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ImageWelcome to Verdigris. This site provides information about environmental initiatives for the international printing community. It has a range of articles and reference links for printers, publishers, technology providers and anyone else who’s interested.

Articles cover all sorts of topics from explaining the basics of carbon footprinting for printers, to describing how individual printing companies are doing their bit to minimise their impact on the envrionment. This is an educational site that includes reference material and links to industry associations and environmental organisations around the world.

Paper Tigers Hear Them Roar

ImageCan it really be true, as so many tree huggers believe, that pulp and paper production are major contributors to global warming?

At a UN conference in 1987, sustainability was defined as developments that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. This roughly means that we should look after the planet for our children, so in the context of media, is paper-based print really so terrible? There is so much misinformation buzzing around the wires that we thought it might be useful to find out just what the paper industry is doing to protect one of the planet’s most marvellous resources.

Successful PrintCity Munich Workshop - Carbon Footprint & Energy Efficiency

Gröbenzell, Germany, March 3, 2010 – The PrintCity Alliance completed a successful first Graphic Industry Supply Chain Workshop on the subject Carbon Footprint & Energy Efficiency during February 2010 in Munich.

Classic Printers stays clean and green with Fujifilm Brillia HD PRO-V plates

One of the largest commercial printers in Peterborough, Classic Printers has spent the last year ensuring that its offering gives customers one of the 'greenest' experiences possible, with its most recent investment being low chemistry Brillia HD PRO-V plates from Fujifilm.

PRESSTEK SUPPORTING THE VERDIGRIS PROJECT

20 January 2010 - Presstek, providers of high-quality, fully-integrated digital offset printing solutions and services, has joined the Verdigris Project as an associate member. Verdigris is the printing industry's only international not-for-profit environmental research initiative.

TWO SIDES CONTINUES TO GROW AND WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

17th December, London, UK - Two Sides, the UK initiative to promote the responsible production of print and paper, today reports the continued growth of its membership and welcomes twelve new members to its campaign. Aimed at promoting awareness of the sustainability of print and paper as a 'Renewable, Recyclable and Powerful' medium, Two Sides was launched in September 2009 and involves almost 100 companies and associations spanning the Graphic Communications Supply Chain.

VERDIGRIS ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SURVEY WILL PROVIDE REAL LIFE DATA FOR REAL LIFE BUSINESS STRATEGIES

14 December 2009 - Verdigris, the not-for-profit print environmental research initiative, is inviting print companies around the world to participate in the Verdigris Environmental Awareness survey. The aim of the survey is to better understand and evaluate the strategic motivators and environmental intentions of print companies worldwide. The survey will be repeated annually to track environmental awareness and adoption trends.

Colour Me Carbon

ImageWhat’s the hottest topic in print these days? Judging by the spate of recent announcements, it’s carbon calculators. They’re everywhere, from Google’s calculator and those of NGOs such as the Carbon Trust and Envirowise in the UK, through to energy companies the world round. Even book publishers are getting into the act. For instance, Finnish book printer WS Bookwell’s ecocalculator calculates CO2 emissions and environmental impacts based on materials alternatives, production data and print run specifications.

Green Grøset Trykk

ImageProtecting the environment has to be a top priority for all of us in the printing industry. This much we know, but taking steps to improve how we do business isn’t that simple and is made harder by the ridiculous myth that going green is an expensive proposition. Fortunately a growing number of printing companies around the world are using their brains and have recognised that green habits are good for business as well as the planet.

Saving money the green way

Wyke Printers, a family owned business based in Kingston-upon-Hull, UK, is known throughout the country as one of the leading litho print service providers. The commercial printer, with 65 employees and an annual turnover of £4 million, operates a "no order too big or too small" service and produces a wide range of jobs from personalised business cards to high value glossy magazines for a number of well-known brands and high street names. A big part of the company's business also involves printing pattern books and fabric cards for wallpaper companies.

Sun Chemical Issues First Report on Sustainability

LONDON, UK – December 9, 2009 – Sun Chemical, the world’s leading producer of printing inks and pigments, released its first sustainability report, which provides data-driven performance measurement for seven key sustainability metrics to help customers and consumers understand the company’s environmental footprint.

Copenhagen Communiqué Signed by PrintCity Alliance

Gröbenzell, Germany, December 1, 2009 – The PrintCity Alliance has signed the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change, calling for an ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change that responds credibly to the scale and urgency of the crises facing the world today.

Pulp facts

ImagePaper is arguably one of the most useful commodities every invented, one that most of us make use of every day, and yet few people know exactly how paper is manufactured.

Since its invention paper has played an essential role in spreading literacy and knowledge, and despite our modern communications technology it is still irreplaceable. Making paper is a multi-billion dollar industry and part of a major economic sector: the global forest industry employs 13 million people in nearly 200 nations.

The Ultimate Plate

ImageWe’ve seen processless plates, and plates with low chemistry requirements, but what about a CtP plate with no coating or chemistry whatsoever?

Computer to plate production has improved printing’s carbon footprint no end because it does away with film and the associated chemistry. But the recently announced Miracle technology, developed in the UK by JPI, does away with coatings and processing entirely. JPI has patented a method of switching uncoated, grained and anodised aluminium from hydrophilic to hydrophobic states, so they don’t need any coatings at all.

In the wash

ImageDe-inking used paper is a major step towards making recycled paper, but can established de-inking processes keep up with advances in printing technology?

There is a generally accepted principle that it is better to recycle as much paper as we can, rather than cutting down trees to make paper from virgin fibres.

Computer-to-Plate goes green

ImageEnvironmental considerations have never played such an important role in CtP. Computer-to-plate has moved a long way in terms of affordability, performance and reliability since the early days. Plate technology has advanced to the point where printers can choose between traditional CtP systems that use chemical development and new chemistry-free technologies. This article looks at the latest chemistry-free systems, the different technologies that they use and the benefits they deliver to the user.

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