Although waterless printing has been around for a while, it’s mostly been seen as a niche technology, but thanks to greater awareness of environmental issues, more printers are now looking at going waterless
Ask a printer about consumables and they’ll mention things like inks, paper and plates, but conventional printing presses use an enormous amount of water, a natural resource that we are all starting to think about conserving. It may seem strange that water has become such an issue, given that 70 per cent of the planet’s surface is under water, but there is only a fixed amount of water on the planet and growing populations together with climate change has meant that in many parts of the world the demand for water far outstrips the infrastructure to collect, process and distribute that water.
We recently participated in a climate change event sponsored by HRH the Prince of Wales’ Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. Apart from being completely baffled as to why we were invited, we were even more shocked that not a single printer or publisher was present amongst 200 business leaders. How can this industry hold its own against stiff competition from alternative media and against charges of environmental hostility, without engaging with government and NGOs?
At the beginning of the year as part of the Verdigris project, we published an online survey. The purpose of this survey was to learn more about the strategic motivators and environmental intentions of printers and their customers. We were looking for insights into sharing best practice, and had hoped to get a better idea of environmental awareness in the printing industry. We wanted to understand more about market drivers for printers and their customers.
Printers are feeling the pressure from their customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their own production, but how can they account for the environmental impact in manufacturing their printing presses?
Print buyers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of print. For the most part they understand that print is a more sustainable option than electronic media, but how do they decide which printing method to use? Is conventional offset more environmentally friendly than digital printing? Or is it the other way around?
One of the biggest ways in which printers and publishers can make a difference to the environment is through the paper they use. Wood is a renewable resource but some wood is more sustainable than others so responsible sourcing of wood, and by extension paper, can make a big difference. The paper industry relies heavily on virgin wood fibre, but the trees need to be carefully managed, to ensure that they are harvested and replaced responsibly. Sourcing paper from renewable sources can significantly cut down on harmful deforestation, and avoids risks associated with illegal logging, such as inadvertently funding local conflicts.
