Positive impact printing

Did you know your printing can make a positive impact for people and our planet?

Beyond using responsibly sourced, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or recycled/ recyclable/ biodegradable paper?

This is a great place to start – however there’s so much more beyond… which hopefully this article will inspire for you.

What to look for when deciding which paper stock;

• Recycled / made from post consumer waste.
• Wood free alternatives (like bamboo, organic cotton, seaweed – sustainably sourced).
• Bleach and chlorine free (some recycled papers use chemical washes to make them whiter).
• Responsibly and sustainably sourced (FSC).
• Part of  a carbon capture programme – like Premier papers, a donation from each purchase supports the work of the Woodland Trust to mitigate the CO2 emissions from the production and distribution of the Premier paperstock through planting native woodland trees here in the UK.

 

Aside considering the paper stock, there’s also the following to consider for positive impact printing:

Size of the final resource;

• Does it use standard paper size (to help reduce waste and keeps costs down).
• If not, could the offcuts be used to fit in another job (like business/notecards) or share a print run with a colleague?
• Weight and size (for packaging/ postage/ delivery – remember to review the impact of these too and source environmentally friendly options, see more below).
• Size of print run (printing the amount you need/will use will help avoid wastage and cost of storage).

 

Finishes/bindings;

• What’s the expected shelf life? Consider ways it can be reused and repurposed.
• Is it all recyclable?/ Able to be recycled?
• Will it be treasured and kept long term (like a reference material/ collectors item / limited edition / piece of art)?
• Is it fit for purpose ((For instance can it be easily written on if that’s one of the intended outcomes / does it need protection / does it need to be child or food safe? / where and how will it be used… etc?)

 

What messages are you communicating through your resource;

• Will it inspire positive actions for wellbeing?
• Are the sustainable print credentials accurate and transparent?
• Does it communicate clearly the ways the item can be recycled, returned or reused?
• Is the final product (material, how its been produced, end-of-life) aligned with your values?
• What habits and behaviours is it encouraging and inspiring?

 

The design:

• What’s the role (purpose) of the resource? What values, emotions and actions does it need to inspire?
• Is the resource design/template making efficient use of the space to avoid excess waste?
• Are you printing on both sides of the paper? (This helps make efficient use of your resource and materials).
• Font choices and amount of ink required. (Reducing the thickness of fonts and full bleed areas will help minimise ink usage; consider using graphics or illustrations instead of photographs, or use coloured paperstock).
• Less is more, don’t be afraid of white space – it gives your message space to breath and makes it easier to read and navigate (and gives appreciation to the stunning paper).
• Use QR codes to link to further reading.
• Reduce the content down to the pure essence of what you need to communicate, to reduce the number of pages and paper you need to use.
• Find ways to interact with the end user (note area / tear out and keep / ways to repurpose your resource / how to recycle responsibly / actions to take).

 

Inks and printing processes;

• Is the ink alcohol and chemical free?
• Is it low/VOC free?
• Does it use vegetable/plant based inks? Waterless printing?
• Does it give you the colour replication you need?
• Is it powered by renewable energy sources?
• Is it food and allergen safe?

Your printing partner;

• Do they share your values? (Environmental and ethical).
• Is the factory powered by renewable energy?
• What’s their sustainability vision and plan?
• Do they have sustainability, environmental and ethical working policies and practices?
• Contact and collaborate with your printing partner early on in your project to help define the best options and spec to meet your needs and save you time.
• Do they have a recycling scheme / zero waste to landfill policy?
• If you’d like an introduction to some great, sustainable printing partners let me know.

 

Packaging;

• Is the packaging made from recycled materials and is recyclable/compostable at end of life?
• Is the adhesive tape/label biodegradable?
• Does it need to be food safe?
• Is it plastic free?

 

Delivery/distribution;

• Is the delivery low carbon? (EV / pushbike / collection options).
• Are you able to use a shared/combined standard delivery method rather than rushed/timed turnaround?
• Plan ahead to avoid urgent, last minute deliveries. (Find out lead and delivery times and incorporate them into your project schedule).
• Check for their environmental pledges/ sustainability journey.
• Do they offer tracking to decrease number of delivery attempts?

 

The end of life of your resource;

• Is it fully or partially recyclable?
• Is it home compostable?
• Can it be reused/repurposed?
• What is its expected lifespan?
• See if your merchandise, exhibition displays and items of stationery can be repurposed for good via A Good Thing.
• Check if your roller banners can be cleaned and reprinted, saving you costs and helping save our planet by avoiding sending materials to landfill.

The magic of printed resources

There is simply something magical about printing and paper – ideas brought to life, being able to proudly hold the result in your hands, enjoying a moment of slowing down and taking your time over reading the material, brushing your fingertips over the crisp sheets of paper as you turn the pages and smooth flat the next page spread.

 

I especially love the old print presses – the beautiful tactile quality of letterpress printed materials, the comforting ‘bookshop’ smell of ink on paper. The above ‘Kit the dog’ letterpress cards, were traditionally printed by the wonderful Sarah Phelps of Sarah & Maude. (Highly recommend checking out Sarah’s beautiful letterpress stationery!)

So, I was delighted to discover a Heidelberg still in use at Seacourt printers (mainly used for scoring/die-cutting) amidst the newer technology during my personal tour around their two printing factories.

Seacourt are one of my sustainable print partners based in Oxford. They strive to use their business as a force for good, ‘to create a business that is truly regenerative’ and are on a mission to achieve ‘planet positive printing’.

 

Printing can impact:

• Health; through the chemicals in inks / powder used to set printing inks / working practices – VOC’s, sound levels, safety precautions and training.
• Water; water usage within the supply chain for example during the paper making process / during the printing process / chemicals in water discharged from the printing and cleaning processes.
• Environment; energy consumption, water usage, waste products, pollution – water, soil, air and noise pollution, electronic waste (including toner and ink cartridges etc)

To make printing a positive impact, Seacourt have:

• Invented their own (and the world’s first!) waterless, LED-drying, printing press, removing 99.5% of chemical contaminants.
• Main factory is renewably powered (by wind, solar, wave and biomass energy), the second factory (building owned by their landlord) is carbon negative.
• Waste free premises – sending zero waste to landfill (plus a wormery to munch away any of the teams’ food waste – fruit cores, peel, compostable teabags etc… and create healthy compost and natural fertiliser).
• Measured and continue to monitor their carbon impact – from forest to end-of-life of their products (as well as reusing or recycling exhibition items printed and manufactured elsewhere to give them a second life – for example roller banners).
• No PVC.
• No harmful chemicals.
• No air pollutants.

Their driving aim is to do no harm, and understanding how to do more good.

 

Challenge the brief for your next project to have a positive impact for our planet

From project spec, content design (visual and message) through to your paper and printing choices – you can make positive impacts for our incredible planet and make meaningful communications. Here to help you authentically show up for what you stand for.