In the fight against global warming, both businesses and consumers are evaluating their impact on the environment, looking at ways they can change their behaviour to the benefit of the planet. As a result, businesses have been left to find a fair solution that doesn’t compromise on efficiency, as consumers are seen to increasingly consider a company’s carbon footprint before making a buying decision.

From the recyclability of a disposable product, right down to the printed marketing materials a business uses to promote their product or service, with more and more customers expecting businesses to follow eco-friendly practices, companies are being put under large amounts of pressure to invest in sustainability in all areas of business.

An easy way for businesses to reassure their customers that they’re taking the right steps towards integrating eco-friendly behaviour in their day-to-day life, is by the very printed material consumers see and hold through sustainable printing.

Crucially, not only does introducing environmentally friendly printing into your company help with business branding, but it allows you to reduce energy, create less waste, and use fewer harmful chemicals – this is something we, at Statex, are passionate about. To help illustrate just how much we value eco-friendly printing practices, we’re sharing some of the ways we make sure to consider this through our printing procedures, below.

Create less waste

Unfortunately, the printing industry is generally more likely to generate waste than many other sectors, including; ink, paper, toner cartridges, waste substrate, packaging from supplies, and chemicals. Naturally, in the fight against rising CO2 emissions, it goes without saying that the less material that goes in the bin, the better.

As a proud member of the ISO 14000 family, at Statex, we only work with similar, environmentally regulated suppliers – helping to ensure that all aspects of what we do remain complaint and eco-conscious. So much so that, in the last 12 months, we’ve been able to reduce our waste going to landfill to just 1% per year through the recycling of paper, plates, pallets, and even heat from the presses (which we re-circulate through the factory).

Use fewer chemicals and reduce water use

It goes without saying that the fewer harmful chemicals that are used, the cleaner the output and better the impact on our planet. Fortunately, nowadays printers are able to significantly reduce their chemical output by simply choosing to invest and use more sustainable machinery and materials.

As part of this, we’ve invested in the latest green printing presses and plate processing technology which has led to an important reduction in both chemical and water usage. As a result, our printing presses now run completely free from chemicals and we’ve saved over 200,000 litres of water each year through the installation of water-free plate processing systems. Because of this, not only has this efficient and cost-effective solution helped to reduce our carbon footprint, but it’s increased savings for our clients and ensured we can provide better quality and more efficient print solutions.

Consider energy use

Arguably, one of the most notable ways to help the environment consists of using renewable sources of energy as opposed to relying on fossil fuel consumption. Such green sources might include wind, solar, water, and biogas (an arguably lesser-known renewable fuel produced by food and animal waste). And why are these types of renewable energy sources important? Simply, these types of energy don’t release harmful pollution and help keep our planet cleaner.

In line with this, at Statex, we’re currently in the process of negotiating new green energy contracts to work with providers who specialise in 100% green energy, as well as continuing ongoing discussions and investigations into solar panels and wind turbines.

Additionally, all aspects of our supply chain has been considered – from where we source our machinery from to how we buy our paper, we ensure that we only work with like-minded FSC and ISO regulated suppliers, helping to reduce our yearly power consumption and give our clients peace of mind that they’re working with green-savvy suppliers at every step on the printing process.

Save paper

With statistics showing that three quarters of paper used in an office environment ends up in the waste stream, it’s apparent that there is a large problem when it comes to responsible recycling of paper in a large variety of industries.

To help do our bit and save paper, as an FSC certified business, we identify, purchase and use wood, paper and other forest products made with materials from certified, well-managed forests and/or recycled sources. By using FSC regulated sources, at Statex, our clients can rest assured that the paper used as part of their printed materials has been sustainably sourced and managed through the replanting of trees and reduction in chemicals used as part of the production process.

If you’re looking to ensure sustainability processes have been considered as part of your printed materials, and are interested in working with a reliable printing company with decades of experience, get in touch with one of our friendly and helpful representatives today.