The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner
Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a step back and look at things from the outside. Within the graphics industry we can be proud of the fact that our environmental impact is relatively benign, because we can recycle so much of our consumables and output. Complacency won’t do however. We need to be far more aggressive in understanding our environmental impact and what we can do to become more accountable. What would an outsider see?
We are all aware of the danger that Greenhouse Gases (GHG) pose to the planet and what we should be doing to mitigate them. Managing energy consumption is perhaps the easiest means of mitigation, and manufacturers are actively engaged in making sure that presses and platesetters et al are as energy efficient as possible. We are working on a standard for ISO to calculate the energy usage of digital printing machines. We strive to reduce waste to avoid landfill tax hits and because we understand that waste reduction equates to process efficiency. And process efficiency adds cash to the bottom line. Manufacturers such as Agfa have developed processless plate technologies that not only reduce waste, but that collapse several processes into one. All good. All so smug.
If we take a step back we can see that there is one area where not enough seems to be happening. We don’t hear much about reductions in Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions. VOCs are a nefarious class of chemicals that have a low boiling point, hence the descriptor. These chemicals are included in all sorts of things from plastics to ink, so they are widely used in the graphics trade. We have gone some ways to reduce the use of solvents in inks, for instance with the advent of UV curing inks. We have been less than stellar when it comes to reducing VOCs elsewhere, but this may be because it is harder to cut VOCs in plastics and other materials. Part of the difficulty lies in knowing what the VOC emissions are in the first place, however this is something that can be measured. Knowing the VOCs associated with new equipment installations for instance, is part of ensuring compliance with local environmental rules.
This takes us back to the role of regulation in the graphics business. Chemicals, and their use in products and components, are under constant review, because of their impact on human health and the associated environmental risk. Keeping a step ahead of regulation is why press, ink and consumables technologies must take into account all aspects of environmental impact. Looking from the outside in, GHGs, waste and VOCs mitigation have all got to be part of the design process.
This blog is yours to use if you want, as long as you fully credit the Verdigris supporters who make it possible: Agfa Graphics, Digital Dots, EFI, Fespa, Heidelberg, HP, Kodak, Mondi, Pragati Offset, Ricoh, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.