Green Printing: Perception vs. Reality and the UV Edge

EIS found a corporate neighbor, British Columbia’s Lafarge Cement, to help achieve this goal. This global firm’s BC cement plant is listed as one of the province’s top 10 emitters of carbon dioxide and related gases that are believed to contribute to global warming. This occurs through high-intensity combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, in the process of manufacturing cement.

However, Lafarge discovered that some combustible biomass waste materials could be substituted for coal. This reduces the amount of coal required, coal’s natural undesirable effluent and elimination of a solid waste. The Lafarge kilns burn at such high temperatures that the hazardous emissions from burning printing blankets are avoided and the ash that would otherwise be emitted is captured and used in solid form in the cement itself. With the help of carbon offset funding and through the contributions of companies like Enviro Image Solutions, Lafarge is working on a system to combine a variety of alternative fuels to become integral to its manufacturing process. Process-engineered fuel reduces annual greenhouse gas emissions and prevents the release of methane gas, as organic materials no longer decompose in landfills.

Other “Green” Suppliers

Many other case studies are available. For example, UV lamp manufacturers continue to upgrade their manufacturing process to extend the life on UV lamps, along with providing upgrades and recycling services on the lamp housing units. The printing industry can also expect to see less energy used with UV ink curing in the future.

Printers should insist that their supplier partners prepare news releases about their own internal eco-friendly efforts and improvements, which the printers can pass on to employees and corporate clients to provide proof of the ever changing eco-sensitivity being endorsed by the printing industry. PI