Going Green: Questions to Ask Your Printer
Ready to dive, head first, into the waters of sustainable print production? Perhaps you’ve taken a peek at some of the sites provided in “Going Green: 45 Educational Resources” and now you’re eager to take off the arm floaties?
What about your print partners? Are they swimming in the same ocean or are they knee-deep in the cesspool? There was that postcard you received that said “we’re green printers”. That means they’re doing everything they can to provide an eco-friendly product. Right? And, they’re FSC-certified and that’s all that really matters. Right?
Time to throw in the life-preserver? How about a questionnaire, instead? Asking these questions will help you determine how well your print partners REALLY swim in the eco-friendly waters.
Inks & Chemicals
- What is being done to minimize emissions, including VOCs, in your shop?
- How much soy is used in your ink?
- Are your inks nonhazardous or nontoxic?
- Can you provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on your inks?
- Are the cleaning solvents used safe for human health and the environment?
- How are your employees safeguarded from toxicity?
Recycling
- What is the post consumer waste (PCW) content of your primary or house stock?
- Has your shop established a solvent recycling program?
- Describe how and where you dispose of chemicals, solvents and trash?
- Describe how your production methods reduce print overruns, waste allowances, and in-process waste.
- Do you go beyond regulatory requirements?
Internal Programs & Certifications
- Are you FSC- and/or SFI-certified?
- Is your shop ISO 14000-qualified?
- What other certification programs do you take part in?
- Does your organization have a dedicated manager for environmental health and safety?
- Describe any technologies, such as non-process printing plates, remote or soft proofing, etc. that your organization has incorporated into daily practice.
- What is being done to minimize your shops’ energy consumption?
- Does your organization purchase electricity generated from renewable resources?
- If you also manage data files (direct mail processing), what steps have you taken to ensure or assist with list management and data cleansing?
External Programs & Community Involvement
- Describe your organization’s environmental commitment.
- Does your organization’s mission statement include mention of environmental stewardship or corporate responsibility?
- Do you currently have a “green” education program for your customers?
- Describe any additional steps your shop has taken to promote the environment, including community engagement practices?
- Describe any additional eco-friendly practices not already mentioned?
Here’s an idea: Send these questions, along with any others that come to mind, to each of your print partners. Compile the (private) answers together into one spreadsheet to create an at-a-glance reference guide.
Can you think of any other important questions to ask? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.
One more thing: My next “Going Green” post will be all about meandering through the Environmental Certifications maze. If you don’t want to miss it or any others for that matter, connect to The Production Side through the RSS feed or email notifications in the right side-bar.
Photo courtesy PhotoXpress.com
Randy Murray said,
June 2, 2010 at 6:27 am
Great questions.
To this I’ll add my recommendation: show up. Not only is it really interesting to see your work on press, it’s good to check out the plant and see if they really walk the walk.
I’ve been called into approve a job at 2 am more than once . . .
R
Debbie said,
June 2, 2010 at 8:01 pm
I remember one week in particular — it started with a midnight press check in St. Louis, 4 hours of sleep then a flight to Atlanta, more press checks, about 3 more hours of sleep the following night, more press checks and then a flight to Milwaukee with more middle of the night press checks. By the time I finally arrived back in St. Louis I had slept maybe 14 hours in a five-day period. I have more gray hairs now, but loved every minute of it! Good advice, as always, Randy. Thank you.
Mari said,
June 2, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Debbie,
Thanks so much for assembling these questions. You’ve made it easy for print buyers to be conscientious environmentalists. With instigation like this, best practices will more quickly become the norm.
Debbie said,
June 2, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Thank you, Mari, for your kind thoughts. It’s always a pleasure to see your smiling words!
Gary Jones said,
June 2, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Debbie:
One question to include is – Are you SGP Certified?
SGP stands for the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership and you can get more information at http://www.sgppartnership.org.
Debbie said,
June 2, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Great suggestion, Gary! Thank you for taking the time to stop by.
Debbie said,
June 2, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Here are a few more suggestions from my friends on LinkedIn:
1. Do you have a formal envriomental policy?
2. Do you conduct formal environmental audits?
3. What are your year-over-year improvements?
4. Of those things you do, which are done to meet environmental rules and regulations and which go beyond mere compliance?
5. Are they following the AQMD Guidelines?
6. What is their house sheet or favorable sheet that they use most often and where does that Mill get their pulp from?
Ralph said,
June 8, 2010 at 3:03 am
Good stuff. Will have to remember this when its time to get a new printer.
Joe said,
June 12, 2010 at 1:17 pm
All excellent questions. I’ve tacked this up on my board next to my desk!
Debbie said,
June 13, 2010 at 11:22 am
Thank you, Joe. I hope it helps!