Beyond ‘recycle, reuse, renew’: sending the right message with your eco-friendly packaging

What is green print? really all about?

When we think of ‘green printing’, the terms ‘recycled’, FSC certified and ‘soy inks’ come to mind, right? But is that all there is? Are these things really enough? Did you know that one ton of recycled paper still consumes up to four trees, 18,000 BTUs of energy, generates up to two tons of solid waste, and generates thousands of gallons of polluted wastewater? What about the FSC? Certainly, FSC is an important designation and diverting pulp production from old and irresponsibly managed forests is critical, but at what point do we start to tip the balance of FSC paper production versus FSC forest growth towards the negative? And the soy inks? Well, offset printers have used soy inks for years, but are they really beneficial for flexo printers to use for their labels/stickers, tags and packaging? No! The point here is that print buyers, green marketers, brand owners, designers, and printers in general have gotten lazy. It’s so easy to say, ‘Green, oh, we use recycled paper, and by the way…recycle this packaging when you’re done with it.’ We focus on ‘recycling’ and upcycling because it’s easy, cheap and everyone understands it (well, sort of… but that’s a different article/post!) What I’d like to see is brand owners, printers and consumers are focused on the ‘green issues’ that will be most important in the future, sustainability (get printing and packaging from more abundant renewable resources) and carbon footprint.

Sustainable paper options versus traditional tree pulp papers

Tree-free papers made from decaying plant waste such as banana, papaya and coconut palms, bamboo and bagasse are an option here. There are a few companies that have devoted decades to the production of tree-free papers and although the performance of these papers as labeling/packaging material is limited, in some cases they have successfully replaced tree-pulp papers. Take a look at a sustainable option from Pure Labels and explore the Label Impressions, Inc. site for more tree-free and sustainable label paper options that work. Stone paper (stone paper) made from natural chalk (calcium carbonate), a renewable (yes, renewable, I expect some opposition/comments on this) and abundant resource is one of the high-performance options for eco-friendly printing and packaging materials with a history of superior sustainability. Natural Source Printing, Inc.’s FiberStone(TM) tree-free paper is the most popular high-performance paper in this category and has been used in a wide variety of printing and packaging projects, from gift bags/shopping bags to tree free to folded printed. boxes, waterproof maps, books, brochures, annual reports and green labels.

Carbon footprint: ‘What does it really take to produce and supply your ‘green’/recycled paper?

In this writer’s opinion, this is the ‘real’ issue that ‘green’ printers, print buyers, marketers and consumers should be concerned about. When the folks at Natural Source Printing began sourcing eco-friendly paper options, they took a close look at the carbon footprint (which is why FiberStone stone paper became one of Natural Source’s featured products). We certainly conserve our most important carbon storage resources, but at what point will the carbon storage capacity of our forests stop keeping up with our carbon production activities? of recycled fibers is the real culprit here. Did you know that producing one ton of recycled paper consumes four trees and consumes up to 22,000 BTU’s of energy? This massive consumption contributes to emitting a huge amount of Co2 into our atmosphere. You can see how an argument can and should be made for using c low carbon footprint materials (lower energy consumption) versus recycled papers for printing and packaging.

What I can do??

What’s next? What should I do as a green consumer, print buyer, marketing manager, sustainability manager or green printer to help raise awareness of the other two sides of the ‘green’ story? You can start by educating yourself, your employer/corporation, your customers, and your friends and family about the other threats to a cleaner planet: carbon emissions and the depletion of non-renewable natural resources. You can choose to stop ‘buying’ the simplified ‘recycle, reuse, renew’ mantra and dig deeper! You can take responsibility by educating yourself and others about these concerns and the options that help address them. Shouting ‘Go Green’ Isn’t Enough Friends: Dig Deeper, Learn…and Teach!

*Note: Jeff Salisbury (that’s me) is President of Label Impressions, Inc. and has worked with Natural Source Printing, Inc. on the development of FiberStone(TM) Label Paper for the past eighteen months. While I would appreciate it if you would visit our websites and use one or both companies for your green labels and packaging, this article is primarily intended to verify awareness of the ‘other’ green issues. I just got tired of hearing and seeing ‘Printed on recycled paper’ everywhere and decided it was time for a ‘call to action’. Thanks for listening and commenting! You can contact me directly at: [email protected]