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# Digital Dots and Verdigris

Print, publishing and sustainability

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## Posts

- [Blog](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=43) - This is the latest blog post from Digital Dots and Verdigris.
- [Communication is key](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2193) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sharing information about your sustainability credentials with people who care is a faff. This is mainly because communications is a faff unless you are a marketing whizz or good at public relations. The problem for people who are rubbish at communications is where to start. It’s like when you
- [Standards make a difference](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2189) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability is vital for printing and publishing companies who want to make a difference and thrive. Improving environmental sustainability will also shape economic and societal sustainability. This much we know, but few organisations in our sector are taking an active sustainability lead, especially in the event space. Apart from
- [Textile printing opportunities](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2186) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s being pushed hard and fast by the developer community as a big new market for digital printing. But printing companies have long since embraced direct to garment and direct to fabric printing. Their preferred printing method has, however, generally been screen printing. But digital printing adds a different
- [Progress through partnerships](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2184) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Looking through a list we’ve got of nearly 1300 installations of new kit in the printing sector, a subtle trend becomes clear. Sustainability is increasingly cited as a benefit of new kit, especially over the last couple of years. Sometimes the claims are a bit dodgy, but there’s no
- [Making progress with sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2182) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner How do you know if the printing and publishing industries are getting more sustainable? Well you don’t, because we have no universal metrics or common references. But what we do have is a growing number of tiny little signs of improvement. When taken together they suggest we are indeed
- [Farewell to PFAS](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2180) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The combination of regulatory pressure and customers who want to be able to tell a solid environmental story, drives sustainability in the printing industry. Regulatory pressure recently increased. Under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation more per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are
- [Listen to the bees](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2178) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We all know how important bees are for the planet’s sustainability, but this has to be a first. Paper and packaging company DS Smith is using bees to monitor natural habitats at thirteen of its packaging plants in France. The question is why? DS Smith is a massive company
- [Amolia closing the loop](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2176) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across a company that takes used textiles, including printed ones, and refashions them into new products. Founded by Rikke Thykier and Jamie Harris, Amolia is all about upcycling, using waste as the raw material for new products such as cushions, bags, accessories and even artwork. Amolia
- [Inkish is our new partner](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2173) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are pleased to announce that we are working in partnership with Inkish to spread the sustainability word. Founded in 2014 Inkish is media company dedicated to the printing industry, with outlets across the globe. It delivers stories and content for readers around the world, with critical views and
- [Workflow as a sustainability driver](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2171) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Forever ago when desktop publishing was wreaking havoc across the prepress landscape, the graphics business underwent a massive shift. It was a time when the economics of prepress justified long print runs and a careless attitude to waste. It was a time when the printing and publishing industries were
- [ISO 19311 gets the go ahead](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2162) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner And yet another ISO standard is in the starting gate and ready to run. This one is all about how you can assess the environmental sustainability of your company. It will be a useful tool in conversations with clients who want to know what you are doing to manage
- [The Digital Product Passport explained](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2159) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability legislation coming out of the European Union will have a profound effect on all links in print media supply chains. From books to labels, our industry is sadly not immune to these many and complicated rules. Getting up to speed with their expectations is just as sadly unavoidable;
- [Due diligence systems and why you should care](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2156) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Can you even be bothered to read an explanation of what a Due Diligence System is? You probably think you’ve already got enough admin and systems in place and that a Due Diligence System (DDS) is over the top. You of course have an accounting department and human resources.
- [New generation trade books](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2154) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Over the last twenty years or so a huge and complex ecosystem has grown up for writers. Thanks to prepress and digital printing advances everyone and their dog can claim to be a published author. And sometimes it feels like they do. Traditional publishers are awash with new authors
- [Paper, paper everywhere](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2150) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner According to a recent study by Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) and Heidelberg the future of packaging is paper. Paper’s obviously preferable to plastics from a waste perspective, but paper’s sustainability for packaging may not be as simple as all that. The Future of Packaging 2030 study asserts that
- [Caveat emptor for buyers of printing plates](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2148) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The buying of printing plates used to be a matter of balancing price and quality expectations. The three main players, Agfa now Eco3, Fujifilm and Kodak, catered to a wide range of customers from commercial printing to newspaper printers. They offered, and still do offer, plates of undeniable quality
- [Textile printing could be getting more environmentally accountable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2143) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the world’s worst industries when it comes to negative environmental impacts is the textile business. The sector is notoriously water and energy hungry and it generates an astonishing amount of waste. If you look at primary materials use and greenhouse gas emissions, the textile industry is the
- [It’s getting more serious](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2140) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability could be falling down the business agenda, despite evidence of rising climate change urgency. But commercial and environmental sustainability are intertwined and although some organisations and industry associations have sort of addressed it, action needs to be faster and reach further. The climate emergency is immediate and net
- [Sustainability awards](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2137) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There’s not a subject you can think of that doesn’t have its own magazine or newsletter and set of awards. In the case of sustainability, the printing and publishing industries have plenty to choose from, but probably the most prestigious is the Reuters Global Sustainability Awards. These have been
- [Another first for Flexcel NX](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2134) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ICR Ioannou S.A., based in just outside Athens, Greece has installed a Miraclon Flexcel NX System. Demand is rising in the region for flexographic plates, specifically Flexcel NX, according to Yiannis Ioannou ICR’s managing director. The company is also implementing PureFlexo, described by the Flexographic Technical Association as a
- [How to practise sustainability in your business](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2132) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For many printing and publishing companies it can be hard to know where to start with sustainability policies. As with so many things, understanding the question is actually a lot more stressy than taking action. The most important starting point has to be a complete review of your operations
- [Hierarchies of waste](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2128) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Now there’s a snappy title for you. Why on earth are you reading this? And why on earth am I writing it? Oddly enough the answer to both questions is that hierarchies of waste are important, truly they are. They help you prioritise how to deal with your business’s
- [30 years of thermal imaging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2126) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In 1888 Kodak founder George Eastman said “you press the button, we do the rest.” It may or may not be a philosophy Kodak still follows, but over the last thirty years Kodak engineers have been doing their best to make platesetting easier and more convenient. The box Brownie
- [Sustainability grows through technological progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2124) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Leading Austrian provider of security labels, Securikett, has brought flexo plate production inhouse. The company has installed a Flexcel NX Wide 3548 platesetting system along with a Flexcel NX Ultra 35 Processor. Securikett is a family-owned company which has been in business for over 20 years. They print security
- [Kodak’s 2024 Sustainability Report](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2122) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sadly sustainability reporting is falling down the priority list for many companies. They realise it’s hard, complicated and expensive. They also realise they’ll never be completely squeaky clean in terms of their environmental sustainability. Where’s the surprise in that? Sustainability reporting is inevitably challenging, because sustainability is a complex
- [The European Union's circular economy plan](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2120) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Understanding the basics of what is going on with the European Union’s (EU) circular economy plans is unfortunately a must for printing companies. It’s annoying to have to bother with it, but environmental sustainability is central to the EU’s plans for the future. That sharpens your customers’ focus on
- [Sonora Ultra coming to market](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2118) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Drupa 2024 seems like forever ago, but it has been barely a year since the show’s doors closed. One of the most impressive introductions for environmental sustainability came from Kodak, with its sixth generation Sonora Ultra process-free plate. The environmental sustainability benefits of process free plates is obvious: you
- [The European Union is driving massive sustainability change](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2116) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printers around the world should be paying attention to recent developments in the European Union (EU). This supranational partnership of 27 member states does business in 24 official languages across most of a continent and beyond. Besides the 449 million citizens the EU supports, EU companies do businesses with
- [Be prepared to pay for innovation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2114) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s fair to say that people of a certain age in the printing industry can get a bit confused about software. This is not surprising: software is invisible, it’s something you’re told you have to have if your platesetter is to work efficiently. Software’s vital for your digital press
- [Printed textiles are a growing business](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2112) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There’s lots of excitement about the market for digitally printed textiles. There are plenty of hungry manufacturers keen to talk to printers who want to get into this field. And there is a lot to say for using digital printing systems to print short run textiles. That’s good news.
- [Sustainability and keeping the faith](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2110) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printing is often demonised for taking a heavy toll on the environment, but strictly speaking this is unfair. The misconception is based on perceptions of paper waste, all those images of discarded newspapers floating down city streets. The waste problem is indeed real, but it is incorrect to accuse
- [Sustainability on the edge](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2108) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s a fact that keeping up the enthusiasm for sustainability initiatives can be difficult. It’s not just that there are so many of them or that they are very often so complicated. The difficulty lies in understanding the implementation of clever initiatives and in measuring the results. This is
- [Circular designs in a linear world](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2105) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve been banging on about circularity as a means of mitigating climate change impacts for quite some time now. The truth is that it is very hard to think in a circular way when economies have evolved to be linear. Just trying to write that down is hard. Getting
- [Why some industry associations matter more than others](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2102) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Why this should be the case is unclear, but new industry associations and consortiums are popping up nearly every day. Membership numbers is their life blood, ensuring that the organisation can collect enough in fees to support itself. But the inherent conflict between needing to keep membership fees low
- [Ukrpol Printing Company invests in Flexcel NX Wide](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2100) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The story of Ukrpol is one not just of survival during times of strife. This Ukrainian printing house has, through judicious technology investments, more than thrived since its founding in 1997. Today Ukrpol has over 23,000m2 of production space and employs almost 600 people at its two factories in Stryi,
- [Where there’s muck there’s brass](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2098) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s an old saying, but in this age of resource management and monetisation never has it had such resonance. Even in the graphics sector. The scrap metal business has come a long way since crusty old geezers drove horse drawn carts through the streets calling for scrap. Today’s printing
- [How to assess and report your environmental sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2096) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO’s committee for standards relating to the printing industry has approved a new project supporting the industry’s sustainability. The new work, ISO 19311, provides requirements for sustainability assessment reporting and the idea is to make it easier to evaluate sustainability reports, like for like. Currently it’s almost impossible to
- [Remote support and environmental sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2094) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Automation has been a buzzword in the graphics business for many years. Automated preflight checking, colour management you name it software has it covered. We’ve talked about it a lot, but we haven’t given much attention to the importance of automation in remote hardware support. This goes beyond automatic
- [Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2091) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner What does the European Union’s (EU) Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) mean to you? Your likely answer will probably be, not a lot, but that could be a mistake even if your business is not based in the EU. Much of the printing industry’s output is collateral work
- [Printing is a blindspot](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2088) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As ISO standards writers, it’s always interesting to us to find that lists of industrial sectors rarely include printing. The British Standards Institute (BSI) for instance, boasts of standards for a range of categories but printing is not identified as one. Finding standards such as the ISO 12647 series
- [FESPA and ISO 20121 Sustainable event management certification](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2086) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Management systems standards such as IS0 9001 (Management Systems) and ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems) are amongst the International Standards Organisation’s (ISO) best sellers. But these documents are also the most onerous and demanding for companies going for formal certification. ISO 20121 is for sustainable event management systems. Since
- [The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2084) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sounds gripping and for most printing companies the GRI is just that. Not. But it not being gripping doesn’t mean that the GRI isn’t important, or that it will have no impact on the printing and publishing industries. The organisation behind the initiative is large and well supported and
- [How sustainable are trade shows?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2082) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In the printing and publishing industries, the exhibition business had many years of growth and fat success. We can look back on the glory days of IPEX, Imprinta, Ifra, ANPA, and of course drupa just to name a few. And we can remember their powerful pull on all parts
- [Change your thinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2080) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printing companies, print buyers, print users, all of us are stuck in a sustainability rut. Recent technology advances, mainly in inkjet printing and finishing, follow massive upheavals digital technology has wrought on all three communities, and have made the industry more sustainable. Increased commercial sustainability has definitely driven increased
- [2K/Denmark getting back to basics](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2078) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been a long time since we heard a company talk about typesetting, rather than page layout. However a small Danish company is doing just that, with a view to improving print’s sustainability. 2K/Denmark has not so much developed a new technology. Rather it leverages digital prepress technology to
- [EcoFillX cutting waste during platemaking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2075) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Materials science is one of the most dynamic areas of development for improving print’s environmental sustainability. But it’s a relatively new idea to use software to control the amount of material surface waste generated during plate making. XSYS, a specialist developer of flexo plates, sleeves and adapters, with a
- [20 years of Sonora technology](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2072) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been twenty years since the introduction of Kodak's Sonora plate technology. Two decades during which time the printing industry has undergone massive upheavals. 2004 saw the start of considerable consolidation amongst makers of printing plates, consolidation which continued for many years. Who now remembers Ipagsa or Southern Litho?
- [Where do you start with sustainability? ](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2069) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The basics of what companies in the printing and publishing sectors should be doing to be more sustainable are really not that hard. They’re common sense in many ways, because they are about conserving resources and minimising waste. But they can be easy to overlook if the whole topic
- [Heidelberg has joined the United Nations Global Compact](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2066) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is an initiative launched in 2020 to get corporations around the world to work towards helping improve life on the planet. Participants sign up to a set of ten guiding principles as well as the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The
- [Sustainability at drupa](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2061) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following
- [pre-drupa sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2050) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner I first attended drupa in 1986, when I spent a strange fortnight manning the stand for Seybold Publications. We had three early Macs supplied by Apple; they had 128KB RAM and attracted considerable attention. The sainted (possibly) Andy Tribute was editorial point man and our coverage extended to two
- [Keeping it local](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2047) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for many years now that processless printing plates are the way forward to improve sustainability in the printing business. They are increasingly the preferred option for printing companies keen to cut their carbon footprints, as well as saving time and money. Kodak recently presented some compelling
- [Sustainability under pressure](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2039) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Techology and innovation go hand in glove and with each advance, recycling in the graphics industry gets a little more complex. Sustainability, environmental and commercial, gets equally harder particularly in the context of other business pressures. This being a Drupa year we’re expecting all sorts of new technologies to
- [FESPA’s Print Census](https://digitaldots.info/?p=2030) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability is at the top of the table, according to FESPA’s recently published findings from the latest Print Census. Respondents confirmed that rising sustainability demands are concerning them, along with keeping up with new business models and investment. The survey of 1,778 printing companies from more than 120 countries
- [Doing It](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1162) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been about a month since the COP 21 meeting in Paris came to a close. The agreement adopted is now being drafted into a formal document that will be available in April for countries to sign. 196 countries were involved in drafting the goals for responding to
- [Environmental Laws](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1159) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently received a 43 page document outlining environmental legislation that applies to printing companies. It was for one single country with around 7,000 printing companies! Reading through this lengthy document it becomes clear that legislators are working hard to protect us all from pollution and related nastiness.
- [Stepping Back to Step Forward](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1157) - 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
- [Recycling Paper Cups](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1155) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Reinvention and change and change again. That is what survival comes down to, especially in the graphics industry. James Cropper Paper has been making paper for a global market since 1845 over which period reinvention has been a constant for the company. Their story is not so unique
- [Pushing Forward for Print’s Circular Economy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1153) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Maintaining momentum for any project is a lot of the battle for success. And the bolder the idea, the harder it gets to keep the energy coming. It’s hard with lofty ideas such as the Circular Economy, which aims to reshape business models so that we stop trashing
- [Curious Sustainability Messaging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1151) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At a recent drupa press event previewing new announcements for the show, the sustainability messaging was curious. Messe Düsseldorf, the exhibition’s organisers, failed to mention the environment in their opening remarks, deferring instead to the exhibitors. Fortunately the exhibitors participating in the press conference had a lot so
- [Digital Press Energy Usage Standard](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1149) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO TC130 WG11, the committee and working group responsible for the environmental impact of print, want your help. We are working on a new standard for measuring the amount of energy a digital press uses. This document is an important and necessary companion to ISO 16759, which outlines
- [Partners in Sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1147) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If you are serious about improving your environmental impact, partnership may be the way to go. It can even have additional unexpected benefits for your business, unrelated to the main project. Partnering works not just between developers, but also across the developer/customer divide. Toray and Seacourt Printing, a
- [Gathering Carbon Footprint Data](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1145) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At HP’s recent pre-drupa press conference in Israel a colleague asked how we can trust the accuracy of carbon footprint calculations. We were discussing HP’s commitment to doing full Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) for its Indigo digital presses, so that the associated CO2 can be offset. How far
- [Colour Me Rainbow](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1143) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Well how bored are we all with colour management? Marginally bored? Slightly bored? Very bored? Bordering suicidally bored? We are all somewhere on the spectrum, as it were, to some extent ranging from say pale yellow to pale purple. But boring as it may be colour management is
- [Sustainability at drupa](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1141) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The industry’s mega show is an all consuming beast that is already exhausting. There has been an onslaught of previews, announcements and rumour, so much so that we all just want it to be over. Based on what we have heard so far, drupa 2016 will not be
- [Do We Need More than ISO 14001?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1139) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If you wanted to put a green label on a printing company, what would you look for? The usual differentiator amongst printers is compliance and ideally formal certification to ISO 14001. Compliance to this environmental management standard is based on a company’s environmental policy and how well the
- [Another Green World](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1137) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It seems like everyone’s at it. Humdinger green plans abound, but some green initiatives are better than others. And some have more credibility than others. The ones that bash paper are the worst. If you read or hear claims that paper’s use is responsible for the mass destruction
- [Sustainable by Design](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1135) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We go on a lot about what printers can do to reduce their environmental impact. But we hardly ever mention the contribution graphic designers make to sustainability. As with colour management, a designer’s decisions during the creative stages of a project, can have a profound impact on the
- [Paper Chains](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1133) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’re all familiar with the annual shindig the World Economic Forum (WEF) hosts at Davos in Switzerland. It combines spectacular scenery with spectacular visions for our collective economic future. But we are probably less aware of the regular white papers the WEF puts out. One of their latest
- [Climate scientists and carbon accountants](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1131) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Every week week we get bombarded with new information about the dismal condition of the planet and its inhabitants. But sometimes we come across ideas and initiatives that are actually inspiring. For instance an Egyptian mathematician has told us about his formula for calculating the energy consumed when
- [Getting Eggy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1129) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When we think of the circular economy, hard boiled eggs aren’t necessarily what comes to mind. But they can make an important contribution, particularly when it comes to packaging. Eggs are one of nature’s best examples of effective packaging. Manufactured packaging, mostly using paper and plastics, shares the
- [Energising](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1127) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the recent ISO working group meetings for graphics technology, a new standard was introduced for improving the environmental impact of digital production printing devices. The new standard is closely related to the ISO 20690 document for measuring the energy consumption of this sort of device. However, the
- [Paperlab Update](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1125) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At drupa we were privileged to interview Seiko Epson’s Minoru Usui, CEO and president of the company since 2008. Mr Usui outlined his vision for Epson’s amazing PaperLab technology. PaperLab is an integrated system for producing new paper from waste paper without using water. PaperLab shreds office paper
- [Preparing for drupa 2020](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1123) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Now that drupa 2016’s over, we can start hoping that at drupa 2020 the environmental will be in sharper focus. This year’s organisers missed a great opportunity to take the sustainability lead. Drupa 2016’s attendance and sales numbers show that print is in rude health. Investment into print
- [Environmental policies](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1121) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Changing behaviours is what environmental awareness and regulation is all about. The graphics industry has come a long way as far as sustainability goes, steadily improving its environmental impact for the last few decades. This has mostly been to improve its bottom line, cutting waste and process inefficiencies
- [Waterwash flexo plates](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1119) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke made a bold admission during the company’s drupa press conference. He said that: “the print industry is a dirty industry … one of the things we can do is to clean up the dirty chemicals.” A key technology for achieving this goal is water
- [Green fashion](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1117) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Arguments for using digital technology for textile printing are pretty much the same as for using it in any other print sector. Markets appreciate bespoke short run options, customisation and on demand production. Digital printing cuts waste and improves cost control through inventory minimisation. Collapsing traditional supply chains
- [The Meaning of Life](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1115) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is expensive, takes a long time and can be fiendishly complex. Companies who undertake it generally do so in order to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their product or service. But there are other more nuanced reasons for doing LCA, such as providing proof
- [The Shock of the New](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1113) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Within the graphics industry there are numerous examples of companies’ efforts to improve energy generation and management. And there is ISO 50001, the standard for energy management to which companies such as Agfa and Kodak have certified compliance. But Fujifilm has gone far beyond these efforts at its
- [Sustainability Reporting](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1111) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The graphics industry is massive and yet the number of printing organisations with more than 500 employees is small. This means that very large customers buy their print from a host of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Such organisations tend to be under the radar for most
- [Standards for Sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1109) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’re gearing up for the next round of ISO meetings, including a couple of days devoted to environmental standards. We’re expecting a packed house, with participants from all over the world, so no pressure. Environmental standards are a delicate area, because some powerful vested interests have much to
- [Plastic Dreams](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1107) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Paper is one of the world’s most readily recycled materials. It is based on a renewable resource that aids in the expansion of our planet’s lung capacity. Paper may be our most pervasive substrate, but it is not the only material used in printing and publishing applications. In
- [Data Basis](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1105) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The more we learn about environmental accountability, the more we realise that this is a massively complex topic. Everywhere we see clever ideas for improving the sustainability of the graphics industry, yet equally we see evidence of how far we have yet to go. How we progress as
- [Newspapers and Change](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1103) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Newspaper publishers should be doing much more to counter the perception that print is bad for the environment. Consumers associate printed newspapers with waste, but correcting this impression doesn’t seem to be a priority for the newspaper industry. This has to change, even though publishers may have other
- [An Environmental Declaration for Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1101) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear a lot these days about the circular economy, the idea that basically what goes around as goods and resources comes around as raw materials. The circular economy concept is about using waste as a new raw material or as a component in raw materials, like turning
- [Rwanda and the Montreal Protocol](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1099) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The printing and publishing industries, are just like any other services sector. They are about profit and investments for the future health of individual businesses and of the industry as a whole. But when it comes to the health of the environment, sustainability is just one little fragment
- [Making a Difference with Renewable Energy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1097) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A generous handful of graphics companies are off the grid when it comes to energy. They generally rely on solar power and biomass burners for their electricity and as such are in the vanguard. However they are not alone. A report jointly authored by the World Wildlife Fund
- [Reinventing paper](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1095) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Now does that sound silly or what? As if paper was not always undergoing reinvention, an Israeli technology company is claiming to have reinvented it. The premise is that paper needs to be reinvented, so that it better supports the circular economy. Having got over our initial befuddlement
- [Epson & Oeko-Tex Certification](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1093) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Our industry is seeing massive improvements in ink technologies, especially to suit new print methods and substrates. Technology advances are taking print into all sorts of new applications. One of the most attractive for all concerned is textiles, particularly those produced digitally with devices such as the Epson
- [Environmental Product Declarations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1091) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In the graphics industry, the idea of making Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) is basically an alien concept. But, from printed matter through to the machinery and systems used to produce print media, EPDs are becoming increasingly important to procurement. An EPD is a standardised way of quantifying the
- [ISO 16759 for Textiles](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1089) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When ISO 16759 for calculating the carbon footprint of print media products was under development, we mostly had in mind paper based prints. It is interesting to see this standard being deployed for other types of print media, which is what a Taiwanese supplier of textiles has done.
- [Print for Good for Print’s Future](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1087) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Improving the green credentials of the graphics business can take many forms. Most motivations for doing so are economic rather than philanthropic, however the future of the printing and publishing industries depends on both social and economic improvements. Digital press and print consumables manufacturers such as Agfa, Fujifilm
- [Lean & Green Leaders](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1085) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner With astonishing speed, Ricoh has gone from new entrant to market leader in many areas of the graphics business. It saw a three-fold increase in printing systems turnover between 2003 and 2013, and is the first digital press company to achieve certification to ISO 12647-2, the reference standard
- [Green Prizes for All](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1083) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Environmental awards recognise excellence and raise environmental awareness. They also demonstrate the wider commitment a specific industry sector has to environmental improvement. The WWF Environmental Paper Awards are a special set of prizes for the paper industry to acknowledge continual improvements and in 2016, the WWF recognised 124
- [Giant Strides for Smaller Footprints](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1081) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A major argument for using print instead of e-media, is that print has a one off carbon footprint: you don’t need energy to use it or store its content. In 2015 the online monster that is Google used 5.6 terawatt hours of energy to power its data servers
- [Packaging Technology Cuts Emissions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1079) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner That headline might suggest some major advance in printing methods, or perhaps some clever new substrates. But in fact the way packaging technology can reduce emissions is by taking a machete to waste volumes. There is a lot that can be done in the supply chain to cut
- [Trumping the Paris Agreement](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1077) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There is much anticipation surrounding the new American president and the extent to which his actions match his rhetoric. One especially worrying set of decisions relate to the 45th president’s views on climate change in general and the Paris Climate Agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on
- [Good enough to eat?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1075) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner According to the European Union over fifty percent of all goods in Europe are packaged with plastic. This amounts to 39% of the 57 million tonnes of plastics produced in Europe every year and works out at around 30 kg per person per year. Worldwide the numbers are
- [Prizes for best behaviour](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1073) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Green prizes are an excellent way to encourage improved environmental habits, but in the graphics business we aren’t exactly awash with them. That may be because sponsors find it hard to specify award winning criteria. Or it may be because not enough companies can be bothered to submit
- [PaperLab Arrives!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1071) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Next month CeBit opens its doors in Hannover to an international audience of tech nerds and their followers. Japan will have a big presence at CeBit, showcasing itself as a driving force in the digital transformation. The star attraction for the graphics industry will be PaperLab, Epson’s paper
- [Next generation labeling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1069) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Conventional label printers and sellers of label printing equipment and consumables face yet another existential threat. A new printing technology is being used in various European countries to replace stickers on fruits and vegetables. The technology is a sort of direct to object technique, however this is not
- [Thai Forest Certification Scheme](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1067) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the recent Fespa Asia show in Bangkok, Thailand we learnt more about the Thai Forest Certification Scheme (TFCS). Rungnapa Wattanavichian, manager of the Thailand Forest Certification Council (TFCC) told us that their scheme’s main objective is to protect the forests because “forests give us everything - home,
- [Digital Printing for Packaging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1065) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The job of a package is manifold and yet very simple. A package must protect contents from damage, and provide a barrier between what’s inside and what’s not inside. The contents must stay in the package at all costs and must not become corrupted or otherwise spoiled within
- [Case Getting Louder for ISO 21331](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1063) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve recently been working a lot on ISO 21331, the international standard for assessing the potential deinkability of print. This document is one of several standards under development within ISO to improve the environmental impact and accountability of graphics technology and print. The idea behind ISO 21331 is
- [The Snap, Crackle and Pop of Flexible Packaging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1061) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It is one of the most useful and yet annoying forms of packaging we have. Its useful because it works with all sorts of content types, from clothing to soup. But it’s annoying because most people are confused as to whether a particular piece of flexible plastic packaging
- [A Long Green View](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1059) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Taking the long view can be difficult in business, but it’s especially hard when it comes to sustainability. It’s tempting to look only at one’s own interests, especially for the small and medium sized businesses that make up the bulk of the graphics industry. Most of us are
- [250th Verdigris blog!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1057) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Wow. Hard to get the noggin around the fact that this is the 250th Verdigris environmental blog we’ve written. Over the last five years or so we have covered all manner of environmental matters relevant to the graphics industry. But has it made any difference to the market’s
- [What happens to dead IT?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1055) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We all know what happens to printed paper when it’s sent off for recycling. It either gets burnt or sent for processing into new materials, but when old computers reach end of life, matters are less simple. Reducing the amount of electronic and electrical material that ends up
- [Ignorance and Bamboo](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1053) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s not unusual to encounter examples of environmental ignorance or to hear alarming comments from people who should know better. We experienced both in a recent meeting whilst discussing the need for environmental standards in the graphics industry. We were told in no uncertain terms that environmental science
- [Eco Labels](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1051) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Last time we checked there were almost five hundred different eco labels around the world. Most of them applied to food and coffee, or soil or some such. But a handful, such as the Nordic Swan, apply to any type of business, including the graphics industry. The Nordic
- [FESPA & Green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1049) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Fespa show in Hamburg last week brought together a huge lineup of players. They came from all parts of the sign and display business, including digital wide format and screen printing technology providers and users. The textile printing system makers and buyers were also out in force,
- [Printing Plates Progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1047) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As digital printing keeps up its steady march across the graphics landscape, it’s easy to forget about progress in conventional print. In addition to improvements in makeready times and energy efficiency on press, great strides have been made with consumables, especially printing plate technologies. Most attention gets paid
- [Waste and guilt](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1045) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Guilt is a powerful driver for improving environmental impacts and recycling in particular. The paper industry has done a great job in teaching consumers that paper should not be thrown away, because it can be recycled. They have also done a great job in teaching people that resources
- [Energy Calculations for Digital Presses](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1043) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The problem is not unique to digital presses, but how do you measure energy usage and the overall energy efficiency of a machine? With cars the most usual method is the miles per gallon, or how many litres of fuel it takes to travel 100 kilometres. Just in
- [Dignity in Rags](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1041) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner By all accounts the textile printing business is set to explode, thanks to digital printing technologies. For instance Fibre2fashion, analysts for the fashion industry, reckon that in 2017 the amount of fabric printed digitally will be more than one billion square metres and reach 2.5 billion square metres
- [Digital Media vs Printed Matter](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1039) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Working out if it’s better for the planet to communicate in print, or to do it digitally just got easier, sort of. ISO standards developers working on documents for graphics technologies, have written a document for calculating the carbon footprint of electronic media. ISO 20294 is moving into
- [Green Marks and Ecolabels](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1037) - 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
- [Partnering for the Environment](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1035) - 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
- [Pushing Ahead with Deinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1033) - 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
- [Retail Sector Setting the Scene](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1031) - 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
- [Beware False Prophets](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1029) - 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
- [Calculating cost per printed page](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1027) - 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
- [Going for 100% Renewable Energy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1025) - 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
- [Closing the circle](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1023) - 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
- [Not So Fantastic Plastic](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1021) - 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
- [Chinese Developer CRON Reduces Ink Waste to Almost Nothing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1019) - 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
- [Press Vercors’ Environmentally Friendly Digital Cutting System](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1017) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A small company located in central southeastern France is seeing environmental improvements through the use of a digital cutting system. They’re using it to do specialist cutting on demand for both digital and offset printing workflows. However the Polar digital cutting machine is not the start of Press
- [Print kiosks coming into their own](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1015) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for a couple of years that technology is no longer the primary driver for growth in the graphics industry. Technology is still important, obviously, but these days it is print applications that tend to push innovation the hardest. One such application is the idea of
- [UL Greenguard Certification is Important](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1013) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The wide format digital printing sector has started to focus heavily on textile printing. This is especially true for on demand applications such as printed interiors and disposable or recyclable fashion, which could soon supplant fast fashion as a concept. Textile and packaging printing are the two areas
- [Sustainability reporting on the rise](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1011) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Over the last few years we have seen a steady rise in the number of companies making an effort to report their sustainability credentials. This is an excellent trend, confirming that companies are taking responsibility for environmental impact seriously. Mostly this effort is in response to what shareholders
- [LED Fever](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1009) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Not a week goes by that we don’t hear of another digital printer manufacturer making the switch to LED curing technology for ultra-violet (UV) inks. In the digital printing arena this is most commonly for wide format digital print engines. UV-curable inks stick to pretty much any nonabsorbent
- [Eco-nomy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1007) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The marriage of ecology and economics is becoming increasingly obvious and necessary for business. As a result, developers are constantly moving to offer technologies that reduce product life cycle footprints, as well as perform more efficiently for their customers. In the graphics industry the most obvious example of
- [Why ISO 14001 Matters](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1005) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems) is an ISO bestseller and for good reason. In enshrines good management practises, that help us all to protect the environment, and it makes sure a business meets regulations. But a key principle in this document is that it requires an appreciation of
- [Sustainable Business Models](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1003) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Bankers are not generally thought of as committed tree huggers, but where money is concerned anything is possible. So it is with JPMorgan Chase, a multinational banking monster that is the biggest bank in the USA and the sixth biggest worldwide. It has assets of some US$2.5 trillion
- [Mighty Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1001) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There’s been heightened interest of late in the effectiveness of the printed word. It started with direct mail associations finding higher response rates to print than to electronic equivalents. Printed book sales in developed markets are outpacing e-book sales. And even the newspaper industry is still seeing 60%
- [New Standard Supporting the Environmental Impact of Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=999) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner How do you make an environmental impact declaration for print? And why would you want to? These are questions most printers would prefer not to answer, but the second question is easier than the first: customers. Over the last few years big brands have become increasingly environmentally aware.
- [Recycling Paper Getting Complicated](https://digitaldots.info/?p=997) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the biggest problems for makers of paper based on recycled printed matter is quality, meaning cleanliness. Ensuring that the waste paper entering the recycling stream is sufficiently uncontaminated for use as a raw material for new products is hard. Generally pulp and paper mills rely on
- [All About the Data](https://digitaldots.info/?p=995) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Today’s graphics industry is data driven. From digital prepress through to performance analytics, data is the only way to get accurate printed output and to measure business performance. The need for greater environmental accountability, either voluntary or regulatory, means that we have a new category of data to
- [Sustainability Initiatives](https://digitaldots.info/?p=993) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Another week another sector specific sustainability initiative, this time in the cosmetics business. The Responsible Beauty Initiative (RBI) wants to improve sustainability in that sector along with improving ethical and social performance, focusing on sustainable procurement. At the core of RBI is EcoVadis a provider of supply chain
- [Kodak & Corporate Responsibility](https://digitaldots.info/?p=991) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For Kodak, reborn and re-energised, sustainability in every sense has become the company’s foundation. According to its recently published 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report (CRR), the first since 2013 when the company had just emerged from Chapter 11, Kodak aims to be the leading company for sustainability in the
- [Recycling PET](https://digitaldots.info/?p=989) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Since drupa 2016 and even prior to that show, there has been a lot of interest in packaging printing. Several manufacturers have introduced digital presses for this application, most notable EFI and HP. Printers can be confident that they will have solid support if they decide to get
- [2018 expectations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=987) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner What should the graphics industry expect for 2018? This is easy to answer: more of the same. It would be great to hint at exciting new technologies waiting just around the corner. Or to share with you some amazing new business models for print and publishing. But in
- [Life-cycle environmental impacts](https://digitaldots.info/?p=985) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s hard enough getting to grips with carbon footprinting, but that is only a small part of the environmental impact calculation. In 2018, regulators and shareholders in mature markets are sharpening their focus on the life-cycle environmental impacts of products. This will impact all parts of the graphics
- [Kodak’s KodakOne](https://digitaldots.info/?p=983) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Great news for one of the graphics industry’s best supporters of environmental sustainability. Kodak has entered into a partnership with Wenn Digital to build and launch an image rights management platform for photographers. Wenn is a blockchain developer and the platform Wenn has developed is called KodakOne. The
- [Invisible print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=981) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printing and publishing companies produce media communications. They print books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues, signs and displays and all manner of transactional prints. These are the visible forms of print, but there is plenty of the stuff that can easily be overlooked. This is the print that’s borderline invisible,
- [Product Category Rules for Printers and Publishers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=979) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The importance of and interest in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in the graphics industry is probably nil. At least at the moment. But at some stage graphics professionals, either in the development community or as publishers and content producers, will need to understand their worth. It’s a tad
- [The price of eco printing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=977) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Publishers tend to know what they want to publish, although they may not know how they want it printed. It’s a step too far to care about the production of a book or magazine, when you’re tearing out your hair to get the content and sales projections right.
- [ISO 20690 for Easier Cost of Ownership Calculations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=975) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Equipment buyers these days make their investment decisions based on various criteria. They consider the overall capital cost, the cost of finance, monthly service charges, consumables costs, support and space. They will also try to factor in the energy cost of a piece of kit, if that is
- [Plastic versus paper packaging?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=973) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There is a lot of chat going around as to the negative impact of plastic packaging on the environment. On the one hand there’s eight million tonnes of the stuff floating malignant and unopposed in the oceans. And on the other, plastic is a very effective packaging material,
- [Banning plastic for the good of the environment](https://digitaldots.info/?p=971) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner First China and now Europe are taking big steps to clean up the environment. Their initiatives could create opportunities in the graphics industry, or be another nail in the sector’s coffin. Opportunities are there if brand owners and packaging printers get involved and take the lead in the
- [Look beyond the environmental label](https://digitaldots.info/?p=969) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the most significant labeling schemes in the graphics industry is the Greenguard certification programme for healthy indoor environments. In 2011 this certification was acquired by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global operation and one of the most respected certification bodies in the world. UL now oversees all
- [Kodak’s Sonora Plate Green Leaf award winners leading the way](https://digitaldots.info/?p=967) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Every year Kodak recognises printers around the world for their sustainability progress. To qualify for the Kodak Sonora Plate Green Leaf Award printing companies must use the Kodak Sonora processless plate and manage their businesses in a way that reduces overall environmental impact. In 2017, the fourth year
- [Sustainability auditing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=965) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Doing something to improve the environmental sustainability of your business should be easy, but it can often seem scary. We have found that business owners in the graphics industry generally start with the obvious quick fixes, such as simplifying onsite recycling or switching to LED lighting before often
- [Communications and Energy Demands](https://digitaldots.info/?p=963) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In his Bruno Kessler Lecture last year, Roberto Viola, Director-General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology at the European Commission, said that energy usage by European data centres will grow by 20% by 2020. The calculation is based on figures from 2015 when data centres consumed over 104
- [Cutting insurance costs through certification](https://digitaldots.info/?p=961) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Insurance companies are starting to pay more attention to certifications in the graphics industry. If you can prove that you run your business well, for instance with a certification to ISO 9001 or 14001 management standards, they reckon you are a lower risk outfit. This can mean that
- [Inks Matter](https://digitaldots.info/?p=959) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The packaging industry is ripe for disruption, especially when it comes to inks. The sector’s in the sights of digital press manufacturers, print service providers and print buyers. And consumers want to feel better about using packaging that cannot easily be recycled. They don’t want to be responsible
- [Tax benefits from digital printing investments](https://digitaldots.info/?p=957) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The environmental benefits of digital printing are obvious and broadly recognised. Print buyers and publishers can operate with reduced inventories. Less waste is produced during production and through excess production. With a digital workflow, make readies are faster and direct output means lower consumables and energy usage. The
- [Monitoring sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=955) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It should be a normal expectation that companies would choose to police their own sustainability performance. And yet we still cannot manage to do it on any sort of realistic scale. This is dangerous for the graphics industry, because the alternative is regulation by external entitites. We already
- [Environmental thinking on a bigger scale](https://digitaldots.info/?p=953) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Imagination, ideas and technological innovation are what progress is all about. We care about what we understand, what we know, so we generally focus only on what directly impacts us. It is time for this narrow view to change. When it comes to graphics industry inventions that reduce
- [FSC, PEFC and ISO 38200](https://digitaldots.info/?p=951) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The foresight of both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is to be commended. Both organisations provide Chain of Custody (CoC) certifications for wood and wood-based products (furniture, paper and so on). The two have long been striving to
- [Making textile printing more sustainable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=948) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The history of textile printing is a history of innovation, from transferring colours to substrates with carved woodblocks to digitally printed fabrics. In between such bespoke options are a slew of industrial processes that produce all manner of textiles from linens and curtains through to couture garments and
- [Expanding print’s reach](https://digitaldots.info/?p=946) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Looking at technology and raw materials processing is only part of the graphics industry’s sustainability picture. It’s easy to forget that if people don’t read, we lose whole markets for books, magazines and newspapers both in print and online. In the developed world, it’s easy to take reading
- [Sustainable Business Practices Driving Print Industry Growth](https://digitaldots.info/?p=943) - By Richard Szembrot P.E., Director, Health, Safety, & Environment, Eastman Kodak Company The leader of PwC’s Global Sustainability Services practice, Malcolm Preston, presents arguments we in the commercial printing industry should carefully weigh: Does sustainability represent both measurable risk and opportunity; is it merely irrelevant; or, worse, is it an impediment to growth, productivity and
- [Printing plate price rises](https://digitaldots.info/?p=941) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Agfa and Kodak have recently announced that printing plate prices are to rise by about 10%. It’s just a matter of time before Fujifilm follows suit, even though the company put prices up by some 8% for US customers last December. The reason is that as the global
- [European Union bans single use plastics](https://digitaldots.info/?p=939) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s official (almost). Single use plastics are to be banned in the European Union (EU) by 2019, at least they are where sustainable and affordable alternatives exist. The proposal is still subject to a vote, however if approved, which is likely, it will affect ten such products including
- [Fab India](https://digitaldots.info/?p=937) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Recent government commitments to renewable energy could spell enhanced opportunities for print in India. The print industry everywhere thrives because most of its practitioners are small companies with relatively few employees. They operate in fairly confined, local markets and share with their larger counterparts a dependence on reliably
- [The Sustainability Conversation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=935) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the recent DSCOOP in Vienna, a chatfest for users of HP Indigo technologies, HP and partner conversations were many. Participants were keen and even passionate. to share, confident that they were in the right environment for doing so. It’s not as if people forgot that they were
- [A license to print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=933) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As the graphics industry’s technological infrastructure comes together, brand owners are driving project designers and printing companies more assertively. But brand owners themselves are under pressure: retailers increasingly sell own brand goods, local producers serve slow food markets and upstart entrepreneurs in all sectors chase market share previously
- [Raising sustainability awareness](https://digitaldots.info/?p=931) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Following a recent argument with a bunch of tenants in a block of flats in Brighton UK, the local municipality removed all recycling facilities except for glass. A building of 40 flats and around 150 people now throw all their cans, paper, board and recyclable plastics into the
- [IKEA and plastic straws](https://digitaldots.info/?p=929) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When big brands start taking action, you know its serious. IKEA and Starbucks recently announced their intentions to do away with plastic straws and this could mark the start of some altogether bolder initiatives. Both companies want to be seen to be doing something about the plastics pollution
- [Modern offset presses need special consideration](https://digitaldots.info/?p=927) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It seems so simple, you invest in new technology that’s got a lower carbon footprint and you’re making a more sustainable choice. And achieving a lower carbon footprint is a lot to do with why companies invest in upgraded digital presses, new computer-to-plate systems and even processless plates,
- [Spreading the sustainability message - Part 1](https://digitaldots.info/?p=925) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve heard it from brands, environmental groups, consumer associations and governments and more recently credit card companies. They are all doing a great job at communicating the need to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions through reduced environmental impacts. But much more could be done and we see a
- [Spreading the sustainability message - Part 2](https://digitaldots.info/?p=923) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner This is the second part of a short series to provide industry associations with some basic ideas for how to encourage sustainability awareness amongst memberships. Environmental sustainability is becoming cool again as named brands, consumer associations, hotels and even banks start following the leads of governments and environmental
- [Spreading the sustainability message - Part 3](https://digitaldots.info/?p=921) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In our first blog on getting industry associations to encourage wider sustainability awareness, we put the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, at the top of the list. But sector specific environmental impact and sustainability policy statements need much more. Graphic industry sectors such as newspapers, magazines, book and
- [Spreading the sustainability message - Part 4](https://digitaldots.info/?p=919) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner This is the fourth part of a series of blogs suggesting ideas for topics addressed in environmental policy statements. Industry associations serving the needs of journalists, illustrators, designers, authors, publishers, printers and so on are largely passive when it comes to improving environmental impacts. In the previous blogs
- [It’s Still All About the Data](https://digitaldots.info/?p=917) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For many years now the graphics industry has benefited from cloud computing, initially with the Software-as-a-Service model pioneered by Agfa and latterly with a growing range of subscriber based cloud services. Adobe started the cloud ball rolling some years ago with CSS subscriptions and HP has developed the
- [First Certification to ISO 20690 (Determination of the operating power consumption of digital printing devices)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=915) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As certifications go, this is probably not desperately exciting to most people. But to the people behind the document (including me), it is very exciting indeed, especially since SwissQPrint, a leading manufacturer of large format digital printers, has achieved certification within a few months of the document’s publication.
- [Printing Industry’s Association of Australia’s 10 years of environmental and sustainability leadership](https://digitaldots.info/?p=913) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s wonderful to get a response to the Verdigris blogs, especially responses pointing out mistakes. We’ve had a correction relating to the serial rant about how industry associations don’t do enough to support sustainability and the environment, so we’d like to set the record straight. The serial rant
- [Deinking plastics](https://digitaldots.info/?p=911) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Despite all the excitement about cutting out plastic, it’s unrealistic to think that all printed plastics will disappear. However it’s not unrealistic to start thinking about improved collection and recycling models for them. This is a massive problem and one that impacts printers in the packaging and sign
- [Nano particles in inks](https://digitaldots.info/?p=909) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Amazing innovations are going on with inks as the graphics industry works to maintain its competiveness and improve environmental impacts. Nano inks are used for printed electronics, sensors and ceramics printing. For a few years now they have been used for commercial and packaging printing, on the basis
- [Plastics pollution being tackled](https://digitaldots.info/?p=907) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If you’ve got an interest in the packaging business, be that as a manufacturer or converter, you need to know about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new coalition. Launched in 2010, the Ellen MacArther Foundation works with governments, industry and academia to develop an economic framework that is designed
- [Growing momentum for recycling commitments](https://digitaldots.info/?p=905) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Kraft Heinz is the world’s fifth-largest food and beverage company, so it buys an awful lot of print. Recently Kraft Heinz has been paying more attention to its environmental impact, specifically its recycling objectives. Under its new CEO Bernardo Hees, CEO, the company has renewed its sustainability commitments.
- [Unilever and Veolia cooperate to improve recycling infrastructures](https://digitaldots.info/?p=903) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner After so many years of environmental dithering, things are starting to move and change is coming. Unilever, one of the world’s largest corporations has signed an important deal with Veolia. This company provides services to local governments specifically in water, waste, transport and energy management. Unilever, a huge
- [Sustainability messaging part 4](https://digitaldots.info/?p=901) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve not forgotten about our effort to provide a ten point plan for companies and associations who want to be proactive with their sustainability messaging. In the previous blogs we have suggested improving waste management throughout the supply chain. This is a key contributor to reducing environmental impact,
- [Invest in the right printing plate](https://digitaldots.info/?p=899) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s amazing how long it took for computer-to-plate (CtP) technology to become widespread. CtP in prepress has made a huge contribution to improving print’s environmental impact. Going direct to plate and bypassing the film imaging and contacting stages removes processes in printing plate production. CtP had been around
- [ISO 21632 for calculating the energy usage of digital printing devices](https://digitaldots.info/?p=897) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s got a long and clumsy title, but what ISO 21632 (Graphic technology — Determination of the energy consumption of digital printing devices including transitional and related modes) can do for the graphics industry has nothing to do with clumsiness. Far from it. This document will help make
- [Deinking glass](https://digitaldots.info/?p=895) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It takes a million years for glass to biodegrade, so it’s good that we’ve worked out sensible recycling processes for it. However as the packaging industry gets slicker, we need to look more carefully at how we can keep recycling glass, particularly containers, effectively. Digital printing technology is
- [ISO 20294 for calculating the carbon footprint of electronic media](https://digitaldots.info/?p=893) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It probably doesn’t occur to many people that electronic media may have a much larger environmental footprint than print media. How can that be when print is so visibly polluting? Well, it’s a simple calculation because print has a one-off carbon footprint and printed paper can be recycled
- [Blowing in the digital wind](https://digitaldots.info/?p=891) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Electronic media have a heavy carbon footprint because of the energy they require to exist. Unlike physical media digital media only work if there is energy to deliver them. They also need energy to survive, so the emissions associated with electronic media are substantial. This much we know
- [Paper made from grass](https://digitaldots.info/?p=889) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Scheufelen Paper, a leading European maker of coated premium paper products for the graphics business, is developing a new paper based on grass. Scheufelen’s new development has interesting potential as an exciting alternative for packaging, as well as being suitable for graphic papers. In common with most of
- [Message from Katowice and the Conference of the Parties](https://digitaldots.info/?p=887) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s not easy to get worked up about the Conference of the Parties (COP) talkfest that took place recently in Katowice, Poland. But as slow moving and ponderous this annual meeting appears to be, progress to address climate change mitigation is gradually being made. Sadly the graphics industry
- [COP24 Rules of Engagement](https://digitaldots.info/?p=885) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It was probably enough to have one blog on the COP24 climate change conflab recently held in Katowice, Poland. But this is such an important topic that we’re stretching it to one more, to share what is probably the most important outcome. Much of the graphics industry generally
- [Sustainability messaging part V](https://digitaldots.info/?p=883) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We all know that we should be doing more to reduce environmental impacts, but how to go about doing it is not always so simple. In the graphics industry we rely on our industry associations for leadership, but it isn’t easy to lead on a topic like the
- [Is plastic packaging really on the out?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=881) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Plastic packaging is changing at breakneck speed. Reduction in its use is high on the European Union’s (EU) agenda and big brands are looking for alternatives. They need to satisfy environmentally aware shareholders and customers and find alternatives to plastic packaging. But none of the steps taken so
- [Kodak’s Sonora Plate Green Leaf Awards 2018](https://digitaldots.info/?p=879) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Kodak has been running the Sonora Plate Green Leaf Awards for the last six years, despite other distractions and challenges. The awards underscore how seriously Kodak takes it’s environmental commitment and how important it is for this industry to raise its sustainability game. The Sonora Green Leaf awards
- [Apple taking environmental lead](https://digitaldots.info/?p=877) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The graphics industry has had a long and mostly affectionate relationship with Apple Computer. The company’s technology was one of the key foundation stones of the desktop publishing revolution (DTP) in 1984, along with Aldus PageMaker and the Adobe PostScript page description language that is the antecedent of
- [Sustainability by design](https://digitaldots.info/?p=873) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner All the talk about building circular economies can seem very remote from the day to day realities of living life and work’s daily grind. It’s easy to think of creating a circular economy as someone else’s gig. But that is too convenient and ultimately a little lazy because,
- [Digital printing for textiles a bold new future](https://digitaldots.info/?p=875) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Manufacturers of digital printing presses have been eyeing up the textile market for a while. Both direct-to-garment (DtG) printing and the printing of textiles for other purposes have been attracting attention. This makes sense given the range of technologies available and the dynamism in the digital printing business:
- [Paper industry still falling behind](https://digitaldots.info/?p=870) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve been working recently with people from the paper industry and it’s been enlightening. The paper business has a long and lofty history: it’s hundreds of years old; it’s been a terrific earner for its shareholders over the years; and it’s been a success story for most of
- [Is it time to think bigger with eco labelling?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=868) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Circular economies are all well and good, but it takes dialogue at many levels, not least between governments. The urgency of dealing with plastic waste was illustrated in a recent report that a small town in Malaysia has become a primary dumping ground for plastic waste. The place
- [Design with the environment in mind](https://digitaldots.info/?p=866) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A couple of weeks ago we talked about the need for designers to think about the environment when planning media projects. This is especially important in the context of deinking and recycling. But it goes further than thinking about substrates, inks, energy and printing processes. Water solvents, transportation,
- [Plastic recycling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=864) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Packaging printed onLow Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is changing. LDPE is the cheapest and most commonly used recyclable plastic but it takes hundreds of years to biodegrade. This is in part why various packaging print buyers are moving to alternatives and a key candidate is plastics made from potato
- [The Global Sustainability Index](https://digitaldots.info/?p=862) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Corporate Knights is a Canadian research and publishing company dedicated to reporting on sustainable capitalism. Since 2005 it has compiled an annual list of the top one hundred most sustainable companies in the world. Corporate Knight conducts its evaluations independently and companies make no submissions, except to verify
- [Sustainable coffee cups getting more sustainable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=860) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the recent Xeikon Café event in Belgium, on display were samples of single use cups printed on a new plastic free stock. Xeikon announced that it is partnering with Kotkamills, a Finnish company which develops repulpable, recyclable and renewable paperboards for packaging and food service applications. Kotkamills
- [Plastic packaging and recycling too simple a conversation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=858) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The enthusiasm for plastics reuse and recycling initiatives is a step in the right direction, but it overlooks the role of consumers. For most people understanding what can and cannot be recycled is difficult, so perhaps the graphics industry can help. Perhaps plastic materials that can be composted
- [Substrate recycling innovations from print provider](https://digitaldots.info/?p=856) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We tend to expect the makers of substrates to be the ones who come up with affordable and recyclable materials, but Australia’s Cactus Imaging is putting those manufacturers to shame. Cactus Imaging is Australia’s market leader for large format digital print, with extensive international and domestic client bases.
- [Paper industry lagging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=854) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sad to say the paper industry is still one of the world’s top polluters, alongside steel and energy producers. According to the European Union’s (EU) Science hub the sector is still Europe’s fourth largest polluter and yet it could be doing far more to reduce its emissions. Paper
- [Round and round goes plastic and print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=852) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The circular economy is rapidly moving from being the preserve of green activists and investors out into the mainstream. The idea that everything we use should be reused as a new raw material has huge implications for the environment and of course for climate change. But making real
- [European Union Ecolabel getting tighter](https://digitaldots.info/?p=850) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Earlier this year the European Union (EU) published some updates to its ecolabelling criteria. The updates reflect responses to consultations with businesses and other stakeholders, and most of them are pretty unexciting. But there are some points that graphics professionals might want to know about, since these changes
- [Plastics and the circular economy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=848) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner By 2025 the European Union’s (EU) Circular Plastics Alliance expects ten million tonnes of plastic to be recycled every year. To achieve this goal the EU has obtained pledges from some of the world’s biggest print buyers including IKEA and Coca Cola. Longer term, all plastic packaging placed
- [Composting plastic](https://digitaldots.info/?p=846) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve come across a rising number of compostable alternatives to plastic of late. The ideas are heading in the right direction, but there needs to be a lot more thought put into how these materials are handled in the waste stream. Plastics were for decades the answer to
- [Offsetting carbon](https://digitaldots.info/?p=844) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For graphics businesses looking to satisfy their customers’ eco itches, try CarbonCo’s offsetting programme. This organisation works with the World Land Trust to provide money to buy and protect land vulnerable to deforestation. The World Land Trust has Sir David Attenborough as patron and this year celebrates its
- [Danish printing company building a circular economy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=842) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are signs that Circular Economy thinking is gaining traction in the printing business. Since 1997 KLS Pureprint has been striving to become the world’s greenest printing company, with a sustainability ethic based on circular thinking for technology and biology. This strategy has been in place since 1997
- [Ricoh awards sustainability prize](https://digitaldots.info/?p=840) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s surprising that there are so few sustainability prizes that award cash, but Ricoh is leading the way, especially in the USA. Cash prizes for sustainability are a brilliant tool for encouragement and for getting sustainability up the agenda, especially amongst the young. The Ricoh Sustainable Development Award
- [Plastics out at Waitrose](https://digitaldots.info/?p=837) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Waitrose is one of the UK’s posher supermarkets and it has joined the growing list of retailers trialing new approaches to packaging. Part of the commitment is that by 2023 all Waitrose own brand packaging will be reusable, home compostable or recyclable. And there will be no more
- [European Union reclassifying papers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=835) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The European Union (EU) has a special board that, among other things, determines evaluation criteria for the EU Ecolabel for products and services. In January 2019 the outcome of their latest chat was published and makes for interesting reading (yes, really). Instead of having two separate classifications for
- [The beast that is HP Inc.](https://digitaldots.info/?p=833) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner HP Inc is without doubt the biggest player in the graphics industry. Net revenue in 2018 was a cool $58.3 billion. The R&D spend alone for the year was $1.4 billion. As a founding member of the Verdigris project, we are glad to have HP’s support and glad
- [Offset printing and the environment](https://digitaldots.info/?p=831) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve presented at countless industry events around the world where environmental impact and the graphics industry are on the programme. But unfortunately, for the most part the addition of the topic to the agendas has been more about box ticking than intentions to make any real difference. Nothing
- [Processless plates the new reality](https://digitaldots.info/?p=829) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Processless platesetting, makes for more efficient and sustainable production, because it removes the need to chemically remove unexposed plate coatings. It’s a big step forward in making print media production more environmentally friendly, but it has taken a while to gain traction. Early iterations were not entirely processless
- [Unintended consequences](https://digitaldots.info/?p=827) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The graphics industry is at the heart of the recycling industry, but when it comes to environmental accountability, how solid are its credentials? This is an impossible question to answer, but that doesn’t mean we should all give up on trying to answer it or on pursuing a
- [Human health as well as the planet’s](https://digitaldots.info/?p=825) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We worry a lot about the environmental impact of the graphics industry but the health of people working at the job of printing and publishing should also be of concern. Putting in long hours at a computer screen, reading and writing are all stressful and can lead to
- [Environmental impact of digital signs and displays](https://digitaldots.info/?p=823) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Proponents of pretty much all forms of digital communications sincerely believe that they are kinder to the planet than the printed equivalents. They believe it is more efficient and that it does a better job of communicating brand identity. They forget that print’s only carbon footprint is when
- [Workflow and Waste](https://digitaldots.info/?p=821) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When we are out and about working with Digital Dots consulting clients, we spend an inordinate amount of time explaining workflow management. But rarely do clients ask about reducing environmental impact, which can be one of the major outcomes of a well-managed workflow. Not only does an efficient
- [The European Union and Environmental Impact Mitigation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=819) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sitting here in the midst of the Brexit chaos, it is very easy to also get depressed about the slow pace of environmental impact mitigation in the graphics industry. Fortunately the deepening gloom of the Brexit shambles matters little beyond the UK, such is the smallness of our
- [Colour me green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=817) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner These days interest in sustainability and reducing environmental impact appears to be high. At least it is amongst consumers and governments, but although lots of people talk the talk, the number of companies in the graphics industry actually doing anything real is pretty dismal. Even amongst big name
- [Toppan pushing the boundaries](https://digitaldots.info/?p=815) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We all know the advantages of going direct to press for the environment. Direct digital printing requires no intermediate steps to create a printing forme. The print can be produced on demand and benefits from data driven production so variable data is possible and colour quality can be
- [Print the Change cooperative](https://digitaldots.info/?p=813) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A new cooperative for green printing has been set up for sheet fed offset printing companies. The Print the Change cooperative wants to attract organisations keen to turn themselves into more environmentally friendly outfits. At first glance, and in the current eco-aware climate, this looks like a brilliant
- [HP investing more into water based inks](https://digitaldots.info/?p=811) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner HP has announced a $200 million investment into furthering its water based printing technologies for corrugated packaging and textile printing. The money will be spent on digital printing technologies for these applications in order to make them more sustainable. The money will be spent over at least five
- [Recycling times are changing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=809) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Recycling is getting more complicated. Rapid developments in substrate recipes, inks and imaging technologies, render established business models meaningless. Disruption in packaging is turning everyone away from petrochemical based plastics, and paper recycling is becoming immensely confused. Deinking and recycling methods m ust keep pace. Never was that
- [Bottom up progress on climate change mitigation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=807) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been over ten years since we started the Verdigris project to raise environmental awareness within the worldwide graphics industry. In that time there have been sporadic flurries of interest in sustainability from printing companies, but rather more interest has come from their customers, the print buyers. But
- [Processless plate calculator from Kodak](https://digitaldots.info/?p=805) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Switching to processless plates ought to be a no brainer, since they are far kinder to the environment than conventional plates. The decision should be not whether to do it, but whose plates to go for. Agfa, Fujifilm and Kodak are the top developers and manufacturers of this
- [Where do the climate change numbers come from?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=803) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are told with increasing shrillness that something must be done about climate change. And it must, but too often we have dismissed the calls to arms simply because we can. We can hide behind the lazy idea that it’s not as bad as it seems, that someone,
- [Shifting conversations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=801) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We have always been strong supporters of the printing industry and its sustainability. We have encouraged the use of print as a sustainable communications medium because it is mostly based on a renewable resource, paper. It is still highly sustainable as a medium, however it is increasingly clear
- [Printed newspapers inching closer to the exit](https://digitaldots.info/?p=799) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner USA Today is one of that country’s few national newspapers. Others include the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor, but unlike these titles USA Today may be phasing out its printed versions. There are only around 730,000 copies printed for a nation of over 350 million
- [Ink recipes keep evolving](https://digitaldots.info/?p=797) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ink contributes only a miniscule amount to the overall carbon footprint of printed matter. But its use, development, manufacture and removal in readiness for substrate recycling can have a substantial impact. The use part is especially important since it can affect operators’ health and influence other aspects of
- [Process free platesetting continues to advance](https://digitaldots.info/?p=795) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Process free platesetting is the next step in cutting processing steps from print production lines and making them more environmentally sustainable. Going process free does away with the plate processor, chemicals, disposal concerns and of course the man power and time involved in prepress. The main developers of
- [HP Indigo inks are compostable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=793) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner HP Indigo has long been criticised for the tenacity of its inks when it comes to deinking printed matter for recycling. It’s a controversial discussion guaranteed to raise passions, but there are alternatives to deinking digital prints for recycling and one of the latest gaining attention is composting.
- [Print volumes still on the slide](https://digitaldots.info/?p=791) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Newspapers are struggling still as they wrestle with new business models that shift from printed copy sales to digital delivery. The environmental impact of digital media is largely unquantified, but obviously digital media generate emissions throughout their lives. Print on the other hand, has a one-off carbon footprint
- [COP25 What did we learn?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=789) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been a depressing few weeks when it comes to making progress on climate change, for the graphics business as well as everyone else. The recent COP25 was widely panned for the lack of consensus on some pretty basic issues, and for a paucity of outcomes for the
- [The European Union’s Green Deal](https://digitaldots.info/?p=787) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In December 2019, the European Union (EU) announced that it is investing €100 billion to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. By climate-neutral the EU means that emissions will be balanced with the removal of warming gases from the atmosphere. This is an ambitious undertaking. Much
- [Reasons to be cheerful](https://digitaldots.info/?p=785) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Consolidation in the graphics industry has been a fact of life for many years now. It’s tempting to blame the losses on the onslaught of digital media and delivery, despite it’s heavy carbon footprint compared to print. Consolidation is tragic for its many victims and their families, but
- [Microsoft’s bold move](https://digitaldots.info/?p=783) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Everyone in the graphics industry depends on Microsoft and Apple to provide the software infrastructure so vital to prepress and workflows. Apple’s commitment to environmental impact mitigation is extensively publicised but we hear relatively little from Microsoft on the matter. That changed with Microsoft’s recent announcement that it
- [National Development and Reform Commission](https://digitaldots.info/?p=781) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is following the European Union (EU) in committing to phase out single use plastics. The NDRC has announced a number of bans including of plastic bags and a cut of 30% in single use plastics in restaurants by 2025. Hotels must
- [Environmental news for drupa](https://digitaldots.info/?p=779) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Important as they might be to us as individuals, environmental impact mitigation and sustainability concerns have much lower priority when it comes to most businesses. Say what they like, but if supporting environmental initiatives means adding cost or inconvenience, most firms are unlikely to take them up. It’s
- [Drupa 2020 environmental expectations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=777) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s the graphics industry’s most anticipated show. It’s the lynchpin show that has for years dictated research and development schedules, marketing budgets and contract signings. Attendance has been in slow but relentless decline since Drupa’s 1980s heyday, but this does little to diminish the show’s power to focus
- [Eco hype or eco reality?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=775) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Nailing down what makes a system sustainable or not exercises some of the best brains on the planet. Mostly this is in response to the threats of climate change, but the graphics industry’s sustainability credentials are mostly based on responses to existential threats. The industry has been blessed
- [Brand recognition](https://digitaldots.info/?p=773) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s taken a while but interest in calculating the carbon footprint of print is starting to rise. Brand supply teams are finally showing mild engagement with the idea of carbon footprinting their prints, because it could improve production efficiencies and their bottom lines. Fortunately we have ISO 16759
- [More Drupa environmental expectations (not)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=771) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Drupa 2020 is off until April 2021, which hopefully will give the organisers time to rethink their sustainability strategy. The event originally conceived for this year was to have had other priorities than sustainability. The speaker programme includes relatively limited sustainability input, for instance Achim Halpaap, a senior
- [Chromium trioxide in the printing industry](https://digitaldots.info/?p=769) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner According to the European Union’s (EU) REACH legislation, chromium trioxide (CrO3) is a substance of high concern and its use should have been banned by 21 September 2017. However the EU Commission has authorised its continued use because CrO3 has been shown to be indispensable for a number
- [Sonora and sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=767) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Awards for sustainability in the graphics sector are not particularly common, and few have lasted more than a couple of years, despite the industry’s need for positive environmental messaging. But since the inception of the Sonora Plate Green Leaf in 2013 awards Kodak has continued to acknowledge customers
- [Ideas for enhancing sustainability at Drupa 2021](https://digitaldots.info/?p=765) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Now that there is more time to plan the next Drupa, we thought it might be interesting to explore some ideas for what might be interesting environmental impact additions to the show. First off the graphics industry could do with a bit of leadership on the sustainability front.
- [The circular economy and material efficiency](https://digitaldots.info/?p=763) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear a lot about the Circular Economy most of it quite confusing for printing companies and print buyers. However, we recently came across a comprehensive explanation of the Circular Economy and its underlying principles. It was provided by the Advisory Committee on Environmental Aspects (ACEA) which helps
- [Publishers improving sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=761) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The need to solve the sustainability conundrum touches all businesses, including publishing, not least in these challenging times. Major brands such as Penguin Random House (PRH) have implemented sustainability policies, with defined commitments to reducing carbon emissions. Until recently, UK based PRH processed around one million books per
- [Beyond Corona](https://digitaldots.info/?p=759) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Call it denial, call it boredom, call it what you like, but I can’t go on any longer ignoring this global pox. It has struck down too many people, devastated lives, trashed economies everywhere and still it shows only slender signs of abating. The only good news is
- [Flexo on a bender](https://digitaldots.info/?p=757) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Flexography is often considered a sort of industrialised version of letterpress printing, and capable of producing only rudimentary quality. But that hasn’t been true for years. Flexographic printing has evolved considerably over the last few decades and has been quietly stealing market share from gravure, offset and even
- [Nordic Swan for Printers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=755) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ecolabels are a useful way to signal a company’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly business practises. They confirm to customers, shareholders and staff that a company really is committed to managing its environmental impact. And the discipline required to achieve certified compliance with an ecolabel invariably yields
- [Making ecolabels more robust](https://digitaldots.info/?p=753) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently completed a week’s worth of global online meetings, discussing ISO standards for the graphics industry. In many virtual sessions spanning multiple time zones, we looked at everything from the comparative performance of spectrophotometers to managing viewing conditions for soft proofing in modern pressroom environments. In the
- [Wanting and having and keeping](https://digitaldots.info/?p=751) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner With apologies to Jane Austen, it’s a fact universally acknowledged that a single individual in possession of a well padded credit card must be in want of stuff. Especially now in the crippling times of Covid-19 that stuff is often printed books and magazines, and this is a
- [New book supply chains needed](https://digitaldots.info/?p=749) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Improving the carbon footprint of a company is always a work in progress, no matter the size of the business. It’s the same for people. And its the same for supply chains, but that perhaps is the hardest work-in-progress of all because it involves so many vested interests
- [Flint Group going round in circles](https://digitaldots.info/?p=747) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Flint Group has set up a Sustainability Task Force made up of thirteen staff at various locations around the globe. They’re involved in all levels of the Flint Group’s packaging business and are charged with a very special responsibility to support Flint’s future. Flint Group Packaging Inks, one
- [Improving the environmental accountability of textile production](https://digitaldots.info/?p=745) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner This is a massive topic and one that extends far beyond the realms of a humble blog. But it is something we should be thinking about, especially as digital printing system developers are pushing on demand textile production pretty hard these days. The printing of textiles is just
- [Fourteen tips for getting the most out of your ZOOM time](https://digitaldots.info/?p=743) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Now that we are all getting comfortable with using online video software, there are certain do’s and don’t’s that we really should all be following. Online you can find dozens of Zoom etiquette guidelines. They’re couched in earnest helpful tones; they tell you stuff that’s basically obvious, common
- [Heidelberg facing forwards](https://digitaldots.info/?p=741) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Last November Heidelberg started reinventing itself for the digital age. Actually that isn’t quite right. Last November was a turning point because Heidelberg Druckmaschinen’s digital reinvention began earlier. The most visible indicator of that process was the company’s much vaunted relationship with Fujifilm to sell a rebadged version
- [Graphics industry post Covid-19](https://digitaldots.info/?p=739) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sadly we are seeing terrible effects of the Corornavirus crisis on the graphics industry, and clearly we can never expect a return to business as usual. Not a day passes without business failures, collapses, administration proceedings, closures, and the problem seems particularly acute for small businesses. These are
- [Customers starting to really care](https://digitaldots.info/?p=737) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are seeing more and more companies starting to include sustainability as part of their investment decisions. This might be because their customers are asking the question, or because business owners recognise that sustainability in the graphics industry is everyone’s problem. More likely their concern and interest is
- [Diageo’s paper based spirits bottle](https://digitaldots.info/?p=735) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) is rising amongst brands responsible for high packaging volumes. In partnership with Pilot Lite Ventures, Diageo, one of the world’s largest booze brand owners, is developing a plastic-free bottle. The two companies have set up Pulpex to develop and
- [Electric delivers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=733) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For most print companies keen to improve their environmental impact, ideas start with the premises and kit. But we should all be thinking more about transportation’s impact, especially if the delivery fleet is large. Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common and the number of manufacturers is growing. A
- [Burn it or sell it?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=731) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A small cohort of people in the paper business and elsewhere have taken to disparaging recycling. They claim that it is more efficient in terms of environmental impact to incinerate paper waste instead. This is an interesting perception, given the fact that paper can be recycled up to
- [How do you ensure your business is sustainable?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=729) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s quite amazing to see the amounts of litter dropped by people who claim to care about the environment. Packaging waste accounts for most of it and that might be one of the reasons why print gets singled out as being environmentally hostile. Printing companies know that this
- [Processless plates getting standardised](https://digitaldots.info/?p=727) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The rising popularity of processless plates is set to get a boost. The International Standards Organisation (ISO) is working on a document that standardises the evaluation of processless plate characteristics. This will make it easier for customers to judge various performance criteria, enhancing the benefits these plates offer
- [Coming out of Covid not](https://digitaldots.info/?p=725) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Whatever the calculations of governments and citizens around the world, whatever our wishful thinking and convincing denials, we won’t be out of this for a long time. The corona virus and its devastating effects on our economies, businesses and lives is forcing people to rethink how their worlds
- [How to spot greenwashing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=723) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Many graphic arts companies want to do their bit to help mitigate climate change. They might take it really seriously and be ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems) certified, or they might prefer to be a little looser in how they cut carbon and environmental impacts. Either way they
- [Metal printing and decorating](https://digitaldots.info/?p=721) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Along with book printing, packaging is one of the few areas of print that is thriving. Calls for better waste management particularly of plastics and for recycling are getting louder, amid wider concerns over packaging’s overall environmental impact, particularly as it gets more complex. Technology is improving for
- [Plastics replaced with paper](https://digitaldots.info/?p=719) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The oil oligarchy must be getting anxious. Not only are oil prices way down because of the reduction in transportation and the rise in renewable energy, but plastics are being steadily phased out across industries. In the graphics business we are seeing some highly innovative approaches to replacing
- [Online Printers Group goes processless](https://digitaldots.info/?p=679) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The uptake of processless printing plates is finally starting to really gain pace, which is great news for the environment. In the lead is Kodak with over 5,000 sites using its Sonora plate. The company recently got a massive vote of confidence for Sonora X when Online Printers Group
- [Circular economies](https://digitaldots.info/?p=681) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printing plates are made from the purest of pure aluminium. One of the material’s most beneficial properties for a circular economy is that it is infinitely recyclable, with only a minimum loss of properties. This makes it an enabler for a circular economy, especially in the graphics industry. According
- [Miraclon’s PureFlexo making flexography more sustainable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=683) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Miraclon, home of Kodak Flexcel Solutions, has introduced PureFlexo Printing, a next generation technology for flexographic printing. PureFlexo expands the operating scope for flexo. Print providers and their customers now have much more flexibility in choosing printing methods. PureFlexo printing is designed for printing wide web solvent inks on
- [Partnership is the way forward](https://digitaldots.info/?p=685) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are many lessons being learned as the pandemic starts to loosen its grip in developed economies. One of the most important when it comes to sustainability in the graphics industry, is the need for more partnerships. Partnerships in this business come in many shapes and sizes. Agfa has
- [Money’s what I want](https://digitaldots.info/?p=687) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner That line from Randy Newman’s song probably resonates for most graphics businesses, as well as their supply chains. Money is vital to keep businesses going, but it is also coming to the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change. We have long argued that environmental impact mitigation and sustainability
- [Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Banners on their way out](https://digitaldots.info/?p=689) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve known for a while that PVC is a seriously uncool material to print on, but there is still an awful lot of it about. Despite the environmental nastiness of PVC, which cannot be recycled, it works extremely well in many print applications mainly because it is cheap. Banners
- [Augmented reality in printed packaging](https://digitaldots.info/?p=691) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A few years ago there was a bit of a buzz around intelligent packaging. The excitement was based on the fact that with the addition of printed electronics and an online connection, packaging and food processing would be revolutionised. Smart packaging would use near-field communications to be more efficient
- [Sustainable textile printing needs a bigger conversation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=693) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The environmental impact of textile production is starting to get more attention. Manufacturers and developers within the graphics industry want to sell digital printing systems for direct-to-garment (DtG) and general textile printing, so they are especially keen. How they frame their messages is tricky though. There is an inherent
- [Textiles & the Circular Economy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=695) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Digital printing of textiles gets a lot of hype these days. Technology developers and service providers alike are searching for the next killer app for digital printing systems. The sustainability of these solutions is touted on the basis that they undermine and essentially subvert traditional printed textile production
- [PrintCYC for plastic films recycling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=697) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Set up in 2019, PrintCYC is an initiative for recycling and processing printed plastic film waste. It has the support of Huber Group, a leading ink manufacturer and numerous other participants in the plastic film supply chain. The group’s goal is to provide cost-effective and useful new materials
- [Ground breaking inkjet printing head](https://digitaldots.info/?p=699) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A revolutionary inkjet printhead under development in the San Fernando Valley, USA is expected to completely upend the graphics industry. It will cut the cost on printed matter dramatically and create unprecedented new business opportunities. The new head, now in beta testing, creates printed matter that is substrate
- [Certification the way forward](https://digitaldots.info/?p=701) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Companies in the graphics industry are not particularly keen on certifications, generally citing cost and hassle as reasons not to bother. This is short sighted because certifications provide various assurances, not least for safety and process reliability and quality assurance. We are seeing a rising number of certifications
- [New recyclable packaging materials](https://digitaldots.info/?p=703) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the biggest difficulties with solving the recycling and pollution problems the graphics industry faces, is where to start. Identifying what’s most important to solve now, what can wait and of course how to solve the problem, as the clock ticks on. Fortunately in our industry inventions
- [Water marking for recycling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=705) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Here’s a clever idea: watermark packaging so that a sorting system can be more accurate and recycling processes more efficient.That’s what AIM, the European Brands Association, is encouraging companies to do. AIM represents manufacturers of branded consumer goods in Europe, and is particularly concerned with matters relating to
- [CELAB-Europe](https://digitaldots.info/?p=707) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner FINAT the association for the self-adhesive label industry in Europe has announced CELAB-Europe. The organisation is a European consortium set up to develop a circular economy business model for self-adhesive label materials in Europe. It was founded by four companies including Arconvert-Ritrama part of the Fedrigoni Group Arconvert-Ritrama,
- [Environmentally friendly electronics?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=709) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Has to be a contradiction in terms, right? Environmentally friendly print might also be a contradiction in terms for many people. There are still far too folk who don’t get that paper is a sustainable resource, or that print has a one time carbon footprint. It’s recyclable and
- [Global Flexo Innovation awards judging underway](https://digitaldots.info/?p=711) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner These awards, perhaps better known as the Kodak Flexcel Awards, have been around for several years. They were established in the tenth anniversary year of the Flexcel NX plate system’s introduction. The idea was, and is, to encourage excellence in flexography. Now under the stewardship of Miraclon, entries
- [Covid-19 collapse](https://digitaldots.info/?p=713) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Thanks to the corona virus there have been many casualities in the graphics industry and its supply chains over the last few months. Companies and individuals are facing enormous change, most of it pretty nasty. From the many staff whom the corona virus has made redundant, to the
- [Drupa drooping and our industry’s sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=715) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner What a year. What a horrible, horrible year. All the uncertainty, the distress, the loss, and the total erosion of the very foundations on which most peoples’ lives are based. Confidence is fragile and the graphics industry, like so many other sectors, faces crisis. But it’s not just
- [Consumer pressure for packaging recyclability works](https://digitaldots.info/?p=717) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Packaging printers are under constant pressure to improve their environmental footprints. But it’s generally the brands who get it in the neck from consumer groups pressuring for change. That is likely to be the case for a while, although it isn’t necessarily a safe assumption to think printing
- [Sustainability through automation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=638) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Kodak recently announced installation of the world’s biggest computer-to-plate system. It’s at WKS Group’s web offset printing site in Essen, Germany and counts as the world’s biggest, because the Magnus Q4800 imagesetter is nearly 19 meters long. Four pallet loading systems each with plates of a different format complete
- [Asian Pulp & Paper still trashing the planet](https://digitaldots.info/?p=640) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been some time since we took a look at Asian Pulp & Paper (APP) and its progress towards improving its enviromental impact. This company is a division of Sina Mas, one of China’s massive conglomerates, and it has been destroying Indonesian ecosystems for many years. In 2020 APP
- [Technology drives progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=642) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Heading into the twilight zone of my career in the graphics industry has lead me to some curious ponderings. Some of them, like the early days working with Apple and Adobe, have been shamelessly nostalgic. But others have been laced with deep frustration. The frustration comes from the fact
- [Improving print’s environmental aspects communications](https://digitaldots.info/?p=644) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Voting is now underway to turn ISO 22067-1 (Requirements for communication of environmental aspects of printed products — Part 1: General printing) into a fully fledged ISO standard. The document is at the Draft International Standard stage and despite none too few rocky moments it has the support of
- [Emissions reductions too often fudged](https://digitaldots.info/?p=646) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The New Climate Institute recently published its Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022. The report assesses “the transparence and integrity of companies’ emission reduction and net-zero targets”. It’s pretty dry reading. It’s findings mostly they remind us of two important facts. First of all there can be no room for
- [The changing face of fashion](https://digitaldots.info/?p=648) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s amazing how many options Print Service Providers have when it comes to business diversification. But perhaps the most risky and revolutionary is the move into bespoke apparel manufacturing. It’s risky because there is no hard evidence that consumers are willing to move en mass away from an environmentally
- [Is paper doomed?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=650) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A belated welcome to 2022 and the year when technology makes possible the synthesising of paper using bacteria and carbon emissions. Not a joke. A company called LanzaTech has announced a deal with IndiTex, one of the world’s clothing giants, to develop a polyester fibre based on bugs and
- [Is Print on Demand Fashion a More Sustainable Model?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=652) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Digital textile production technology developers Kornit Digital has recently published its 2020 Impact and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Report. It finds that the fashion business overproduces by about 30% and is responsible for 20% of global waste water per year. This makes the fashion and textile industries amongst
- [Kodak’s Sustainability Report](https://digitaldots.info/?p=654) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A few years ago, it was tempting to write Kodak off as a spent force. And yet the 130 year old company is still here and its 4300 employees are collectively still making a difference. Not all of those people contribute directly to the graphics industry but amongst the
- [Sustainability begins at home](https://digitaldots.info/?p=656) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability is entering business peoples’ consciousnesses in such a way that they actually invest in it. The environment is slowly rising up the agendas of print service providers and suppliers alike, but it has to be said that the graphics industry has tended more to the green washing than
- [Climate change realities from Epson](https://digitaldots.info/?p=658) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Epson, the Japanese developer and manufacturer of wide format digital printers and other electronic kit, has recently published the results of a global survey, The Climate Reality Barometer survey. It highlights some worrying findings. https://global.epson.com/newsroom/2021/news_20210910.html Epson’s work captures the views and perceptions of 15,264 consumers in Asia, Europe, North and
- [Print associations driving environmental improvements](https://digitaldots.info/?p=660) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Industry associations have a major part to play in driving standardisation and environmental impact improvement. It’s not an easy role to play, given that sustainability comes in many shapes and sizes, just as printing and publishing companies do. Some associations, such as FOGRA in Germany are incredibly active and
- [Designed to be Sustainable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=662) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The ideas behind the Circular Economy aren’t much talked about in the grass roots printing business, but some of the principles are starting to creep into conversations. Three main objectives underpin a circular economy: design products to eliminate waste and pollution; keep products and materials in use for as
- [Green steps](https://digitaldots.info/?p=664) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Almost every day another consulting group starts touting to help printing companies become more environmentally accountable. Offerings range from some sort of sustainability scheme or service, to overpriced environmental consulting. There’s a bandwagon cranking up and lots of people are in line waiting to board. It’s all very entrepreneurial
- [Global Flexo Innovation Awards Pushing Flexo Ahead](https://digitaldots.info/?p=666) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner I recently had the privilege of being one of the judges on the Miraclon Global Flexo Innovation Awards (GFIA). The GFIAs were set up in 2018 as part of the tenth anniversary celebrations for the Kodak Flexcel NX system. They celebrate companies using Flexcel to drive worldwide transformation in
- [Partnering and sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=669) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Partnering is at the heart of sustainability, whether it’s joint projects with customers or in production or in project development. For the most part project development means taking on a technology such as a printing press and helping its developers to refine their invention so that it is fit
- [Kodak Ascending](https://digitaldots.info/?p=671) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At a press conference one year ago Kodak underscored its commitment to digital print media production, restructuring and sustainability. The mantra was repeated recently during the announcement of the Ascend dry ink press, one of this year’s few truly exciting new digital press announcements. In the press conference CEO
- [HP Indigo inks are not compostable](https://digitaldots.info/?p=673) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Last year we wrote in a Verdigris blog that HP Indigo inks are compostable. HP Indigo has since advised us that this is not the case. Although the prints are compostable, the inks are not and this is an important distinction. The inks will eventually biodegrade but biodegradation is
- [Carbon Balanced Printing making progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=675) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been a long and slow slog, but for the Carbon Balanced Printing initiative introduced several years ago, the direction of travel is definitely forwards. The scheme is a mechanism for offsetting annual carbon emissions via the World Land Trust (WLT), an organisation that has been around for some
- [Packaging waste still not sorted](https://digitaldots.info/?p=677) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for several years that technical advances in the graphics industry are giving way to materials innovations. And as packaging moves into pole position as the most dynamic of print applications, developments in this field are becoming more than interesting. Sustainable packaging innovation focuses on a number
- [Welcome](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1743) - Welcome to Verdigris! Verdigris is a project to provide the graphic arts, printing and publishing industries, as well as print buyers, with information about print media’s environmental impact. This is the first of a regular series of articles looking at all things green for printers. If you’re looking for ideas about how to improve your
- [Environmentally aware - Elanders Malmö, Sweden](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1741) - The growing awareness of the need for action against unnecessary use of energy, chemicals and fuel, has spurred both vendors and individual printers within the graphic arts industry to take real action. With around 1500 employees and a turnover of €210m, Elanders is one of the largest printers in Sweden. The company has production centres
- [Sale and Return - Robert Horne Group](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1739) - It’s relatively easy to recycle paper, but what can be done about more complex hard wearing materials such as those commonly used for outdoor signs? Signs for outdoor use are, by their nature, weather resistant and therefore not easily biodegradeable. Yet a great many banners and posters are designed for relatively short term use, and
- [Sustainability in the print industry](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1736) - PrintCity recently published a report on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment, which is available free from the PrintCity website (www.printcity.de). We urge anyone with an interest in print to download it and read it. We also urge readers not to lose hope part way through because although this 24-page report requires some doggedness on the
- [The last resort](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1733) - Carbon offsetting is a major tool in the fight against man-made climate change, yet it is much maligned with some people calling it a permit to pollute. So, what is carbon offsetting, and does it have a part to play in establishing a way for printers to be more environmentally friendly? The basic idea behind
- [Steps on the Carbon Ladder](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1730) - Eco-warriors just love the printing industry: all those dead trees, all those stinking solvents. And because of the high volumes and the fleeting value of their content, newspapers are an especially popular target. After all, newspapers are printed on polluting paper, on massive high-speed, energy-hungry presses. Their distribution relies on extensive heavy duty road and
- [Closing the recycling loop](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1726) - There are a number of myths about recycling that are frequently mistaken for facts, particularly when it comes to paper. The two most common are that using recycled paper saves trees, and that recycling paper is harmful to the environment because of the bleach used to get the ink off, neither of which are true.
- [Implementing a Carbon Strategy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1720) - With money getting tighter, now is a good time to look at ways to cut costs. Fortunately for the planet, going green is a great way to do this, but sometimes it’s easier said than done. One of the largest printers in the UK is St. Ives, with a group turnover of €200 million and
- [Let’s Get Wasted](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1723) - Carbon strategies can come in many shapes and sizes, reflecting different approaches to the challenge of better protecting the environment. For instance, a Ricoh factory located at the heart of the industrial revolution in the UK is a leader in the charge to develop green practices. The Ironbridge Gorge near Telford, in England, is known
- [The GHG Protocol D - what it is and what it means to the printing industry](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1717) - The Greenhouse Gas (or GHG) Protocol is the grandfather of almost all the various greenhouse gas or carbon reporting standards, labels, carbon calculators and other measuring guidance you are likely to come across. So even if you are not familiar with it, it’s very likely that your business is affected by it. Its story started
- [Computer-to-Plate goes green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1714) - Environmental considerations have never played such an important role in CtP. Computer-to-plate has moved a long way in terms of affordability, performance and reliability since the early days. Plate technology has advanced to the point where printers can choose between traditional CtP systems that use chemical development and new chemistry-free technologies. This article looks at
- [In the wash](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1711) - De-inking used paper is a major step towards making recycled paper, but can established de-inking processes keep up with advances in printing technology? There is a generally accepted principle that it is better to recycle as much paper as we can, rather than cutting down trees to make paper from virgin fibres. Recycled paper can
- [The Ultimate Plate](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1708) - We’ve seen processless plates, and plates with low chemistry requirements, but what about a CtP plate with no coating or chemistry whatsoever? Computer to plate production has improved printing’s carbon footprint no end because it does away with film and the associated chemistry. But the recently announced Miracle technology, developed in the UK by JPI,
- [Pulp facts](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1705) - Paper is arguably one of the most useful commodities every invented, one that most of us make use of every day, and yet few people know exactly how paper is manufactured. Since its invention paper has played an essential role in spreading literacy and knowledge, and despite our modern communications technology it is still irreplaceable.
- [Copenhagen Communiqué Signed by PrintCity Alliance](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1702) - The PrintCity Alliance has signed the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change, calling for an ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change that responds credibly to the scale and urgency of the crises facing the world today. The Copenhagen Communiqué (www.copenhagencommunique.com) has been signed by over 800 global companies & organisations, including power conglomerates,
- [Sun Chemical Issues First Report on Sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1700) - Sun Chemical, the world’s leading producer of printing inks and pigments, released its first sustainability report, which provides data-driven performance measurement for seven key sustainability metrics to help customers and consumers understand the company’s environmental footprint. This first-of-its-kind report evaluates data collected since 2005 from approximately 170 Sun Chemical sites in over 25 countries. The
- [Saving money the green way](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1698) - Wyke Printers, a family owned business based in Kingston-upon-Hull, UK, is known throughout the country as one of the leading litho print service providers. The commercial printer, with 65 employees and an annual turnover of £4 million, operates a "no order too big or too small" service and produces a wide range of jobs from
- [Green Grøset Trykk](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1695) - Protecting the environment has to be a top priority for all of us in the printing industry. This much we know, but taking steps to improve how we do business isn’t that simple and is made harder by the ridiculous myth that going green is an expensive proposition. Fortunately a growing number of printing companies
- [Colour Me Carbon](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1691) - What’s the hottest topic in print these days? Judging by the spate of recent announcements, it’s carbon calculators. They’re everywhere, from Google’s calculator and those of NGOs such as the Carbon Trust and Envirowise in the UK, through to energy companies the world round. Even book publishers are getting into the act. For instance, Finnish
- [Verdigris Environmental Awareness Survey will provide real life data for real life business strategies](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1689) - Verdigris, the not-for-profit print environmental research initiative, is inviting print companies around the world to participate in the Verdigris Environmental Awareness survey. The aim of the survey is to better understand and evaluate the strategic motivators and environmental intentions of print companies worldwide. The survey will be repeated annually to track environmental awareness and adoption
- [Two Sides continues to grow and welcomes new members](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1687) - Two Sides, the UK initiative to promote the responsible production of print and paper, today reports the continued growth of its membership and welcomes twelve new members to its campaign. Aimed at promoting awareness of the sustainability of print and paper as a 'Renewable, Recyclable and Powerful' medium, Two Sides was launched in September 2009
- [Presstek supporting The Verdigris Project](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1685) - Presstek, providers of high-quality, fully-integrated digital offset printing solutions and services, has joined the Verdigris Project as an associate member. Verdigris is the printing industry's only international not-for-profit environmental research initiative. "Presstek is supporting the Verdigris Project because it can help printers to improve their carbon footprint," says Brian Wolfenden, Director of Marketing Communications at
- [Classic Printers stays clean and green with Fujifilm Brillia HD PRO-V plates](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1683) - One of the largest commercial printers in Peterborough, Classic Printers has spent the last year ensuring that its offering gives customers one of the 'greenest' experiences possible, with its most recent investment being low chemistry Brillia HD PRO-V plates from Fujifilm. John Taylor, managing director at Classic Printers, comments, "We feel it is our responsibility
- [Successful PrintCity Munich Workshop - Carbon Footprint & Energy Efficiency](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1681) - The PrintCity Alliance completed a successful first Graphic Industry Supply Chain Workshop on the subject Carbon Footprint & Energy Efficiency during February 2010 in Munich. The keynote speaker was Gary Marshall from the UK printing group Polestar, an early adopter of a proactive carbon and energy reduction programme. “We must look at the whole picture
- [Paper Tigers Hear Them Roar](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1678) - Can it really be true, as so many tree huggers believe, that pulp and paper production are major contributors to global warming? At a UN conference in 1987, sustainability was defined as developments that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. This roughly means that we should look
- [Bekaert launches Ecobind® - 100% natural, C02 neutral coating for book binding wire](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1676) - Businesses and consumers can now use more eco-friendly stationery thanks to the launch of Ecobind®. This coloured eco-friendly coating is made from the so-called ‘green polymer’, which means it is completely derived from natural resources, compostable and CO2 neutral. Ecobind® coating for bookbinding wire is the ideal complement to environmentally sound stationery, such as- exercise
- [FINAT and other global label associations unite on environment and sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1673) - Following the recently announced intensified collaboration, the leaders the world’s label industry associations (*) held their second summit at the FINAT Technical Seminar in Barcelona early this month. As a result of this meeting they unite in endorsing the industry’s commitment to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future. They also wish to support the
- [Environmental Impact: PrintCity Alliance GREEN theme at Ipex](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1670) - PrintCity Alliance members Leonhard Kurz, manroland, MEGTEC, Merck, Océ, Sappi, Tolerans, UPM and Weilburger Graphics are exhibiting at Ipex 2010, focusing on three leading ‘themes’ PRINT: LEAN.GREEN.SEEN. Of these three hot topics, ‘GREEN’ is possibly the issue most talked about, but least fully understood by many in our industry. Since 2008 the PrintCity Alliance has
- [DPDA Research Confirms Successful Deinking of Inkjet Printed Paper](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1668) - The Digital Print Deinking Alliance (DPDA) shared the first of a series of scientific research investigations into the deinkability of inkjet printed papers at the PTS/CTP Deinking Symposium held in Munich, Germany on April 29, 2010. In a study conducted by Centre Technique du Papier, (CTP) of Grenoble, France, a leading research organization and expert
- [Hug a tree](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1665) - One of the biggest ways in which printers and publishers can make a difference to the environment is through the paper they use. Wood is a renewable resource but some wood is more sustainable than others so responsible sourcing of wood, and by extension paper, can make a big difference. The paper industry relies heavily
- [Just Published: 'Going Green' for Newspaper Publishers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1662) - A new report that examines the environmental implications of 'green' strategies for newspaper companies has just been published by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Going Green, from the WAN-IFRA Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, studies the impact of the daily newspaper business on the environment, from electricity consumption to
- [Successful first IPEX 2010 for Bekaert's green book binding solutions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1660) - With eco-friendly alternatives, a colourful range and glow in the dark coated book binding wires- Bekaert participated for the first time ever in Europe’s largest English-speaking printing event - IPEX 2010, Birmingham, UK. The positive and responsive feedback from visiting customers has generated a lot of sales leads and idea pitches for the future. With
- [Making A Good Impression](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1657) - Print buyers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of print. For the most part they understand that print is a more sustainable option than electronic media, but how do they decide which printing method to use? Is conventional offset more environmentally friendly than digital printing? Or is it the other way around? A
- [Epson Releases Sustainability Report 2010](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1655) - Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson", TSE: 6724) today released its Sustainability Report 2010, detailing the business, environmental and CSR initiatives undertaken by the Epson Group in fiscal 2009 (April 2009 - March 2010) as it works toward becoming a truly sustainable enterprise. This year's Sustainability Report contains two feature sections detailing how Epson aims to achieve
- [Staying dry](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1652) - Although waterless printing has been around for a while, it’s mostly been seen as a niche technology, but thanks to greater awareness of environmental issues, more printers are now looking at going waterless Ask a printer about consumables and they’ll mention things like inks, paper and plates, but conventional printing presses use an enormous amount
- [PrintCity Alliance prepares to publish Carbon & Energy Reduction report in early 2011](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1650) - PrintCity Alliance members are preparing to publish their latest environmental and energy report Carbon & Energy Reduction for the Graphics Industry Value Chain in early 2011. This follows two years of research and ‘connection of competence’ knowledge sharing between members, partners plus external research and academic organisations. The purpose of this new PrintCity 36-page guide
- [Lifetime analysis](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1647) - Printers are feeling the pressure from their customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their own production, but how can they account for the environmental impact in manufacturing their printing presses? The discipline of Life Cycle Assessment is coming to the printing industry, albeit slowly. It’s a necessary step if the industry wants its environmental
- [Environmental Survey Results](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1644) - At the beginning of the year as part of the Verdigris project, we published an online survey. The purpose of this survey was to learn more about the strategic motivators and environmental intentions of printers and their customers. We were looking for insights into sharing best practice, and had hoped to get a better idea
- [Cancun Communiqué Signed by PrintCity Alliance](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1642) - The PrintCity Alliance has signed the Cancun Communiqué on Climate Change, following its support for the Copenhagen Communiqué in 2009. The Cancun Communiqué (www.cancuncommunique.com) is being signed by a wide range of individual businesses and organisations, including the PrintCity Alliance, to help lobby for an agreed worldwide plan on climate change. PrintCity Alliance members focus
- [Epson Again Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Indicies](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1640) - Seiko Epson Corporation® ("Epson", TSE: 6724) has been selected for the third time as a component company of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific), both leading indicators for socially responsible investment (SRI). The international stock indices, jointly developed by the American company
- [Print Industry Encouraged to Take Part in Developing Environmental Standards](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1638) - The International Standards Organization (ISO) technical committee 130 (TC 130) has recently launched a new Working Group (WG) WG11 to develop a set of standards to cover the environmental impact of print. The Group's remit is closely aligned with those of the Verdigris Project, the not-for-profit print environmental research initiative, run by Digital Dots. WG11
- [Deal or No Deal?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1635) - We recently participated in a climate change event sponsored by HRH the Prince of Wales’ Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. Apart from being completely baffled as to why we were invited, we were even more shocked that not a single printer or publisher was present amongst 200 business leaders. How can this industry hold
- [Right of bills](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1632) - Should a state intervene to decide the format of the invoices that companies issue to their customers? At the beginning of December last year the European Commission issued a communication called Reaping the Benefits of Electronic Invoicing for Europe. Electronic invoicing is part of the Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe which assumes a single digital
- [Pulp Fiction](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1629) - The ability to deink and recycle paper makes it a very environmentally friendly solution, but will the increasing use of inkjet printers threaten this? Paper accounts for the biggest impact of the printing process on the environment so one of the most obvious ways of reducing that impact is to use recycled paper. This can
- [Verdigris welcomes Pragati as new associate member](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1627) - 3rd May, 2011 – Verdigris, the environmental initiative from Digital Dots, the graphic arts research group, is pleased to welcome Pragati (India and New York) as its latest associate member. Verdigris is a not-for-profit research initiative designed to help printers and their customers understand more about the environmental impact of print media. The goal is
- [Carbon Conundrums](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1624) - PrintCity, the nebulous alliance of industry suppliers offering advice to the industry, has published another of its cross industry special reports. This one is called “Carbon Footprinting & Energy Reduction” and we were flattered to have had the chance to peer review it. We also provided reference material for the authors through the Verdigris project,
- [Sustainable standard](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1621) - It can be hard for individual printers to develop a measurable environmental policy but the forthcoming ISO 16759 should address this. For a growing number of printers, sustainability and working to protect the environment are becoming more important. This is not just because many printing company owners believe in helping the industry to be more
- [Paperback Writers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1618) - HP has recently published the results of its Life Cycle Assessment of different paperback book printing options. The comparative study, “The Environmental Case for Digitally Printed Books”, focuses on the US market but its reasoning is relevant for book markets around the world. The basic conclusion, as you might expect from the title, is that
- [Misconceptions and Myths of Green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1615) - This is the first of a two part Verdigris article examining some of the myths and misconceptions preventing printing companies from adopting a more aggressive environmental strategy for their businesses. There are still many printing business owners who believe that leading the company towards a more environmentally friendly direction is expensive and difficult. Printers want
- [Misconceptions and Myths of Green 2](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1612) - This is the second part of Verdigris’ look at some of the misconceptions and myths of going green. Developing an environmental strategy for a printing business is really no different to developing one for any other kind of business. However the printing industry has been particularly villified by some lobbyists, with the result that many
- [Being green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1609) - We talked to three printers that have put their environmental policy at the heart of their business. Printing, or at least the kind of printing that requires an offset or digital press, is an industrial process. For many people that word industrial means waste and pollution. But those of us working within the print industry
- [Welcome](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1607) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Welcome to our weekly Verdigris blog. This is the first of our blogs about what is going on with the Verdigris project, dealing with matters environmental for the printing industry. As we slide into the last few weeks of the pre drupa madness however, we are all being
- [VITO](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1605) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Agfa Graphics has been working with an independent Flemish institute to find out more about print’s environmental impact, with some interesting results. VITO specialises in research into energy, environment and materials, and has been around for some thirty years. VITO has done a carbon footprint analysis of several
- [Standard Practise & ISO 16759](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1603) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner These days standards govern every part of a successful printer’s life. Many printers choose to gain accreditation because they understand it’s a good way to keep demanding customers happy. Or because they want to measure their business against a set of external metrics. More and more printers are
- [HP Indigo](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1601) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability is the hot term at drupa this week and we are seeing more and more companies jumping on the bandwagon. And not just companies. Industry associations such as the German VDMA are working with their members to measuring the energy usage and CO2 emissions of printing machines.
- [Environmental Leadership in the Printing Industry](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1599) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As drupa winds its way to a grateful close we have been struck by the sheer enormity of the task facing the printing industry, when it comes to reduced environmental impact. If it’s true (and we reckon it is) that climate change can only be mitigated by a
- [Heavy Metal Carbon Calculators](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1597) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The mega traditional press manufacturers such as Heidelberg have been relatively slow to embrace the sustainability message. However, a bit like turning an ocean tanker, once the turn is underway it is slow but it is decisive. So it is with Heidelberg who is investing substantially into carbon
- [Answering Customer Calls for Environmental Accountability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1595) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A lot of big international brands are starting to get heavy about their carbon footprint. BMW for instance has a clear environmental policy and also expects its suppliers to maintain environmental management systems. Printers have been aware of this move amongst the big names for a number of
- [Sustainability Matters at EcoPrint](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1593) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Developing a green economy and making sure that development is sustainable is important for all businesses, including the printing industry. Print is embracing a green agenda not just because printers care about the environment. The sustainability message is a matter of survival for the printing industry in some
- [By the Numbers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1590) - It has taken a long time, but we are finally beginning to see progress in carbon footprint calculations. Two of the leading press manufacturers are now calculating their carbon footprints accurately and accountably. More importantly they appear to be doing so with some consistency. Heidelberg and HP Indigo each have invested substantial sums into this
- [National No Print Day a No Go](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1588) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner How could any company, large or small, possibly be so stupid as to come up with a National No Print Day? And yet that is what Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc., recently planned to do. Their idea drew such opprobrium from the printing industry that they wisely withdrew
- [Hold Your Head Up Mr Printer!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1585) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Toshiba fiasco is behind us but that doesn’t mean we can breathe even a little sigh of relief. The graphic arts industry has an uphill road to climb, if it is going to really be able to change its image. Actually that road isn’t particularly hard or
- [Eco Labels Not the Point](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1582) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ecolabels are a pain. They are generally well-intended, aiming to make life simpler for consumers and provide assurance that a product is environmentally friendly. But really eco labels alone don’t help industry sectors to improve their carbon footprints or environmental impacts. For instance in the US eco labels
- [Inspiring Print is Everywhere](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1580) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Well yes of course it is, but it isn’t often enough that the printing industry itself reminds the world of just how gorgeous print is, as well as its sustainability. At drupa there were many examples of our industry’s environmental friendliness but one of the best was Agfa’s
- [Asian Pulp & Paper versus the World Wildlife Fund](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1577) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There is an terrible war or words going on between APP and the WWF. The fight is about APP’s destruction of Indonesian rain forests to feed their new paper mills in China. The group is a division of Sina Mas a large conglomerate based in Shanghai and which
- [Performance Enhancing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1575) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Olympics motto of faster, higher, stronger has never had the airplay it’s had in this Olympic year. It’s everywhere and, in the UK at least, it’s a risk of becoming noiseless and meaningless. But it’s a motto the printing industry could readily adapt, especially in terms of
- [United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1572) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The United Nations (UN) is even more fond of initials and acronyms than International Standards Organisation (ISO), so it is with a certain degree of weariness that we see yet another truckload heading our way. The latest, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a programme that is meant
- [Carbon Footprinting Walking Wide and Loose](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1568) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the world’s biggest advertising agencies is BBDO, based in New York and the first ad agency to set up its own inhouse printing facility, way back in 1894. FedEx and Gillet are amongst BBDO’s clients and the company boasts some great achievements in its history. One
- [Recycle At Your Cost](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1566) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We all know that recycling is the way to go if we are to preserve our planet’s natural resources. But are we all fully on board with what it will cost to do so? Our concept of commercial success is profit and all too much effort goes into
- [Print Out Your Emails!!!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1564) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner How many times have you seen this silly message: Please consider the environment before printing this email? Even in the printing industry people put this at the bottom of their emails, which is absolutely daft. It effectively confirms an all too common and downright dangerous misconception. The implication
- [Sustainability Becoming a Way of Life](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1562) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It used to be that the market leader in an industry was the company with the biggest market share and the greatest financial clout. But times are changing and sustainability policy is part of the new barometer. Some manufacturers serving the printing and publishing industries have long been
- [EcoPrint Counting Down](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1560) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In a couple of weeks the inaugural EcoPrint show in Berlin will be over. What will it have achieved? Well, we can expect the usual boasts about visitor numbers that exceeded expectations and how everyone at the show was an important decision maker. Blah. Blah. So much so
- [The CEPI Plan for 2050](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1558) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The International Panel on Climate Change states in its fourth assessment report that “a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit”. If
- [Benny & the Jets?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1556) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The indefatigable Benny Landa is on the road to promote his Nanograpic printing technology, an amazing implementation of piezo inkjet. This technology is set (according to Benny) to revolutionise the printing industry, creating a new category of print that has all the benefits of conventional offset, but with
- [Deinking Myths & Magic](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1554) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Let’s be clear: consumers don’t care about how materials get recycled, as long as they can be recycled. The important point for all of us in the printing industry is that anything corrosive to the credibility of printed paper recycling undermines the industry’s longterm survival. Challenging the recyclability
- [Deinking Drama](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1551) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It seems we rather hit a nerve with last week’s blog which isn’t so very surprising. That’s the trouble with blogging: not much room to develop an argument or adequately cover all sides of a problem. The blog’s purpose had been to highlight the dangers of denigrating digital
- [Seven Cardinal Innovations for a Sustainable Planet](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1548) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The graphic arts industry often gets slammed for the waste and excess emissions it generates. Yet the printing industry is already implementing the Seven Cardinal Innovations as outlined by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research. This organisation is heavy on research and academics, but has a proactive engagement
- [The European Union’s Ecolabel](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1546) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner After many years of prognostication the European Union has published its specification for an Ecolabel for products and services, excluding food and pharmaceuticals. This is a voluntary label designed to promote improved environmental performance. The idea is that consumers will choose products and services whose environmental impact on
- [Tiny Steps Turn into Strides](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1544) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For many consumers battling with economic hardship, the environment has fallen down their list of priorities. But businesses seem not to be losing faith in such numbers. Those printing companies who are managing to keep their heads above water, have got the message the reducing environmental impact is
- [A Matter of Policy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1542) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability starts at home but it is surprising how many companies don’t have a company sustainability policy. A sustainability policy is a bit like a mission statement in that it provides a commitment to an ideal or at least to a goal. Like a mission statement though a
- [Slouching Towards Geneva](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1539) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It has been two years since we wrote the first draft of a standard for calculating the carbon footprint of print media. Quite amazingly the standard is in its final phase, prior to publication. It has passed its latest ballot with flying colours and will then be= nipped
- [Print’s Value Ads](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1537) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner According to WAN-Ifra only 2.2% of newspapers’ revenues come from digital platforms, which might come as a surprise to fans of digital media. Why is it that print on paper is still so attractive to advertisers, despite the burgeoning social media numbers? To understand this one has to
- [The EU Wading into Footprinting](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1535) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the recent Carbon Challenge Event sponsored by BSI in London, Dr. Michele Galatola, Product Team Leader, DG Environment, of the European Commission presented plans to “establish a common methodological approach to enable Member States and the private sector to assess, display and benchmark the environmental performance of
- [The IT Game & Counting its Cost](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1533) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Thanks to Agfa for pointing us at a recent article in the New York Times looking at the amount of energy the Internet consumes. Facebook, the main subject of the article, has to support over one billion users so the energy required for its servers is stupendous. So
- [What Happened in Doha?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1531) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner With Kyoto about to expire and the main outcomes of Copenhagen withering, hopes were high for the recently-concluded Doha round of climate change talks. And there were some exciting outcomes. The big news is the “loss and damage” agreement for countries suffering as a result of climate change.
- [Green is the New Black](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1528) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Colour aficionados, Pantone, have announced its colour of the year for 2013, P17-5641 Emerald, described as “a lively, lush, radiant green … sophisticated and luxurious”. Pantone also describe it as “the colour of beauty and new life” and for the graphic arts industry green is an especially poignant
- [Investing for 2013 and Beyond](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1525) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It has been a trying year for most of us. This is mainly because of the difficulties of keeping up with everything, from Fespa, drupa and EcoPrint, through to the daily tsunami of news and information hitting us from every direction. It has also been tough because of
- [The European Union’s Eco-Label](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1523) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Regulation, rules and compliance requirements are increasingly tangling businesses up in red tape, despite the efforts of politicians. The latest option for the printing industry to consider is the EU Eco-label, which was launched in August 2012. Thanks to the efforts of Intergraf, the European association of printing
- [The Idiocy of the Paperless 2013 Campaign](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1521) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Greenwashing is bad enough but deliberately attempting to hijack sustainability awareness is downright poisonous. A group of corporations with Google at their head has set up a really stupid campaign. Using an environmental agenda the group is cloaking its need to up revenues through digital process management. They
- [Getting the Go Google-less Message](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1519) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We have had an absolute torrent of response to the Go Google-less idea. The request to the industry to switch search engines from Google to something else has been amazing. The idea was to put pressure on Google in the hope of getting them to reconsider the Paperless
- [The Eco-nomics of Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1516) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There were two very clear themes in the sustainability session at the recent FESPA Global Summit. The most important of these is that environmental sustainability goes hand in hand with business efficiency. Within the Verdigris community we have all known this for some time, so it was great
- [Still a Steep Hill to Climb](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1512) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ricoh has recently published the results of a short survey it conducted at EcoPrint last year in Berlin. This wasn’t a particularly long or detailed project but it provides an interesting snapshot of where we are with sustainability awareness. The respondents were Ricoh customers in 24 countries Europe
- [APP to Halt Clearing of Indonesian Tropical Forests (Again)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1510) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Greenpeace once accused Asian Pulp and Paper (APP) of “pulping the planet” because of APP’s wanton destruction of Indonesian rain forests. But after years of pressure from numerous NGOs including Greenpeace and WWF, things may finally be changing for the better. In June 2012 in response to customer
- [Food for thought](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1507) - Recycling the daily newspaper has, happily, become second nature for most people, as putting rinsed milk bottles out for the milkman was a regular evening task of yesteryear. Since it is expected that newsprint will be disposed of, it is produced from low-grade paper, with bleaching rarely used as in graphic arts and publishing grades.
- [Print on Demand an Expanding Model That’s Good for Green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1505) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the biggest arguments for digital print over its offset equivalents is that digital print can be produced on demand in exceedingly short runs. This saves waste and improves the economics of what makes for cost effective printing. With a fleet of distributed digital presses we can
- [The Mobile Opportunity for Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1503) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The volume of data sent over phone networks is set to overtake the volume of voice within the next few years. This could have significant implications for mobile printing applications. GSMA, the association for the mobile industry, make their prediction based on the huge numbers of mobile devices
- [Regulation Stepping Up](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1501) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner On the 3rd March the European Timber Regulations (EUTR) come into force. EUTR will effect paper providers worldwide, because placing illegal timber or timber products into European Union markets will be a criminal offence. Any organisation that might be affected by the EUTR must put in place procedures
- [A Supply Chain Problem Taxing Our Brains](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1499) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A printing company that wants to improve its environmental footprint can do a lot on their own, but increasingly they want to work with suppliers such as Xeikon or Agfa and others, who are also doing their bit. And so it goes up and down the supply chain,
- [Print to Store](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1497) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We need to change our thinking about print. Yes, it is sustainable, yes it is lovely and yes it is good for the planet. None of this has to change. What has to change is our view of print’s purpose. Most of us tend to think of it
- [eBay Questions the Effectiveness of Digital Advertising](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1495) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printed advertising has been the traditional bedrock of the publishing industry. Without it newspapers and magazines cannot exist, hence the carnage inflicted on those sectors since the advent of internet advertising. However a recent study by eBay* questions the value of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), suggesting that print
- [Slow & Steady Making Progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1493) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Since we started the Verdigris project in 2008, obviously much is different in the printing industry. Five years of economic mess and confusion have forced change on all of us. One of the apparent casualties of the rubbish commercial environment has been environmental impact reduction initiatives. However all
- [ISO 16759 Racing Into the Final Furlong](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1491) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The news that ISO16759 (calculating the carbon footprint of print media) is galloping towards its final furlong prior to publication has caused a flurry of interest. We have recently been contacted by a number of European companies interested to be certified for compliance to this standard. Certification is
- [A New Green Print Certification](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1489) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across a new take on the idea of certified green products. As a rule of thumb we generally don’t go for self-certification, but we make exceptions for ideas that help drive home the importance of environmental impact reduction. Idea Print, a printer in Russia, is
- [Photosynthesis & Bio Batteries](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1487) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For most of us, the idea of using paper for energy is limited to throwing it on the fire and enjoying the warmth. However scientists at Sony Japan are working on a far more interesting development. They have come up with a battery powered by waste paper. Sony’s
- [Taking Another Step Forward with ISO 50001](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1485) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Agfa Graphics has had a sustained commitment to improving its carbon footprint for many years. It has also made considerable efforts to help the industry do so as well, particularly with the Azura line of chemistry-free plates. And we’re proud to say Agfa is one of the Verdigris
- [Tougher Than It Looks](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1483) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When standards makers started working on ISO 16759 for quantifying the carbon footprint of print media, there were two primary reference documents: PAS 2050 and a working draft of what was supposed to become ISO 14067. Both documents were written to help companies quantify and calculate the carbon
- [The Beast that is the European Union’s Eco-Label](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1477) - Introduced on the 16th August 2012, the European Union EcoLabel is a voluntary scheme designed so that consumers can identify products and services that have a reduced environmental impact. The EcoLabel is based on life cycle analysis and is increasingly appearing on products. Most visible are textiles, many of them from India produced for European
- [European Sustainability Simmering for All](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1479) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The European Commission is turning up the heat on its sustainability policies, so the rest of the world should take note since it will affect international trade. We heard about the EU’s Product Carbon Footpring (PCF) and Organisational Carbon Footprint (OCF) earlier this year. Neither are regulations yet
- [ISO 16759 Approved!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1475) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner After what feels like forever but what is really only a couple of years, ISO 16759 (Quantification and communication of the carbon footprint of print media products), has been approved. Yay!! This is very exciting, but it marks only the beginning of an important journey for our industry.
- [Get Your Factories in Shape](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1473) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Energy emissions are obviously fundamental to any carbon footprint calculation, regardless of industry sector. Apart from improving carbon footprint energy management saves money. Manufacturing emissions are generally massive in scale so for the printing and publishing industries it is more than a good idea for manufacturers to promote
- [Newspaper Plant Efficiency](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1471) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Newspapers tell us they have had a rough ride over the last few years, and yet they still manage to turn a tidy profit. So it is good to hear examples of newspaper publishers greening up their acts, even if they are still pretty isolated events. Josef Schließ
- [Going Green in Guandong](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1469) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Shenzhen Polytechnic based in Guandong province in southern China was founded in 1993 and now caters for over 24,000 students. It has multiple colleges and over one thousand courses covering a range of vocational and academic subjects. The School of Media and Communications has 55 professors and a
- [The Economics of Green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1467) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ideals are all well and good but at the end of the day businesses exist to make the money that keeps economies afloat. Carbon calculating and offsetting exist in order to enhance the business. As someone at Mondi’s Green Event said earlier this spring, “green is about being
- [Green the New Gold](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1465) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Fespa opens its doors this week and includes an impressive array of environmental content. For instance, Caldera will be showing an inRIP carbon footprint calculator and there will be a glut of new environmentally friendly, UV curing digital presses on show. Fespa has attracted audiences from all over
- [Be Green to Be Seen](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1463) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Every time we go to a trade show it seems the amount of greenwash sloshing about gets thicker and sloppier. And although it might not seem so, this is a good thing. It’s good because it reflects suppliers’ and manufacturers’ awareness that they need to be green to
- [Getting Uglier in Indonesia](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1461) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Despite protestations to the contrary the steady destruction of Indonesian rain forests continues. A few weeks ago Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), one of Asia’s larger pulp and paper companies requested the FSC to withdraw their Chain of Custody certificates (COC). A COC confirms that wood and
- [ISO Publishes ISO 16759 (Quantifying and calculating the carbon footprint of print)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1459) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Well it has been a rocky road and we met with an awful lot of opposition, but we made it. To all 66 members of Working Group 11, the international band of hardy volunteers who authored ISO 16759 for ISO, thank you for your effort and commitment. Thanks
- [De-inking Innovations](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1457) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It looks like a spelling mistake but adsorption de-inking is real and apparently could be a very effective alternative to flotation de-inking. If it works, adsorption de-inking could be another positive step in the environmental sustainability of the printing and publishing industries. De-inking is one of those touchpaper
- [How Colour & Workflow Management Help Build Sustainable Businesses](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1455) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for years that digital technology has massively revolutionised the prepress industry. But for some printers and publishers of a greenish hue, prepress and digital process management are also tools for reducing their environmental impact. You may wonder, how so? The obvious answer is that digital
- [Sustainability Policies Reaching Far and Wide](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1453) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Companies who reckon that the environment and sustainability are not high on corporate agendas are missing an important trick. Actually there is no trick to it, because sustainability policies add value as well as saving money for the business. According to McKinsey & Co, a consultancy, sustainability is
- [Green Shoots or Are You in the Weeds?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1451) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If you’re in the northern hemisphere, are you enjoying sleepy summer days, when not much seems to be happening? Or perhaps you’re struggling through cold and rain in the southern hemisphere. Either way your business hopefully is part of the busy cohort that is helping to produce signs
- [Taking the IT](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1449) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Getting rid of electronic stuff that is no longer cost effective is a major problem for all users of digital technologies. There are only so many relations on whom you can offload your creaking mobile phones and decrepit laptops. When it comes to bigger kit such as servers
- [Clean Up That Mess!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1447) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When we were living at home with our parents we heard it, and when we have children of our own we speak or even shout it. A messy home is bad enough. But a messy workplace is even worse because it reflects how little a business cares for
- [Ricoh First Company to Attain ISO 16759 Accreditation](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1445) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It is great news to hear that Ricoh has achieved accreditation to ISO 16759 for the Ricoh carbon calculator. ISO 16759 (Communicating and calculating the carbon footprint of print media products) is a framework methodology that provides developers with the information necessary to create sound and reliable carbon
- [WWF’s Living Forests Project](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1443) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printers and publishers are probably not all that fussed about what the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) gets up to, unless it involves commercial projects. However amongst the WWF’s many worthy efforts is the Living Forests Project. It’s interesting for various reasons, not least of which is the fact
- [Take it to the Max](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1439) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There is a fast food burger chain in Sweden that alongside the price and product name states the carbon footprint of each item on its menu. Max Burgers started some fifty years ago and has grown rapidly to have presence in most Swedish cities, trading on its reduced
- [It Goes Deeper than the Label](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1437) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Preparing for LabelExpo, the next big trade show in the graphic arts, one wonders when there will be a label expo that is all about certification labels, especially environmental ones. There are just so many of the blighters. It seems their proliferation these days is mostly about money
- [Trees For Digital Sign & Displays?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1435) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Trees are obviously vital to the printing and publishing industries, but they could well soon be vital in rather unexpected ways. The use of wood as a biomaterial beyond the conventional, is starting to change. For printers and publishers this has some interesting possibilities, ranging from furniture that
- [The Trouble with Labels](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1433) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Labels and packaging are amongst the most vibrant of print sectors, one of the few where the Internet is unable to cannibalise the business. Digital printing technologies are creeping into label and packaging printing, invading traditional domains and creating all sorts of new opportunities. Labels are a growth
- [Preaching Print’s Sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1431) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Preaching to the converted has always seemed a little self-indulgent. And since the converted already agree with you (mostly), what’s the point? In the printing and publishing industries we unfortunately have a fragmented voice, when it comes to teaching print media’s sustainability to markets and consumers. Teaching’s too
- [A Quick (Very Quick) Guide to Environmental Management](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1429) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We get lots of enquiries about the value of standards, and some are easier to answer than others. In the case of environmental management standards a common question is the difference between the Eco Management & Audit Scheme (EMAS) and ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems). There is more
- [Chemical Attractions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1427) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the best television programmes around is a surprising and pretty shocking US offering, Breaking Bad. In one of the programme’s opening scenes the protagonist, a disappointed and downtrodden chemistry teacher, asks his students what chemistry is all about. The answer he gets is, rather obviously, “chemicals”.
- [Environmental PR Fail?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1425) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Dear Sir or Madam, or Dear Laurel the emails from PR companies begin. Then follows a boast of one kind or another. It could be an installation story, a case study, some new technology or information, news about presence at a trade show, or a positive environmental achievement.
- [About Time](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1423) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For those of us who find the concept of patience anathema, progress on sustainability is taking too long. However that sustainability takes time is the reality and is probably a reflection of how hard it is for businesses to shift their thinking. Sustainability progress depends on a cultural
- [Print Saves Trees Campaign](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1421) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across a US industry association representing 350 printers on the midAtlantic coast, campaigning with much the same goals as the Verdigris project. The Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA) “Print Saves Trees” campaign takes as its starting point the debunking of the idea that people
- [Astonishing Uptake of ISO 16759](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1419) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As members of an ISO technical committee we are not allowed to share detailed data on standards uptake. However we can share the fact that response to ISO 16759 for quantifying and calculating the carbon footprint of print media has been astonishing and far beyond our expectations. Strong
- [Deinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1417) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Most people accept that recycling is a good thing. Take paper for instance: in 2011 70% of European waste paper was recycled. Logistics and sorting can be complex, but of equal concern is how waste paper gets prepared for its reincarnation and a new life. The removal of
- [Stepping Up to the Plate](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1415) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Agfa has introduced a new chemistry-free plate, the Azura TU with a tonal range of 1-99% supporting linescreens of up to 240lpi, holding a 20 micron spot and run lengths of up to 150,000. This is quite a leap up in durability so this plate will be attractive
- [A Thing of Beauty is an Ancient Book](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1413) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear a lot about the wonders of digital media and for several years it has had print in a more than mild state of panic. The Bay Psalm Book is just the latest addition to the list of reasons to choose print over electronic media. This slender
- [Paper Tigers Hear them Roar](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1411) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The paper industry has often been the target of chippy greens looking to offload their eco-anger. If past practise is anything to go by, they have some justification, but it is time to start cutting paper companies a lot more slack. Pulp and paper manufacturers have made massive
- [FESPA Sustainability Awards](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1409) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Fespa has added a Sustainability category to its prestigious international awards programme. We are honoured to have been invited to help judge the entries. Judging is always a tricky business, whether its kids at a Pony Club rally or an important industry award. In the case of the
- [2014 Wish List](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1407) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Across the industry, we are all looking forward to writing new stories in 2014, stories that tell of revenue growth and profitability, of new business and rising customer numbers. We all want more engagement and more dialogue with our markets and we all want to see printers and
- [Customers Starting to Care](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1405) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Pushing the value of environmental awareness has been tough over the last forever of business slump and economic drear. But that doesn’t mean the environment has fallen from everyone’s agenda. Kodak and Agfa plus a bevy of their customers have stuck to their eco-guns and their efforts are
- [Awards Idea Looking for a Home](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1403) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner OK so here’s the thing. We would like to see an environmental award initiative for the graphic arts industry that cuts across geographies, technologies and printing sectors. This initiative would include a series of categories that are easy to understand and easy for printers, publishers and manufacturers to
- [Deinking Simmering Along](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1401) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We have had a terrific response to the idea that the industry would benefit from a deinking standard. Some of the response has been very positive, and some has been rather more tempered. Between established approaches such as INGEDE Method 11 and a host of bespoke approaches there
- [Gadgets for Geeks & Printers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1399) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A few weeks ago we got asked by a trade journalist for help with an article, so through slightly gritted teeth we did our best to help the guy meet his deadline. His article was supposed to be a list of gadgets that printers could buy to help
- [Pulp Fiction](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1397) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across an environmental story that is just too good to be true, and yet it is true. It seems that in every mile of the M6 Toll motorway in the UK there are 92,000 pulped copies of Mills & Boon romantic novels. A novel approach
- [PET Peeves](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1395) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Polyethylene terephthalate otherwise known as PET, is used in packaging worldwide and is readily recycled. PET provides the raw material for bottles and containers and for all sorts of food packaging, and can even be used for paper making. But in India there is a bizarre recommendation that
- [April Blooms](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1393) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Hostilities between the WWF and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) are not about to cease, but tensions may be lessening slightly. The WWF has announced that it welcomes APRIL’s recently launched Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP). This policy commits APRIL to forest conservation efforts in “areas equal
- [PET Peeves Revisited](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1391) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the Indian government wanting to ban PET packaging because of concerns about its stability. The blog elicited a surprising number of responses, but one from a Verdigris member, got us thinking more about it. PET containers are recyclable of course,
- [Environmentally Friendly Substrates](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1389) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the biggest concerns with print’s environmental impact is disposing of it when it reaches end of life. Fortunately we have in place robust paper recycling supply chains and there is a thriving industry in paper recovery and reuse. There is a less well developed model for
- [Brought to Book](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1387) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner All the people who chat about print fading away must not haave noticed the rising number of book fairs around the world. The Jaipur Literary Festival is one that springs to mind. It started in 2006 and has grown to be the largest event of its kind. An
- [Alphabet Soup for Print’s Environmental Impact](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1385) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are many things that scientists love, but probably none more so than acronyms and absolutes, such as DC for Direct Current or PDF for Portable Document Format. Neither could be anything else, but even though scientists love to deal in absolutes, environmental science is notoriously inexact. Climate
- [Standards & the Market](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1383) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When ISO 16759 was published in July 2013 expectations were mixed. Would the market really care or was this standard ahead of its time? Given the state of the economy pretty much everywhere, the more realistic expectation was that it would be received to general apathy. Interest in
- [100th Blog & Counting](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1381) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We started the Verdigris blog in 2012 just before a highly successful drupa and here we are with the 100th, just following IPEX. If anyone had ever considered that there was a battle underway between the two exhibitions, it would have to be said that drupa has won
- [More than a Lottery Win](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1379) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In another life I was addicted to horse racing, especially the dangerous jumping variety. As a teenager I imagined someday riding in the Grand National, the world’s greatest steeplechase. Instead I find myself riding in an altogether different kind of race. But there are some curious similarities between
- [Getting Energy Levels Down](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1377) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Understanding technology seems to be much less important than it used to be. Stuff works in our industry because the graphic arts industry has benefited from years of technological innovation, combined with practical experience that has been fed back into research and development for new kit. This is
- [APP Walking the Walk](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1375) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Asian Pulp & Paper (APP) really do seem to be living up to their promises. When they announced their Forest Conservation Policy just over a year ago it had a serious omission: reforestation and conservation plans. This had lead to some voluble criticism from NGOs such as the
- [Game of Rules](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1373) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Much as we would like to believe that people will do the decent thing, it generally takes the rule of law to make them behave. But the global television phenomenon that is Game of Thrones makes it abundantly clear that the rule of law on its own is
- [Environmental Performance Index](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1371) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner An initiative of Yale and Columbia Universities in the USA, the EPI ranks a country’s environmental performance according to how well human health and ecosystems are protected. They use nine criteria including child mortality and access to drinking water, plus twenty additional measures ranging from changes in forest
- [The Politics of Green](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1369) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Election fever all over the world has seen some dramatic results. Moribund governments are getting dumped as voters look to more energetic alternatives in the hope that they can deliver change and growth. Achieving growth while simultaneously improving environmental impacts is the trick new governments all over the
- [Digital Printers & Energy Efficiency](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1367) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs in Germany is funding a new Fogra project to look at the energy efficiency of small and large format digital printers. This project is evaluating different digital printers (excluding textile machines) in order to quantify how much energy they use. Fogra has
- [Brussels Calling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1365) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The European Commission (EC) has sent out a call for ideas for its Horizon 2020 (H2020) work programme, which includes environmental improvement initiatives. H2020 has almost €80 billion of funding available until 2020 for research and innovations intended to keep Europe competitive on the global stage. The H2020
- [Nano Nano](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1363) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Nanotechnology is getting more attention, not just because of Benny Landa’s enthusiasm for it. Nanotechnologies manipulate atoms and molecules on a minute scale and are already used in the graphic arts. Various ink manufacturers use nanoparticles increase the reflectance capacity of their inks for more vibrant colours. But
- [Little by Little, Bit by Bit](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1361) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sjællandske Medier is a Danish newspaper with a quality management strategy that is helping to cut waste and improve its product. This company was founded in 1871 when the British empire was still expanding and when Henry Stanley came across Dr Livingstone, deep in the heart of Africa:
- [Managing Waste and Recycling](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1359) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner You may not be based in the European Union (EU), but you can still benefit from some of its ideas, even the whacky ones. In fact pinching the ideas without being bound by EU implementation and compliance rules is probably a better option for many countries and businesses.
- [ClickTime](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1357) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The argument of print versus digital media is an empty one. Since the first characters were carved into clay and stone, we have expanded our range of media channels in order to improve communications efficiency. The marriage of print and broadcast media has been long, happy and fruitful.
- [Building Data Trails](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1355) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Environmental impact reporting is not yet regulated nor is it common that companies come clean on their vulnerability to green rules. But that is starting to change as regulation and consumer pressures get more onerous. Recently one of the world’s biggest companies, Exxon Mobile, has come under shareholder
- [Making a Difference is Harder than it Looks](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1353) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The first ever United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) recently took place in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. This was a lofty affair, attracting environmental ministers from over 180 countries, plus officials from governments and public bodies, economists and others to talk about saving the planet. Again. Numbering some 1200 people,
- [Fresh Thinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1351) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The ISO committee responsible for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) management and related activities is looking for new blood. They have put out a call to encourage young people to get involved with environmental standards. Called ISO NextGen, the initiative is about encouraging people interested in standards relating to climate
- [Tracking Those Carbon Footprints](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1349) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The ISO committee responsible for greenhouse gas management and related activities has put out an update on ISO TS 14067, the technical specification for calculating the carbon footprint of products and services. This document was used as the starting point for ISO 16759, for calculating the carbon footprint
- [The Future is with the Young](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1347) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Aching limbs and mind, that nagging sense that it might be all over before it’s really begun, and a sense that the future is slipping beyond your control? These might possibly be symptoms of age, but they don’t just plague wrinklies. Young people suffering the stresses of modern
- [Is Packaging Recycling as Environmentally Friendly as it Looks?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1345) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In many economies, curbside recycling is becoming the norm. Actually we can recycle virtually anything: in developed economies technology takes care of it, and elsewhere innovative entrepreneurs do the work. The biggest consideration ought to be the environmental and economic impacts of the recycling process itself. In some
- [Slowly Garrotted with Red Tape](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1343) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Industry everywhere suffers from bureaucracy intended to make life safer, less corrupt and more fair and efficient. The graphic arts industry is not alone in having to cope with excessive, unproductive yet necessary administration and regulatory compliance. In several regions around the world the printing industry must comply
- [The UN’s Corporate Sustainability Report 2013](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1341) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Nearly 8,000 small, medium and large companies, including printers and publishers from 140 countries have signed up to the UN’s Global Compact, ten principles which cover human rights, labour, anticorruption and of course the environment. Principle 7 says that businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
- [Books on the Rise](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1339) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Books are surely one of life’s greatest pleasures. Whether its shopping for them, sending them to people as presents, looking at them on the shelves, or even just reading them. The yumminess of a well-produced book may be why the number of people in the US who read
- [Supply Chain Management Made Easy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1337) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The printing and publishing industries have been pretty immune to consultants and their management buzzwords. But maybe it’s time to put the scepticism aside as there’s a lot they can offer, especially for managing environmental impact. Coming slowly into favour are the principles of supply chain management which
- [Product Environmental Footprint from the European Commission](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1335) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The European Commission is forging ahead with its plans to develop its own Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Corporate Environmental Footprint (CEF) rules. This must be costing taxpayers a bomb, but it’s proceeding even though the need is questionable. The EU is ignoring existing and proven specifications such
- [Sustainable Green Printing Struts its Stuff](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1333) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The US based Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) provides certification to confirm a printing company’s conformance to specific sustainability goals. The organisation has now certified over 50 American printers for compliance to its programme. What makes the SGP initiative interesting is the range of criteria it uses for
- [Processless plates savings](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1331) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Prepress used to be an expensive and time consuming business. But over the years, process automation has steadily ground down prices. Software now takes care of much of what high ticket professionals used to handle. This means that today the most expensive bit of prepress is in making
- [Something Rotten in the Compost Bin](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1329) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For people who are obsessive recyclers and composters, it’s very annoying when organic matter refuses to cooperate. Instead of rotting quietly away in the depths of the bin, things like avocado skins and lemons just sit there, defiant and unchanging. No matter how long you leave them, they
- [Calculating the Carbon Footprint of Electronic Media](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1327) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Does this sound like an impossible task? Of course it does, but it has to be done if the media industry wants to be able to benchmark and monitor its carbon footprint. We have managed to develop an ISO standard for calculating the carbon footprint of print media
- [Prog Rocks!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1325) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In most progressive rock music, movement through its sound doesn’t necessarily happen smoothly or obviously. Often it is made in unexpected and unanticipated ways, which is the way of progress in most situations. Progress happens with little steps. We recently came across a lovely example of how it
- [Modo Fac (Just Do It!)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1323) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Environmental stewardship sounds impressive. It comes down to the basics of managing the business with a view to waste and cost control and environmental impact. There are loads of printing and publishing companies around the world positioning themselves in this way; sometimes they live up to the images
- [What Do Downton Abbey and the Cloud Have in Common?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1321) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Computing used to be something we all paid attention to and mostly understood. We knew what processor powered a Mac or a PC or a server, and we completely got the difference between Ethernet and IBM’s Token Ring for instance. It was long ago, but in years gone
- [Taxing Times](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1319) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In January Danish Members of Parliament (MPs) will vote on draft legislation to tax commercial print. The tax will make print cost 25-50% more and is being imposed to discourage print’s use, on the basis that it is bad for the environment. If it goes through, this tax
- [The Green Climate Fund](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1317) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner In much of the developing world no one seems to care much about pollution. In Beijing recently the government hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Conference. It wanted to show Beijing, a fascinating and strangely beautiful city, at its best. To help international leaders to breathe, the government gave
- [Danes Pressing (or not) Ahead](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1315) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve heard back from the Danish government on why they think taxing print is a good idea. But their response raises more questions than it answers and exemplifies one of the fundamental problems facing environmental questions: ignorance. The Ministry of Taxation has told us that the “The purpose
- [Show Me the $92 Trillion!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1313) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s amazing what money and motivation can do, especially when investors’ funds are at stake. The Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) helps 767 investment companies managing US$92 trillion in assets to assess the risks of climate change to their portfolios. The bottom line is understanding how environmental factors influence
- [A French Connection](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1311) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner EcoFolio is a French state-accredited nonprofit organisation that is responsible for paper collection and recycling throughout France. How cool is that! This group is encouraging businesses and consumers to recycle more paper by making it easier and more efficient, and working with all parts of the supply chain
- [Danish Sanity Redux](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1309) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Happy New Year and Hooray because the Danish politicians who want to tax printed advertising are rethinking their position! In late December the Danish government’s press office notified us that the intended tax on printed ads is being reconsidered. The Danish parliament was due to vote this month
- [FESPA’s Planet Friendly Guide Gets Even Friendlier](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1307) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Eleven is such a wonderful number. Think Spinal Tap and the BBC iPlayer’s volume control, or ISO TC130’s Working Group 11. When something goes up to eleven, you get just that little bit more, and it’s that little bit that can make a massive difference. So it is
- [Boxing Clever](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1305) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently had the privilege to speak at the Hong Kong Printers’ Federation Summit on the benefits of standards. One of the discussion points was the need for more environmental innovation within printing companies. A member of the audience gave us a great example of just the sorts
- [Deinking Advances](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1303) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner At the latest ISO TC130 standards meeting, Working Group 11 (WG11) took a big step forward. WG11 is responsible for standards relating to the environmental impact of graphics technology and has been working on the development of a deinking standard. This is intended to encourage more people to
- [SGP Spreading the Sustainability Word](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1301) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s the little everyday things that add up to potentially negative environmental impacts. One of the world’s most fundamentally important activities is buying and selling goods, commodities and services. It keeps us all busy and of course drives economies. Printing and communications technologies are as vital for business
- [Processless Plates On the Up](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1299) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner 2014 was a watershed year for computer-to-plate (CtP) production: processless platesetting shifted up a gear, with all three major manufacturers making substantial headway in the market. Processless plates make economic and environmental sense, because you simply image the plate and mount it on press. Simple. There are no
- [Has Asia Pulp & Paper Turned a Page?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1297) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Is it time to shake the hand of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and forgive its past sins? The Rainforest Alliance recently published an audit report confirming that APP is largely living up to the Forest Conservation Policy (FCP) it published in February 2013. At least as far
- [Carlsberg Reaching More of Those Parts](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1295) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A year or so ago the Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC) announced a project to develop next generation packaging materials optimised for recycling and reuse. The CCC is Carlsberg plus a collection of its global suppliers and they have now announced that they are working on a biodegradable and
- [All Wrapped Up](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1293) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Packaging is necessary for pretty much all supply chains. It protects and preserves goods, makes them easier to handle and is a way of tempting buyers to make a purchase. Packaging’s also an effective vehicle for content and ingredient information, as well as regulatory compliance data. This includes
- [Mercury Rising](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1291) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The 13th April is an important deadline. It’s the day when a key exemption in the European Union (EU)’s Regulation on Hazardous Substance II (RoHS II) no longer applies. The ramifications for the graphic arts industry worldwide could be serious, eventually. RoHS II “lays down rules on the
- [Taking the P**s](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1289) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The idea of using rubbish to create energy goes back to the first bonfire, but only a handful of companies in the graphic arts industries seem to be paying much heed to using biomass. Toppan Printing has developed a laminated packaging material that contains around 10% of biomass
- [Not Quite Hobson’s Choice](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1287) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Environmental management is something all businesses should bother with, but it’s such a wooly term. In a way it has to be vague because it means running your business to have the least negative environmental impact possible, and how do you define that? If you’re in the mining
- [Environmental Product Declarations & Print Media](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1285) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a quantification of something’s environmental impact. EPDs can be created for anything from home furnishings to newspapers. They provide all sorts of environmental data, from raw material impact through to emissions to water and waste generation. They are wonderful tools, but they
- [Carbon Footprints a Lighter Tread](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1283) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For many years the graphics industry has been doing its bit to minimise carbon footprints, mostly because cutting waste saves money and time. But whatever the motivation, together with other industries we may be helping to make a difference. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reckons that global efforts
- [Standardising Energy Consumption of Digital Printing Devices](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1281) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Within our ISO working group we are looking at a document Fogra has drafted to provide guidance for quantifying how much energy a digital printing device consumes. You would think that this is pretty straightforward, but it’s not just a matter of counting how many units of electricity
- [What’s the Point of Earth Day?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1279) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner To many people the 45th anniversary of Earth Day on the 22nd April was just another Wednesday. But the particular Wednesday was rather more momentous than your average day. In honour of the occasion, some one billion people around the world have been getting involved in raising awareness
- [LEDs the Cool Curing Alternative](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1277) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There’s been much attention of late on the use of mercury arc lamps for curing applications in the printing industry. This technology is widely used however it has some serious drawbacks, not least the fact that it uses an awful lot of energy even when not actually curing
- [Measuring Our Industry’s CO2 Emissions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1273) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner According to the US Energy Information Administration the country’s energy related CO2 emissions are rising. So much for all that green-speak; more a bath than a wash. But it might not be as bad as it seems because increases of 2% to 3% are actually small relative to
- [Printing Out the Internet (yes, really)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1271) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It may sound like a joke, but a group of British university students has recently completed a research project using this as a starting point. The University of Leicester students wanted to know how much of the Amazon rainforest it would take to print out the internet. There
- [Planning, Doing, Checking and Acting on Sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1269) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When it comes to commitment to the environment and sustainability in the graphic arts, Ricoh is a clear leader having been at it since the 1990s. The company’s belief is that “economic, social, and environmental issues are inseparable” according to its sustainability report for 2014. For a company
- [Wheels of ISO Grinding Slow](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1267) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The work of ISO is often seen as being grindingly slow and not always effective. But that’s the way of consensus building. It takes time and it’s a process that allows documents to mature as they evolve, taking everyone’s input into account and ideally reflecting it in the
- [Ecolabeling Schemes for Print](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1265) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are numerous ecolabeling schemes around but only a few, such as those in Scandinavia and Hong Kong, are specific to printed matter. Schemes like the European Ecolabel or the German Blue Angel are generic, rather than being specific to print. The benefit of having a dedicated ecolabeling
- [Green Climate Fund Moving Forward](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1263) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Progress is being made to spend the $10 billion that has been committed to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This fund is an investment fund set up by 194 governments and it’s goal is to provide a global investment vehicle to fund growth that also aids climate change
- [Building Margins](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1261) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the things that standards compliance and process automation helps companies achieve is cost efficiency and improved margins. Too many business owners bleat about the cost of standards compliance or of workflow and process management technologies. The bleaters take what is really a very short term view,
- [Invisible Print is a Source of Environmental Impact Reduction](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1259) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently learned all about auditing companies for their compliance to ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) and as part of the training we visited a large drinks maker in the UK for a trial audit. Britvic, based in East London, has been a publicly traded company since 2005
- [Water Water Everywhere](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1257) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Many printing companies around the world have rainwater capture systems which they use to water their shrubberies and lawns, or for flushing toilets. Not many of them see making their car parks and loading bays look pretty as being of benefit to the wider community. However they might
- [Is Interest in Carbon Footprinting Stalled?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1255) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A couple of years ago carbon footprinting was high on the agenda for all industries. People worked feverishly to develop standards to support it, even in the printing industry which has a standard dedicated to calculating the carbon footprint of print media. ISO 16759 was published a couple
- [Going Round in Circles](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1253) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Greek government’s antics and dissemblings to the upper echelons of the European Commission have been astonishing. They’ve been played out on a public stage that one way or another has involved everyone. But life goes on beyond the bounds of Greek high drama, even for the European
- [Prince Charles and Abating Climate Change](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1251) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner When you ask people if they think it’s important to tackle climate change, most agree that it is. If you then ask them who should be responsible for fixing our environmental mess, you can expect a general railing against big business in league with evil politicians who care
- [Environmental Labels for Printers and Publishers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1249) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the benefits of implementing an ISO standard or going for an environmental label is the management and process discipline it imposes. This may seem obvious, but labels and standards can be a useful tool for helping companies improve environmental management. In doing so, they often improve
- [More Reasons to be Cheerful About Print’s Carbon Footprint](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1247) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Recently we’ve been working on a document for ISO that assesses the deinkability of print. It’s been gruelling work and the cause of more than one sleepless night, not just because of difficulties to do with defining assessment criteria. It’s been a hard slog because this document has
- [Noodles in the News](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1245) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The packaging industry is quite amazing in its complexity and poses an absolute chaos of problems and possibilities for packaging printers. One of the more slippery aspects of this industry sector is compliance with health and safety and especially with environmental regulations. These vary around the world both
- [The Recyclability of Everything](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1243) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We have been much occupied of late with a project to ensure that printed matter can be effectively recycled. It has to be said that standards work, and this work in particular, can be tedious beyond words. Other so very much more tempting options beckon. There’s the temptation
- [The Drinkable Book](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1241) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Silver has been known to be antimicrobial since antiquity when water was stored in silver jugs to kill bacteria. More recently, silver nanoparticles are used in clothing to prevent socks and teeshirts getting stinky. Adding them to cardstock, as Dr. Theresa Dankovich post-doctoral associate at Carnegie Mellon University
- [Japan’s Federation of Printing Industries Leading the Way](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1239) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are many approaches to paper recycling, but as a rule printing industry associations rarely get involved. The Japanese Federation of Printing Industries (JFPI) is an outstanding exception to this rule. One of the biggest difficulties for recycling supply chain efficiency is sorting. The JFPI has developed a
- [Prioritising Environmental Thinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1237) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO is currently reviewing an important document, the ISO Guide 64. For the printing industry, and indeed all product manufacturers, this snappy tome makes for interesting-ish) reading. Its purpose is to explain how to take environmental concerns into account when creating product standards. The idea of Guide 64
- [LED Curing Takes Another Step Forward](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1235) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For years the graphics industry has been improving its environmental footprint, but not shouting about it much. Heidelberg’s introduction of LED drying technology for the European market is a case in point. LED drying of UV inks is an energy saver in more ways than one. LED technology
- [Wheys & Means](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1233) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are very good at recycling in the graphics industry: paper and aluminium are widely returned to the supply chain to be used as raw materials in other products. And manufacturers such as Ricoh and HP have programmes in place to reuse components in printing devices. But these
- [Ricoh On Top](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1231) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) is a suite of the world’s most influential indicators for corporate sustainability. They are considered the gold standard for sustainability and they are strict, with external audits, so they matter. Volkswagen has just been dumped because of its cheating on emissions tests,
- [Comparing Corporate Social Responsibilities](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1229) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across an interesting site that uses market data to rate the environmental sustainability of leading corporations. We had a look for the best known names in the graphic arts, and were pleased to find that all the founder members of the Verdigris project are on
- [ISO 14001-2015 is Go!](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1226) - 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
- [Environmental Awards for Printers](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1224) - 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
- [Recycling Digital Prints](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1221) - 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
- [Fresh Air Thinking](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1219) - 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.
- [Chemical Reactions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1217) - 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
- [Stretching the Boundaries](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1215) - 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
- [Top of the Leader Board](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1213) - 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
- [December in Paris](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1211) - 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
- [Big brands mandating sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=636) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are finally starting to see big name brands taking a real stand on sustainability for printed products, specifically for packaging. There has been plenty of greenwashing over the years but rather less progress when it comes to supplier obligations, and especially for print service providers (PSP). For printers
- [United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=634) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’re hearing more and more about the UNSDGs. ISO makes compliance with at least one of them mandatory in new document development. Large corporates such as Fujifilm and HP make sure to mention them in their sustainability communications. Marketing managers across the industry name check UNSDGs, but there is
- [The New Xeikon CX500t](https://digitaldots.info/?p=632) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Xeikon has recently introduced a new model of its CX500, the CX500t, press for the flexible packaging market. The t stands for Titon, a new dry toner, developed in part in response to Xeikon’s customers’ sustainability expectations. For Xeikon sustainability has long been “at the core strategically and operationally”
- [Understanding sustainability reporting](https://digitaldots.info/?p=630) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sustainability reporting is a big deal for brands who buy a lot of print, especially those serving consumers. Those brands need a lot of packaging for their goods, much of it plastic and too little that is recyclable, so anything positive they can shout about is a plus. The
- [Xeikon is doing more with less](https://digitaldots.info/?p=628) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Xeikon has recently introduced a new program for its digital press customers, to help them improve production efficiencies. This is a hands on effort that users of Xeikon digital presses can implement in order to cut production time, ink and toner consumption, materials waste and energy usage. The idea
- [Nordic Swan Taking Note](https://digitaldots.info/?p=626) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of Europe’s best known eco labels is the Nordic Swan. In the Nordic countries there are over 25,000 products bearing its logo. It’s awarded for products that meet the label’s strict environmental requirements throughout its life cycle, with requirements for chemicals used. It’s about encouraging sustainable development of
- [The circular economy could be the next greenwash](https://digitaldots.info/?p=624) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Or may be not. The circular economy is a huge concept so it is understandably attractive to marketers who don’t really expect target audiences to do more than be impressed by the phrase. But if companies are at least aware of circular economies that has to be a good
- [Bobst making the connection](https://digitaldots.info/?p=622) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Bobst, an impressive Swiss company founded in the nineteenth century, is one of the world’s top suppliers of finishing systems for labels, flexible packaging, corrugated and folding carton industries. It has production facilities in eleven countries across the globe and has been making gradual steps into digital systems for
- [Packaging and commercial printing dilemmas](https://digitaldots.info/?p=620) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Packaging is probably the only part of the printing industry immune to the internet. We will always need to protect physical goods from damage, whether its new shoes or potatoes. And as the world slowly grows its middle classes all over the globe, people are buying more stuff so
- [The sustainability bug’s spreading](https://digitaldots.info/?p=618) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across the Reifenhäuser group as part of a project looking into recyclable packaging materials and developments. Reifenhäuser was founded in 1911 and has for most of its life specialised in plastic extrusion products. Such things as weatherstripping and fencing, window frames, plastic films and sheeting are
- [Steps towards a circular economy](https://digitaldots.info/?p=616) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The idea of using watermarking as an aid to waste sorting has been around for a while. At the moment it’s mostly relevant for packaging, but it could also matter for commercial print. As digitally printed volumes grow and recycling technologies advance, a digital watermark could make a big
- [Are we losing the Plot on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=614) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The seventeen UNSDGs range from eliminating poverty to preserving life below water and they probably seem completely irrelevant to the average printing company owner. But these goals should not be brushed off as someone else’s gig. The UNSDGs affect the lives of all of us and our intertwined supply
- [How book printers can make a sustainability difference](https://digitaldots.info/?p=612) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Making a difference for the climate depends on print service providers and customers working together to cut emissions. Obviously printing companies and their supply chains recognise this, but there is still much more that must be done to change sustainability minds and attitudes. Within the book publishing sector there
- [United Nations Publishers’ Compact](https://digitaldots.info/?p=610) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The United Nations Publishers’ Compact was introduced a couple of years ago, since when it has attracted hundreds of signatories from all of the world. Publishers from industry associations, through to research institutes and trade publishing have committed to fulfil ten action points. The idea is to jumpstart progress
- [Time to achieve net zero](https://digitaldots.info/?p=608) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Sounds daunting? Well fear not because ISO has recently published a document to help you make a start. ISO Net-zero Guidelines comprises a series of recommendations and guiding principles. These are all about achieving net-zero global carbon dioxide and other polluting emissions in 2050. Net-zero Guidelines has an enormous
- [Doing more across boundaries](https://digitaldots.info/?p=604) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s generally agreed that the planet is in dire shape and that more needs to be done to cut emissions. Industry and science lead the way in all sectors, including printing and publishing where we have seen impressive advances in energy efficiencies and consumables recyclability. But technology is only
- [ISO 22067-1 is published](https://digitaldots.info/?p=602) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Following yet another tortuous and lengthy gestation period, the first part of ISO 22067 – Requirements for communication of environmental aspects of printed products, was finally published on the 4th October 2022. This first part of the series covers general printing requirements and is relevant for most print applications,
- [A leaner book publishing sector would be a greener one](https://digitaldots.info/?p=606) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Decades ago George Orwell, he of Animal Farm fame, bemoaned the state of British book publishing. He said something along the lines that there were far too many books published and that only one in ten were any good. If he were around today he might want to consider
- [Why you need a sustainability officer](https://digitaldots.info/?p=600) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We’ve got CEOs, CTOs, CMOs, CFOs and CPOs so why are there so few CSOs in printing and publishing? Chief Sustainability Officers, tasked with managing sustainability of a company, have an extensive and interesting job description. On the one hand you’d think they just worry about the environmental dimension
- [Kornit’s 2021 Impact Report for Environmental, Social and Corporate (ESG) governance](https://digitaldots.info/?p=596) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Kornit, developers and manufacturers of digital printing systems for textiles, has released its 62 page 2021 Impact Report for its Environmental, Social and Corporate (ESG) governance. This laudable effort with its declaration of sustainability objectives, puts the company in the vanguard of graphics industry suppliers. This isn’t a sustainability
- [Packaging made from seaweed](https://digitaldots.info/?p=594) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If its inventors really want attention, Notpla needs a better name for its amazing product. The company has developed an innovative biodegradeable and edible packaging material, based on brown seaweed. The material is being sold as an alternative to plastics, either as a coating for food packaging or as
- [Sustainable from the ground up](https://digitaldots.info/?p=592) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner New builds are a great opportunity to cut carbon footprints and facilities running costs. In the UK, Fujifilm has recently opened Fujifilm House its new UK headquarters. Built with sustainability in mind the facility has received formal certification using the Built Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). This is
- [Corporate greenwashing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=590) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear every day almost about how some mega corporation is doing just so very much to help the planet. Most of it we know is stretching reality, the slick presentation of marketing professionals with questionable consciences. They’re just doing their jobs right? And if they are telling fibs,
- [ISO project for assessing your organisation’s sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=587) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner ISO’s technical committee working on standards for the printing and publishing industries is considering a new project. The project is intended to help organisations to assess their progress towards greater environmental sustainability. The new project is tentatively called Guidance for Sustainabililty Assessments. Achieving greater environmental sustainability is easier said
- [Carbon calculators are like buses](https://digitaldots.info/?p=584) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Buses. You wait for ages for one to come along and then a slew of them show up all at once. That’s a very 1970s perspective I know, but it’s apt for implementations of ISO 16759. This document outlines requirements for calculating the carbon footprint of a print run
- [Asking the right questions](https://digitaldots.info/?p=582) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As we move more and more towards a Do-It-Yourself model, the printing industry is gaining all sorts of new customers. From labels on demand for bespoke honey through to ambitious party signage and sportswear, print volumes are rising. Perhaps one of the biggest categories is book printing, as the
- [Changing bad habits](https://digitaldots.info/?p=580) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If we wanted to point a finger at the worst offenders when it comes to environmental inefficiency, which print sector would we choose? Labels and packaging produce phenomenal quantities of waste. Commercial print is also responsible for sending tonnes of paper for landfill or incineration. The signage business also
- [The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=578) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It is hard to believe that we have only started hearing more from GRI in the last year or so. This organisation was established over twenty years ago to help organisations and businesses manage reporting of their environmental impacts. Over the years GRI has gained considerable momentum in developing
- [Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)](https://digitaldots.info/?p=576) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Another week, another clever climate change mitigation effort. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has the private, as opposed to public, business sector in its sites. The organisation wants to help corporations to develop ambitious climate action projects. Over 4000 companies around the world are working with the SBTi
- [Are digital press manufacturers doing their customers a disservice?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=574) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A long time ago the then chief of Heidelberg told us that his company’s days as industry leader were numbered. He said that the likes of Ricoh, HP and Canon would come to dominate the printing industry and that digital printing was the way of the future. And so
- [How printers and publishers can have meaningful sustainability programmes](https://digitaldots.info/?p=572) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Getting with environmental sustainability is important for the planet, but for most print service providers they do it for their clients. Appealing to the environmental sensitivities of customers and prospects is why more and more companies are touting their environmental credentials. This must go beyond flimsy commitments such as
- [How meaningful are goals for reducing environmental impact?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=570) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The Verdigris blog by Laurel BrunnerNet-zero by 2050. Zero waste to landfill. Zero emissions. They all sound good but none of these has meaning without direct action. At the heart of any sustainability initiative is resource management and improved process control. The good news is that both will improve
- [Sustainability certifications on the rise](https://digitaldots.info/?p=568) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s tempting to be cynical about certifications, and easy to dismiss them as cosmetic marketing. But given the intense competitiveness of today’s graphics business, certifications at least demonstrate that a company has undergone some sort of accountability process. This is true for environmentally aware print service providers such as
- [Innovating for sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?p=566) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Disposing of waste water effectively can be difficult for flexo printers. This print process produces much of the packaging used for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs), so anything that can be done to improve waste handling has to be good news. Miraclon customer Nägele Digital Repro GmbH of Kempten,
- [Points of sustainability progress](https://digitaldots.info/?p=564) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Since this blog started we have published over 500 articles talking about sustainability in the graphic arts. The goal is still to raise awareness of the industry’s environmental impact and to encourage all players in print media supply chains to take sustainability seriously. Only with the engagement of all
- [Mercury lamps on the out](https://digitaldots.info/?p=441) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been a long time coming but the end of mercury arc lamps is definitely in sight. Mercury is a seriously nasty neurotoxin that is steadily being regulated out of products, including in the fluorescent lamps used in the printing industry for ink curing. Bodies from the US Environmental
- [Xeikon and Sappi collaboration](https://digitaldots.info/?p=50) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As one of the founders of the colour digital printing industry, Xeikon has many years of experience for printing digital colour across a range of applications. Working with Sappi, the company is deploying its knowledge of acqueous and UV inkjet and dry toner printing to develop printable paper based
- [R8 rating?](https://digitaldots.info/?p=16) - Mon, 15/01/2024 - 09:00 The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner One of the world’s largest providers of fibre-based packaging companies, DS Smith has set up its own research and development centre. It is called R8 for reasons that are not clear and it is located in the UK. The goal is to work with customers
- [Mark to Market](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1172) - 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
- [No Cop Out](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1170) - 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
- [Carbon Balanced Paper](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1168) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Balance can be difficult to achieve. You may struggle to balance your books, get your socks on of a morning without excess hopping, or offset your business’s carbon. What you do to achieve balance in the first two examples is up to you. When it comes to the
- [Sounding Out Instruments for Growth](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1166) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Striking a balance between growth and environmental responsibility is far from easy. Part of why it is so hard, is that there are so many different perspectives on sustainability. Some organisations treat it rather frivolously, as if the environment is a passing trend. Others go to the other
- [Spotters Guide to Greenwashing](https://digitaldots.info/?p=1164) - The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s everywhere and it’s pernicious. Greenwashing, the cloaking of a marketing intent in the language of sustainability and environmental awareness, is on the rise. Greenwashing undermines the credibility of those doing their best to develop sustainable media businesses. Worse still it is downright lazy and irresponsible, especially where
- [1st April, 2023](https://digitaldots.info/?p=598) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced reversal of UK’s Brexit, following revelations of massive referendum vote hacking. British intelligence working with counterparts in Estonia, Ukraine and Poland have uncovered evidence that votes in the 2016 Brexit referendum converted Remain votes to Leave votes. The hack, code named Project Tonsils, was discovered on the day of
- [Standards and certifications are important](https://digitaldots.info/?p=562) - The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The printing industry continues to evolve away from the small trade shops of the past, as consolidation changes the nature of the business. But concerns about quality control and production excellence are still important, so ensuring consistency across multiple production sites is fundamental to profit in modern print production.

## Pages

- [Digital Dots and Verdigris](https://digitaldots.info/) - Graphic arts research group specialising in digital prepress, printing and publishing technologies. Articles and reports and manage The Verdigris Project.
- [More about Verdigris](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=55) - Associate Members of The Verdigris Project:
- [Contact](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=75) - lb@digitaldots.org+44-7721 42 44 49‬
- [Spindrift](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=46) - Digital Dots published the reputable monthly newsletter Spindrift from 2003 until 2015. After that Spindrift was published online on a website of the same name from 2015 to 2020. Known for its objectivity, independence and occasional irreverence, Spindrift had an international readership and was wholly supported by Digital Dots and its subscribers. It carried no
- [Pixel Perfect (Test Projects 2002-2003)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=84) - Pixel Perfect I was the first in a series of scanner tests, a cooperation between the Scandinavian trade magazine AGI and Seybold Publications. The scanners tested were the Agfa T5000, the Fuji Lanovia C-550, the Heidelberg Prepress QuickStep, the Heidelberg Prepress Topaz, the Imacon Flextight, the Purup-Eskofot EskoScan 1318, the ScanView F8 Plus, the Scitex
- [Verdigris articles](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=451) - The following articles have been produced by the Verdigris Project. This material has been distributed to the Verdigris Publishing Network for use in their magazines and on their websites. This network includes approximately 30 titles throughout the world from Finland to Australia. If you would like to join the Verdigris Publishing Network (it’s free), please
- [More about Digital Dots](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=32) - Digital Dots is is an independent graphic arts research group established in 1999. The company is a collection of like-minded consultants and professional journalists specialising in digital prepress, printing and publishing technologies. The company provides exclusive market research, testing and evaluation services for digital production technologies relating to these industries. Our business is based on
- [UV-Curable Large Format Printers (2010 Special Report)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=403) - This 2010 report presents the results of Digital Dots’ research into the technologies and markets for UV-curable inkjet printers. The technology is used to produce a fast-growing range of graphic products including sign-making, posters, displays and exhibition graphics, plus an explosion of short and single copy runs of work such as art prints printed on
- [Special Reports](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=64) - In the early 2000s Digital Dots conducted tests of various devices and published the results in the Pixel Perfect reports. In 2010 we published a Special Report on UV-Curable Large Format Printers, and in 2013 a guide to Standardised Print Production (SPP), implementing the ISO 12647-2 standard and other supporting ISO-standards in the printing process.
- [Standardised Print Production (2013 Special Report)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=392) - Digital Dots has been heavily involved in standards work, working internationally with ISO and print federations in both Sweden and the UK. The 2013 Standardised Print Production (SPP) series explained what printing companies and print media buyers needed to know about using the ISO 12647-2 standard for offset lithography process control. SPP (2013) - Part
- [The Technology Guides (2006)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=365) - The 2006 series of Technology Guides consists of five booklets addressing key aspects of the production process. Preproduction Data Management & Quality Control (2006) Colour Management & Proofing (2006) CTP (2006) JDF (2006) Digital Printing (2006)
- [The Buyers Guides (2004)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=370) - The 2004 series of Technology Guides (here called Buyers Guides) consists of five booklets addressing key aspects of the production process. Preflighting (2004) Colour Management & Proofing (2004) CTP (2004) JDF (2004) Digital Printing (2004)
- [Technology Guides](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=59) - Digital Dots published two sets of Technology Guides in 2004 and 2006. Each set included individual booklets focusing on five key areas of the production process. The Guides were sponsored by various reputable industry suppliers. Both sets of Technology Guides are available here to view and download. The Buyers Guides (2004) The Technology Guides (2006)
- [Wild Format Series 1 (2014)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=335) - Wild Format Series 1 (2014). There are 32 articles in 5 categories. We have archived each category for easy download. Making Sense of ... (2014) Automation (2014) Colour (2014) Finishing (2014) Inks (2014)
- [Wild Format](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=69) - Digital Dots published four series of Wild Format articles between 2014 and 2020. The Wild Format goal was to provide printers with valuable guides for investing in wide format digital printing technology. The guides offered objective and independent explanations of key digital production technologies. They were intended to expand awareness and understanding of the craziness
- [Wild Format Series 4 (2019)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=329) - Wild Format Series 4 (2019). There are 12 articles zipped into a single archive for easy download. Wild Format Series 4 (2019)
- [Wild Format Series 3 (2017-2018)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=346) - Wild Format Series 3 (2017-2018). There are 18 articles zipped into 2 archives for easy download. Wild Format Series 3 (2017-2018) - Part 1 Wild Format Series 3 (2017-2018) - Part 2
- [Wild Format Series 2 (2016-2017)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=341) - Wild Format Series 2 (2016-2017). There are 28 articles zipped into 2 archives for easy download. Wild Format Series 2 (2016-2017) - Part 1 Wild Format Series 2 (2016-2017) - Part 2
- [Spindrift Volume 6 (2008-2009)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=281) - Spindrift Volume 6 - April 2008 - March 2009 Volume 6, Number 1 - April 2008 Volume 6, Number 2 - May 2008 Volume 6, Number 3 - June 2008 Volume 6, Number 4 - July/August 2008 Volume 6, Number 5 - September 2008 Volume 6, Number 6 - October 2008 Volume 6, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 7 (2009-2010)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=284) - Spindrift Volume 7 - April 2009 - March 2010 Volume 7, Number 1 - April 2009 Volume 7, Number 2 - May 2009 Volume 7, Number 3 - June 2009 Volume 7, Number 4 - July/August 2009 Volume 7, Number 5 - September 2009 Volume 7, Number 6 - October 2009 Volume 7, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 8 (2010-2011)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=288) - Spindrift Volume 8 - April 2010 - March 2011 Volume 8, Number 1 - April 2010 Volume 8, Number 2 - May 2010 Volume 8, Number 3 - June 2010 Volume 8, Number 4 - July/August 2010 Volume 8, Number 5 - September 2010 Volume 8, Number 6 - October 2010 Volume 8, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 9 (2011-2012)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=291) - Spindrift Volume 9 - April 2011 - March 2012 Volume 9, Number 1 - April 2011 Volume 9, Number 2 - May 2011 Volume 9, Number 3 - June 2011 Volume 9, Number 4 - July/August 2011 Volume 9, Number 5 - September 2011 Volume 9, Number 6 - October 2011 Volume 9, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 10 (2012-2013)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=295) - Spindrift Volume 10 - April 2012 - March 2013 Volume 10, Number 1 - April 2012 Volume 10, Number 2 - May 2012 Volume 10, Number 3 - June 2012 Volume 10, Number 4 - July/August 2012 Volume 10, Number 5 - September 2012 Volume 10, Number 6 - October 2012 Volume 10, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 11 (2013-2014)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=299) - Spindrift Volume 11 - April 2013 - March 2014 Volume 11, Number 1 - April 2013 Volume 11, Number 2 - May 2013 Volume 11, Number 3 - June 2013 Volume 11, Number 4 - July/August 2013 Volume 11, Number 5 - September 2013 Volume 11, Number 6 - October 2013 Volume 11, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 12 (2014-2015)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=304) - Spindrift Volume 12 - April 2014 - March 2015 Volume 12, Number 1 - April 2014 Volume 12, Number 2 - May 2014 Volume 12, Number 3 - June 2014 Volume 12, Number 4 - July/August 2014 Volume 12, Number 5 - September 2014 Volume 12, Number 6 - October 2014 Volume 12, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 5 (2007-2008)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=232) - Spindrift Volume 5 - April 2007 - March 2008 Volume 5, Number 1 - April 2007 Volume 5, Number 2 - May 2007 Volume 5, Number 3 - June 2007 Volume 5, Number 4 - July/August 2007 Volume 5, Number 5 - September 2007 Volume 5, Number 6 - October 2007 Volume 5, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 3 (2005-2006)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=151) - Spindrift Volume 3 - April 2005 - March 2006 Volume 3, Number 1 - April 2005 Volume 3, Number 2 - May 2005 Volume 3, Number 3 - June 2005 Volume 3, Number 4 - July/August 2005 Volume 3, Number 5 - September 2005 Volume 3, Number 6 - October 2005 Volume 3, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 2 (2004-2005)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=129) - Spindrift Volume 2 - April 2004 - March 2005 Volume 2, Number 1 - April 2004 Volume 2, Number 2 - May 2004 Volume 2, Number 3 - June/July 2004 Volume 2, Number 4 - August 2004 Volume 2, Number 5 - September 2004 Volume 2, Number 6 - October 2004 Volume 2, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 4 (2006-2007)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=154) - Spindrift Volume 4 - April 2006 - March 2007 Volume 4, Number 1 - April 2006 Volume 4, Number 2 - May 2006 Volume 4, Number 3 - June 2006 Volume 4, Number 4 - July/August 2006 Volume 4, Number 5 - September 2006 Volume 4, Number 6 - October 2006 Volume 4, Number 7
- [Spindrift Volume 1 (2003-2004)](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=113) - Spindrift Volume 1 - April 2003 - March 2004 Volume 1, Number 1 - April 2003 Volume 1, Number 2 - May 2003 Volume 1, Number 3 - June/July 2003 Volume 1, Number 4 - August 2003 Volume 1, Number 5 - September 2003 Volume 1, Number 6 - October 2003 Volume 1, Number 7
- [Privacy Policy](https://digitaldots.info/?page_id=3) - Who we are Our website address is: http://digitaldots.info. Comments When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided

## Categories

- [Blog](https://digitaldots.info/?cat=1) - Here you will find blogs from Digital Dots and Verdigris covering technology and sustainability advances in the graphics industry over the last 25 years.
- [Sustainability awards](https://digitaldots.info/?cat=16)

## Tags

- [waste](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=waste)
- [sustainability](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=sustainability)
- [re-use](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=re-use)
- [environmentally friendly](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=environmentally-friendly)
- [publishing](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=publishing)
- [automation](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=automation)
- [Artificial Intelligence](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=artificial-intelligence)
- [recycling](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=recycling)
- [eco-friendly](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=eco-friendly)
- [environmental impact](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=environmental-impact)
- [local ecosystems](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=local-ecosystems)
- [environmental monitoring tool](https://digitaldots.info/?tag=environmental-monitoring-tool)