What to Look for in an Eco-Friendly Printer

Printing and paper purchasing offer opportunities for every business, no matter the size or industry, to reduce its environmental footprint. Each print run produces chemical wastes and other emissions — many of which can be minimized through informed choices and good management practices. But how best to identify an environmentally responsible printing company? Roger Telschow, founder and president of Ecoprint, offers this checklist of “asks”:

• Ask … for the Web site address, company brochure, or annual report and look for the company’s published mission statement. Check to see if it mentions environmental stewardship or corporate social responsibility.
• Ask … for proof that the company meets or exceeds industry compliances. Also, ask the company to list any industry associations of which it is a member.
• Ask … what if any steps the company has taken to promote the environment, community engagement, or principles-led management practices.
• Ask … for customer feedback or testimonials.
• Ask … whether the company will provide material safety data sheets (MSDS) on its inks.
• Ask … how and where the company disposes of its chemicals, solvents, and trash.
• Ask … what steps the company takes to conserve resources, such as shutting off the lights at night, recycling inks to make black ink, or using energy-efficient fluorescent lights. Find out if the company buys electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind power. (Electricity is the second-highest environmental impact after paper consumption for printers.)
• Ask … whether the company stocks inks that are low in volatile organic compounds, or VOCs (< 2%-3%).
• Ask … if the company has contracted with outside suppliers to conduct qualified environmental audits throughout the printing-process supply chain.
• Ask … how the company’s employees are safeguarded for toxicity.

While not all of these checklist questions will apply to every printer and project, they’re a great place to start.