Europeans use four times more paper than the world average, according to Jim Ford, policy director of campaigning group ForestEthics. So when choosing the paper and printer for the job, it is worth checking their green credentials. The most well-known accreditation is ISO 14001, while others include the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and Greenmark.

　　The first thing to note about ISO 14001 is that it is not a set of standards, with accreditation given once certain levels are reached. Instead, it implements a management system for improving a firm’s environmental performance. As a result, two companies can perform at very different levels, yet both hold the same accreditation.

　　The longer an organisation has been accredited, the further it will have progressed.

　　Quality check-ups

　　The process starts with an assessment of the procedures that need to be put in place. Then, about six to 18 months later, the auditors return to check that the things that were supposed to be happening actually are.

　　Once accreditation has been achieved, the auditors revisit the site every six months to ensure progress is being made. ISO 14001 covers areas such as energy (predominantly gas and electricity) and chemicals use, waste management and recycling. CGI’s quality and environment manager, Steve Brinklow, explains that it is as much about raising staff awareness as the changes themselves. “It is a team thing, and making the certificate high profile among the staff,” he says. “It is satisfying seeing people putting things in the right bins, when they wouldn’t have before.”

　　When working in an older site, it can be more difficult to implement energy-reducing policies. Capital based in Londonis lucky enough to have a new site, courtesy of being relocated to make way for the 2012 Olympics. Marketing co-ordinator Mandy Webb says the company’s plant has a ‘very good’ BREAMM rating for features including rainwater harvesting, solar panels and windows that allow natural ventilation.

　　Government recognition

　　It is important to check that a company claiming to have ISO 14001 has been audited by a UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) certified body. UKAS is the only national accreditation body recognised
by the government to assess against international standards.

　　There are several websites dedicated to helping print buyers and designers locate environmentally aware printers and paper merchants, and employ greener print practices. Lovelyasatree.com is aimed at designers, while ppe.net.uk – set up by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth print buyer David Shorto – is for green print buyers. Both sites provide lists of printers and paper merchants with the requisite eco-credentials. Shorto is critical of ISO 14001, as “there is not enough detail” and “it is not about standards, as it focuses on environmental awareness and improvement and companies can be performing on different levels”. But he believes it is by far the best environmental accreditation available.

　　Different printing methods require slightly different considerations. Gravure printing, often used for packaging, requires inks that have a low viscosity. This, in general, means that the inks contain high levels of solvent and are more likely to have a negative impact on the environment.

　　CGI runs a litho and a digital site. Brinklow explains: “With digital, there is really just toner, whereas litho uses all sorts of chemicals. Digital tends to use less energy as well.” However, digital inks are more difficult to remove when the paper is recycled.

　　Finishing techniques

　　Several finishing techniques can also affect a product’s recyclability. Laminated and UV-varnished products cannot always be recycled, so opt for water-based coatings instead. High levels of ink coverage – that is, areas of solid colour, especially dark colours – may render a product unrecyclable, as it will be difficult, and energy intensive, to remove the ink.

　　Designing without bleeds may mean that more pages can be positioned on a sheet, reducing the print run and cost. It will also mean less trimming, thus saving paper and ink. Envelopes with clear windows cannot be recycled in the UK, although cellulose windows are now available, which although not recyclable, are biodegradable. Perfect-bound items are harder to recycle than those that have been saddlestitched or stapled. Of course, the recyclability of a printed product is important only if buyers are prepared to specify recycled stocks. Recycled paper’s popularity is booming, thanks in part to improvements in appearance and texture. Karen Batley, brand manager at Curtis Fine Papers, says: “There remains some misconception in the market as to the performance capabilities of recycled papers.”

　　Green alternative

　　If a job can’t be done on recycled paper, then the green alternative is to use a paper that is FSC Chain of Custody certified. This, according to Brinklow, requires an “audit trail from the forest to the consumer” to ensure the paper has been sourced from sustainably managed forests.

　　Many public bodies and large corporations now insist that printers and paper suppliers are ISO 14001 accredited, but the reasons are more than just altruism, according to Williams Lea group environment manager Paul Buchan. “There are good reasons for any business to achieve accreditation, outside of the environmental benefits, in terms of the cost savings from better resource management,” he says.

　　Williams Lea has signed up to the Envirowise chain gang initiative, aimed at encouraging companies to reduce waste in their supply chains. Far from being just a badge, sourcing from an environmentally conscious company can mean they will be working to make you greener, as well as themselves.

　　Mobile phone network O2 approached Williams Lea in 2006 to help it find a solution to meeting its environmental targets. O2 wanted to switch to recycled paper, but in the competitive mobile phone marketplace, it had been put off by fears about quality and cost. Williams Lea sourced a 50% recycled-content paper, which had a better visual quality than its previous marketing material. The switch has diverted more than 1,500 tonnes of paper a year from landfill and into new products.

[时间：2007-11-02  作者：Catherine Dawes  来源：信息中心]