truly be green”. Sure they have some great online green printers and some online printers may be green at the core, but since 100% (maybe slightly less) of the finished orders are shipped out, how can that be a sustainable practice?
The shipping and freight industries are some of the worst offenders to our environment with the CO2 emissions. How can a company that supports such transportation of their finished products be “green”? To my knowledge, they haven’t come out with a green freight liner yet, so the alternatives are UPS, FedEx or DHL.