More and more wide-format companies seeking to achieve sustainability.
What They Think reports on the growing trend for wide-format printer companies to start thinking about the environment due to pressure from print buyers, who in turn are looking to improve their own green practices.
The article highlights the areas companies should focus on to reduce their environmental impact and points out the similarities and differences between wide-format printers and traditional printing when trying to reduce environmental impact, as although sourcing environmentally responsible consumables, implementing sustainable practices and processes and encouraging recycling apply to both areas of the industry, wide-format printing has “unique challenges” to overcome.
One such challenge is the type of materials that are used, many of which, unlike traditional printing, are petroleum-based and therefore non-renewable.
Brian Madigan, General Manager of Sandy Alexander’s Wide and Grand Format/Retail Merchandising Division commented: “Some of the substrates are more challenging than those found in traditional printing, such as metal and vinyl versus paper. […] we still have the same environmental objectives as in traditional printing — reduce, reuse, and recycle. With newer equipment and strict colour management standards, we have quicker make readies and keep waste at a minimum.
“Additionally, we have identified alternate uses for the waste product — we reuse the waste metal for promotional pieces, and are exploring reusing vinyl for reusable shopping bags. We are constantly looking for other recycling channels for various substrates.”
Greener alternatives to non-renewable materials mentioned in the article include substrates such as Falconboard or posterboard, which are recyclable; and Duraplast and Insite which are both biodegradable.
The type of ink used in wide-format printing can also determine the environmental impact of a company, with Ultraviolet (UV)-curable inks, aqueous and latex-based inks being classed as green alternatives to traditionally used solvent inks due to reduced VOCs and other pollutants.
Finally, the area of finishing is also highlighted as having an impact on the sustainability of printer companies, with wide-format printers in particular being required to overcome the difficulties caused by adhesives such as lamination and shops and customers being urged to understand “what is and isn’t an environmentally friendly finishing process”.