Eco-Living Magazine

Eco-friendly Printing

Posted on the 16 August 2012 by T_mackinnon @tedmackinnon

The recent developments in technology have created more environment-friendly options for both consumers and manufacturers alike in terms of materials, production, and labor. Aspects of daily life that you would previously think as harmful to the environment have increasingly had eco-friendly alternatives. That being said, environmentally conscious consumers no longer need to eschew the conveniences of modern life altogether in order to responsibly contribute in the preservation of the environment.

Eco friendly Printing Eco friendly Printing
To start off, recycled paper is abundant and is almost of the same quality as paper used with virgin pulp. Using recycled paper saves the energy used in cutting down trees and eliminates the wastes produced during initial paper production. On another hand plastic, long regarded to be a potential environment hazard, now has more earth-friendly alternatives most especially when it comes to printing methods. The conventional PVC can be substituted with biodegradable PVC, corn-based (PLA), recycled PVC, Ingeo, and Teslin.

Biodegradable plastic degrade through time when exposed to heat, dampness, and other factors which ensure that the waste materials do not fester landfills for years on end while corn-based plastic or PLA made from fermented plant starch is a more sustainable option as opposed to its petroleum-based counterpart given that corn is a hundred percent renewable resource. Recycled PVC, on the other hand, saves the energy from the production of new PVC and using recycled ones supports the thrust of its manufacturers to reuse old materials. Lastly, synthetic materials such as Ingeo and Teslin offers durability and quality printing output without using utilizing plastic printing.

Soy ink, made from soy beans, prove to be another earth-friendly alternative. Apart from the immediate benefit of being produced using sustainable resources, soy ink also creates vibrant colors, makes the recycling of paper materials easier, and is more cost-effective. When recycling, soy inks are separated from paper easily thus allowing less damage and better quality recycled paper. Waste is also less hazardous than petroleum-based inks.

Seeking alternatives to better improve previous systems have proven to be a great leap especially when it comes to ecological preservation. With the increasing call for green awareness, it is good to know that we have better alternatives that would benefit both us and the environment.


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