Climate change has been in the headlines over the past year, with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releasing a “Red Alert” in August. This new focus, coupled with other environmental concerns such as overburdened landfills, microplastics in our oceans, and toxic waste from decaying e-waste and other elements leaching into our soil and water tables, has caused consumers to reach for eco-friendly brands.
GreenPrint, a global environmental tech company based in Atlanta, conducted a study that showed 64% of consumers are willing to pay more for a product that is eco-friendly, with up to three-quarters of consumers willing to switch brands if the company was offsetting carbon emissions. These numbers clearly demonstrate the consumer trend toward eco-friendly companies, making sustainability a smart corporate value for any business looking to stand out from the competition.
For production print shops, print service providers, and others the ability to invest in sustainable print solutions can yield big results in terms of customer loyalty — and revenue. This article will provide a number of ways your business can access sustainable print opportunities that will help you contribute to the health of our planet and give your business a boost.
How to Achieve Sustainability in Print Operations
No matter what you print in your production shop, you can streamline your operations and become more sustainable at every point during product creation. Here are some suggestions you can put into place easily:
Invest in Eco Friendly Inks
Although no ink can claim to be completely free from chemicals or non-renewable resources, today’s eco-friendly inks are a far cry from traditional inks that are petroleum based. Inks are made up of three components: Pigments, carriers, and additives for drying and non-smudging. In the past, inks used solvents as carriers, which released VOCs into the air. Now, sustainable inks are created using algae, or are soy-, vegetable-, or water-based. Some, called UV inks, even remove the need for a carrier altogether and are cured using UV light.
Consider Energy-Saving Printers with Eco Friendly Features
The humble printer has also been reconfigured to offer a more sustainable profile to users. For example, digital printers can help reduce waste inherent in make-ready and set-up processes and allow customers to run short-run print jobs economically. Printers can also be configured to reduce cost and conserve resources by laying down less toner or ink and printing on two sides of a sheet. Modern production machines and some office models can print on a variety of substrates, allowing you to use eco-friendly fiber-based papers such as those made from agricultural by-products or bamboo, for example.
Finally, choose a printer that helps you save on energy costs, a move that will reduce your carbon footprint as well as your monthly bills for a double impact. And consider finding a platform, such as print management, that will assist you in collecting and reusing print materials such as ink and toner cartridges so you can participate in a closed-loop ecosystem.
Becoming more sustainable doesn’t just help you win the loyalty and trust of customers old and new — it also helps you conserve resources and gain increased business efficiencies, important factors in a healthy bottom line.
Blue Technologies Can Help You Become a More Sustainable Printer
As a production print shop, you already have a lot on your plate when it comes to keeping up with the competition. What if you could attract consumer confidence and trust — and make a difference in the health of our planet?
At Blue Technologies, we are invested in helping our print clients succeed in a hypercompetitive marketplace. One way we do this is by offering the highest quality print machines and technology that can also contribute to more sustainable printing. One example is our selection of Konica Minolta printers. Not only does Konica Minolta have a strong environmental policy for their parent company, but the machines they produce are targeted to bring you — and your customers — a higher level of sustainability. In fact, their bizhub ECO model is full of eco features that helps you save resources, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs — all while helping your production facility move toward sustainability.
Take your print services to a new level of sustainability the easy way. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant and learn how our suite of eco-friendly printers can help your print business outpace the competition.