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by Nicole Rycroft
Whether you call it Climate Change or Global Warming, these paired words are the most ominous expression in town today. The bill associated with climate change will run into the trillions of dollars – a concern for governments and companies around the world. Watchdogs warn that a business-as-usual approach just will not work. The good news, according to recent reports, is that there is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But this requires all of us to take strong action now. So what does that mean for printers in today’s carbon-sensitive world?
Paper use, energy consumption and transporting print are probably the largest carbon impacts that a printer makes. The pulp-and-paper industry is the third-largest energy-consuming sector in North America, behind only steel and chemical. The loss of natural forests is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions – paper production carries a heavy price tag for the climate. The loss of natural forests accounts for more emissions than the transportation sector. Sixty-five percent of the logging that takes place in the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink (Canada’s Boreal forest) is to manufacture paper.
A few weeks ago, the Stern Review, the most recent and comprehensive economic study of the impacts and response strategies necessary for combating climate change, was released out of the UK. Given that this document does not qualify as light bedtime reading (it weighs in at a hefty 700 pages), I will highlight some of its main recommendations and outline how, through paper decisions, printers can reduce their impact on climate change.
Stern Review Recommendation: Stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gas levels by reducing current emission below levels by 50 to 80 percent.
Printer Action: Switch your papers to Ancient Forest Friendly or maximize recycled content paper options. By printing on a paper with 100 percent recycled content rather than with 100 percent virgin fibre, printers can reduce the carbon footprint of producing that specific piece by 38 to 50 percent (depending on the grade of the paper).
Stern Review Recommendation: Support low carbon technology changes, which are creating opportunities to decouple growth from greenhouse gas emissions.
1. Printer Action: Many printers have already switched to low-carbon innovations with digital prepress processes. Remote proofing significantly reduces a printer’s carbon footprint by saving paper as well as eliminating the transportation impacts that arise from couriering files to clients. E-dockets for work instructions associated with a particular file also reduce the amount of paper used in tracking the production of a piece.
2. Printer Action: Support low-carbon technology options by printing on papers with maximized recycled content or agricultural residues. In the past five years, numerous Canadian mills have started to produce papers that could be considered low-carbon. Papers with maximized recycled contents (up to 100 percent) and some agricultural residues are classified as low-carbon technologies for publishing. Support for these low-carbon paper options will improve the economy of scale in production.
3. Printer Action: Some mills, such as those operated by Cascades Fine Paper, have shown innovation in reducing their energy impact by powering their publishing grade paper mill on methane gas from the local landfill. Papers with high-recycled content from this facility further reduce a printer’s carbon footprint. Printers can play a valuable role in encouraging other mills to pursue low-carbon energy alternatives for powering their mills.
Stern Review Recommendation: Stop the loss of natural forests.
1. Printer Action: Eliminate the use of papers that contain intact and endangered forests. By printing on a paper that is Ancient Forest Friendly, printers can ensure they are not contributing to the loss of intact forest ecosystems. This reduces a printer’s climate and biodiversity footprint.
2. Printer Action: Encouraging mills in new product R&D and working with mills (and customers) to trial new low-carbon papers are key to reducing the carbon footprint of paper over the coming years.
Stern Review Recommendation: Cut emissions from industrial processes
1. Printer Action: Improve paper efficiency internally. Printers can still make significant savings by reducing the amount of paper used in the office. Simple measures such as setting photocopy machines and printers to duplex, proofing on-screen and using e-dockets and memos contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions.
2. Printer Action: Improve clients’ paper efficiency – resist that urge to supersize and add an additional 500 copies onto the job. Encourage clients to print only as many pieces as they need to achieve their goal. Smaller print runs and alternative non-print technologies appropriate for a client’s genre of publishing or business all contribute to a reduction in carbon. Also, whenever possible order custom roll sizes for longer runs or communicate with designers and production managers about the most efficient file dimensions for the roll trim sizes on your floor.
The Lowdown on carbon offsetting
In recent years, there has been a surge of programs to help us pay to offset the carbon we release into the atmosphere. The challenge before us, though, is to reduce. If everyone participated only in offset programs rather than actually reducing their carbon footprint, the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere would remain unviable for the survival of humanity.
Printer Action: A well-designed carbon offset program makes sense as a second step after taking steps to maximize paper efficiency and reduce your carbon impact by choosing low carbon paper options and technologies. Carbon offsets are efficient if: 1. They follow an energy reduction program, 2. The total available to trade is limited and becomes increasingly smaller, 3. The offset project would not otherwise be achieved without the influx of cash, and 4. Your carbon-offset cash is directed to projects that prevent CO2 or methane from going into the atmosphere – not tree planting projects, but conserving intact forests and green energy programs.
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