Chinese Developer CRON Reduces Ink Waste to Almost Nothing

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Intelligent resource management is what sustainability is really all about, whether you are a research scientist or a provider of technologies for graphics production. Brainy people keep coming up with new tools to help graphics professionals to improve process control, cut waste and reduce resource usage. Digital printing … Read more

Not So Fantastic Plastic

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Part of Coca-cola’s recent announcement to be more environmentally friendly includes a campaign “to encourage people to recycle and dissuade littering”, said Nick Brown, head of sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners. The company produces over 100 billion plastic bottles per year and is making a massive contribution to … Read more

Closing the circle

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As we all know, process control is fundamental to every aspect of the circular economy. But publishers, printers and all other players in media supply chains can only benefit, if they can work out a solid business model and make money from it. In order to do this … Read more

Going for 100% Renewable Energy

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The splintered nature of modern communications has encouraged ever more people to become eco warriors of one sort or another. But these fragmented efforts are really not much good, because they are largely uncoordinated or aligned. Far better to get the world’s biggest companies to commit to ambitious … Read more

Calculating cost per printed page

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s the thing that appears to matter most for companies considering an investment into digital printing, be they printers or print buyers. It’s the primary reason why offset continues to command such a healthy lead over digital printing. But calculating the cost per printed page is also the … Read more

Beware False Prophets

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When it comes to claims relating to environmental certifications, always question the source. There has been a glut of announcements recently by manufacturers claiming that their products are certified to international standards. One ink company is offering products that meet the Cradle to Cradle standard, a standard which … Read more

Retail Sector Setting the Scene

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Marks & Spencer, a global retailer best known for knickers, socks and divine foods, has recently reported on progress with its Plan A. The 107 environmental commitments enshrined in this plan were originally outlined in 2014, with a goal of achieving them all by 2025. So far 64 … Read more

Pushing Ahead with Deinking

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The work on ISO 21331, the ISO standard for assessing the deinkability potential of printed matter, is mired in industry politics. However the market really doesn’t care a jot and is moving on regardless. This is a problem for the maneuvering politicians in the paper industry because it … Read more

Partnering for the Environment

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Efforts to improve the environmental footprint of print take many forms. However the only ones likely to make a difference generally coincide with commercial interests. Owners of such efforts are in a slippery position in that they potentially lay themselves open to charges of greenwashing and exploitation, no … Read more

Green Marks and Ecolabels

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are plenty of organisations offering to sell you an ecolabel of some description. But many of these are self-certified labels that actually have little meaning. Their adjudicators are happy to take your money, but do little to make any real difference to the environmental impact of products … Read more