No Cop Out

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Well it’s finally over. Despite the ever present risk of abject failure, the twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21) is being hailed as a resounding success. And it is a success, because for the first time we have something approaching global consensus on how to protect the planet … Read more

Mark to Market

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Some very large industry associations are arguing for carbon markets at the COP21 meeting in Paris. The reasons for a global carbon market are compelling, however they tend to be based on a somewhat fragile premise: accountability, according to universal principles. A global carbon pricing model generally assumes … Read more

December in Paris

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner This week and next, Paris is hosting the Conference of the Parties (COP), the governing body of the United Nations Convention Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC). For the graphics industry, interest in it is roughly similar to that of many other sectors: tepid to lukewarm. And yet all … Read more

Top of the Leader Board

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As if the deforestation and corrupt abuses by Asian Pulp & Paper (APP) weren’t bad enough for Indonesia, the country’s recently reached the top of the global warming rankings. Indonesia has achieved this dubious honour in the wake of massive fires that have been burning through great swathes … Read more

Stretching the Boundaries

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Auto Paper Stretch Compensation might not sound desperately exciting, but it can save a lot of waste and cost, especially for packaging production. This new technology from Heidelberg will be shown at drupa next year and although Auto Paper Stretch Compensation isn’t positioned in ecological terms it should … Read more

Chemical Reactions

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner An ongoing European initiative linked to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) directive could spell the end of gravure printing in Europe. REACH requires that manufacturers and importers collect data on the characteristics of the chemicals they use, to be sure they can be safely … Read more

Fresh Air Thinking

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are many ways printers and publishers can improve staff productivity, some more expensive than others. But if you’ve already exhausted the possibilities of dress down Fridays and booze-it-up Wednesdays, try opening the windows and see if it makes a difference to how well people do their jobs. … Read more

Recycling Digital Prints

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the biggest threats to the spread of digital printing methods is concern for the print’s recyclability. In part this is due to scaremongering by vested interests, but printed matter must be deinked if it is to be recycled and some digital printing methods produce prints that … Read more

Environmental Awards for Printers

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Awards are an excellent way of communicating a company’s prowess to customers and prospects. They can be used to celebrate business performance and product quality, and because they are pretty simple to understand, they are a convenient tool for marketers to use. But awards have to be rigorous … Read more

ISO 14001-2015 is Go!

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printers and publishers and everyone in their supply chains have a new version of ISO14001 to grapple with. This is one of the world’s leading standard for Environmental Management Systems and it’s being adopted by all types of organisations.  The rationale for going ISO 14001-2015 is simple: control … Read more