Govt3 is a programme to help government agencies become more environmentally sustainable.
Lifting the environmental performance of government agencies has substantial benefits - for the environment, the public and the agencies themselves. Benefits include: improved value for money, better energy efficiency and reduced use of materials. There are a number of areas in which government can become more environmentally sustainable - these are outlined on the Govt3 website (www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/govt3). This guide outlines what steps can be taken when publishing
Through publications we inform, advise, educate, raise awareness and seek feedback. Publishing managers, designers, printers and others can play an important role in helping to minimise the environmental impact of the printing industry. This guide will help you consider and make decisions on environmental criteria when planning a publication from design, paper and ink choices through to supply chain management.
Government is a large producer of publications. This publishing has an environmental impact which government agencies can seek to minimise, whilst using their purchasing power to influence cleaner products and services.
Taking action and making a difference is at the centre of this guide. The guide outlines five steps you can take towards sustainable publishing. You may want to initially focus on steps two and three as they have the potential to make the biggest difference. However, the steps before and after are also important.
| Step One: | Plan for sustainability upfront |
| Step Two: | Make a difference with paper and ink |
| Step Three: | Make a difference with finished form |
| Step Four: | Influence distribution and suppliers |
| Step Five: | Make a statement |
This guide should be used at the initial planning stage of any publication and considered alongside other key publishing criteria such as value for money, your audience and the image you want to present. Read the steps you are interested in. If you want more information click on the link at the bottom of the step.
Planning for sustainability early in the project can save time and resources. Many decisions made at the initial planning stages can place limitations on or create opportunities for what you can do at later stages.
Many aspects dealt with appropriately at the beginning can result in cost saving and environmental benefits.
Interested in more information? See Plan for sustainability upfront.
Paper manufacturing can have a large impact on the environment. The process starts when the trees are grown and managed, harvested, and manufactured into paper, and finishes when the paper is disposed of.
By selecting an environmentally sound paper you will help:
Purchasers have a large ability to influence a number of environmental impacts - simply by choosing a different type of paper.
Interested in more information? See Make a difference with paper and ink - paper considerations.
The use of ink affects both the environment (through manufacturing and use) and printing staff. Some inks can cause medical problems as they contain hazardous substances for example; antimony, chromium, selenium, arsenic, mercury, cobalt, cadmium, manganese, lead. Cleaning the inks from printing presses can require the use of powerful cleaning agents.
By considering the environmental factors of ink choice you will help:
Ink use affects both the local environment and printing staff. Choose carefully.
Interested in more information? See Make a difference wih paper and ink - ink considerations.
Publications can take many forms. Some of these have larger environmental impacts than others and use products that are hazardous (ie, sealers) and reduce the ability to recycle the product.
By considering the environmental factors in the finished form of the publication you will help:
Your publication can have a low environmental impact and still look good.
Interested in more information? See Make a difference with finished form.
Transporting publications around the country and the world uses energy and money. Sometimes if the person receiving it has moved address or is not interested, it is a waste of resources.
The form in which an item is sent can also vary. Some of the forms use substances that can reduce the ability to recycle or reuse the product.
By considering the environmental aspects of distribution you will help:
Considering ways to distribute your publication can help save resources and money.
Interested in more information? See Influence distribution and suppliers - influencing distribution.
The designers and printers you work with have a large influence on whether or not your publication is environmentally sound.
By influencing your suppliers to make environmentally sound choices you will help:
Early contact with designers and printers is a key way you can make sure environmental issues are considered.
Interested in more information? See Influence distribution and suppliers - influencing suppliers.
By considering environmental impacts and making choices towards sustainable products you have made a positive difference. Make sure you tell people about this and encourage others to be responsible!
By making your mark you help:
Tell others what a great job you have done and increase your profile.
1. Make a statement about the contents of the publication (ie, recycled paper percentage, bleaching process, ink used)
2. Encourage good behaviour
Interested in more information? See Make a statement.
This guide was developed with help from existing resources including the Waitakere City Council’s publication Guidelines for ‘Green’ Print Purchasing and the Christchurch City Council’s Print Purchasing Guidelines (internal resource). Thank you to the many individuals in the publishing and printing industry who have provided time giving advice on drafts of this document.
Printed documents play a key role in how an organisation distributes information to an audience. But this is only one way to communicate. Think about other forms of communication such as e-newsletters, CD-ROMs, web-based information, newspaper advertisements, radio advertisements, workshops and seminars. These options may be more effective and a better use of financial and environmental resources.
Consider printing summary reports and only printing a few full reports. This will reduce the amount of materials used. Government publishers will need to be aware of the New Zealand Government Web Guidelines for reports on the web and other guidelines issued by the Office of the Auditor General.
If you are putting information on the web consider the following:
By printing your publications double-sided you can nearly halve paper use saving resources and money.
Be clear who the target audience is and how many copies of the publication they will actually need. Take into account library and National Library requests (by law two copies of anything you publish must be sent to legal deposit at the National Library).
Aspects of digital printing differ significantly from offset printing. In some cases digital printing can be more appropriate than offset printing and it is recommended that you speak to a digital printing firm about your specific publication. This should be done at the initial planning stage but after size and print volumes have been determined.
In cases where digital printing is more appropriate for your publication the environmental benefits include:
Design a format that maximises paper use and minimises offcut waste (which is created by large borders and margins). However, remember that your document needs to be readable and white space plays an important part in readability. Avoid unusual sizes and shapes of paper which can lead to increased paper wastage and distribution costs.
The drafting and proofing process can involve lots of documents passing between you and the designer and printer. You can reduce the environmental impacts of this process and reduce costs by:
An eco label is an independent certification that ensures important key impacts are minimised for a product. Environmental labels are available in New Zealand and worldwide. Currently there are no printing papers with the New Zealand certification (check the Environmental Choice website for updates), but some papers hold the equivalent overseas label (eg, Blue Angel - Germany; Nordic Swan - Denmark; and the Green Seal - USA). Most eco-labels are part of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN). Wherever possible select a paper that has one of these labels.
There are also environmental management schemes such as the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and International Organisation for Standards 14001 (ISO) environmental management system. The Ministry for the Environment has a summary of environmental management systems on its website (link below). These schemes cover management and improvement of the paper manufacturing process, but do not provide information about actual impacts on the environment during the life cycle of the paper. The schemes are process based rather than performance based.
Recycled paper has a much smaller environmental footprint than paper manufactured from raw materials. It uses fewer trees, less water, energy, landfill space and results in less pollutants being released to the air and water.1
The problems that printers had from lint in earlier recycled papers are no longer an issue for many of the modern recycled papers. But not all recycled papers are guaranteed for high speed printers - ask the supplier about specific types.
If your printing job requires archiving or permanent preservation be aware that recycled paper is not always guaranteed for this purpose. However, improved technology means this situation is changing.
Not all papers are the same when it comes to recycling. Waste from high grade printers and sorted office paper can now be recycled back into high grade office and printing paper, but mixed paper and newsprint is only recyclable into such paper grades as newsprint, sanitary paper, packaging liners or pulped paper products.
1 Current life cycle analysis work on paper production, recycling, and disposal indicate clear net advantages in the use of recycled paper. See for example www.ofee.gov/recycled/descript.htm and www.cfd.rmit.edu.au/programs/life_cycle_assessment/paper_packaging_lca.
When virgin paper is made the pulp must be bleached to remove lignin. Lignin is a naturally occurring compound which holds the wood together but contributes to yellowing if it remains in the paper. When recycled paper is remade into a white paper, it must be bleached to remove inks. Traditionally to make the paper white, chlorine gas was used, but this resulted in the creation of highly toxic and persistent organochlorines such as dioxin. New processes reduce this potential chemical burden on the environment.
The ECF (elemental chlorine free) process manufactures paper without the use of elemental chlorine, reducing 80% of the potential organochlorine load to the environment. Even better is the TCF (totally chlorine free also called PCF - process chlorine free) method, which uses oxygen based bleaches rather than chlorine.
TCF plants are better suited to chemical recycling as the bleaching chemicals are less corrosive. This slightly reduces pollutants and discharges to water. However, in some mills, the TCF process can require more pulp to make the same amount of paper, and can involve use of other toxic chemicals.
On balance it is preferable to avoid any paper made using elemental chlorine (EC) bleaching, specify ECF or TCF paper.2
2 European Commission regulators consider that pulp bleaching is the major source by orders of magnitude of UPOPS (unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants) from paper manufacture. Conventional elemental chlorine (EC) bleaching produces significantly more UPOPS than well-managed elemental chlorine free (ECF), and totally chlorine free (TCF) processes. Official EU best practice advice indicates that only low-kappa ECF is equivalent to TCF in terms of best practise to reduce chlorinated compound effluents. Kappa is a measure of the lignin content remaining in pulp - low kappa pulps have been processed more thoroughly and require less bleaching, and therefore less use of bleaching chemicals. [UNEP 2003 (www.pops.int/documents/meetings/bat_bep/2nd_session/inf5/EGB2_INF5_pulp.pdf)]
To reduce the environmental footprint of paper products, it is important to source all virgin pulp from sustainably managed plantations. This helps minimise adverse effects to water quality, soil resources, ecosystems, old-growth forests and local communities. Third party accreditation schemes are still evolving. More information on the accreditation schemes is contained in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Timber Procurement Policy.
Choosing a coated versus uncoated paper will depend on the look you want. During the recycling process the clay coating is removed and is generally disposed of as waste, which reduces the amount of useful fibre per tonne recovered from recycling paper by approximately one third.
Selecting a lighter paper means you use less paper to print your publication. This saves resources and money. If you are planning to mail lots of documents, a higher paper weight may add to your distribution costs. Select a weight suitable for the type and expected life of the publication you are printing.
Limit the use of dark or brightly coloured papers. The resources used in these papers are greater than in white papers. Coloured paper has been dyed and some dyes contain heavy metals and other toxic materials. Also when coloured paper is sent for recycling it needs to be bleached to remove the dye.
Specifying a paper that is brighter than it needs to be adds unnecessarily to the environmental burden of producing the paper. High grades of whiteness are created by extra bleaching processes or added “optical whitener” chemicals.
Currently no paper is manufactured in New Zealand so consider Australasian sourced alternatives using local pulp sources. A mill that sources its pulp from a local sustainably managed plantation or from a nearby catchment (eg, urban catchment for recycled paper) uses less energy than a mill that imports pulp from around the world.
This reduces the transport energy needed to manufacture and bring the paper to New Zealand, thus reducing the climate change impact of the paper. However, it should also be remembered that about 80% of the energy in paper is used in the manufacturing process. Ecolabels address mill energy efficiency, and recycled papers are more energy efficient over the whole life cycle of the paper.
Mineral free inks have been in New Zealand for a number of years. At first there were problems with quality (the early inks were based on soya oil) but now vegetable inks work for a number of purposes and can be used to replace traditional inks.
The composition of the traditional printing inks varies widely. Some inks contain hazardous substances such as petroleum hydrocarbons (which release volatile organic compounds resulting in air pollution); cadmium, mercury, chromium (which are hazardous heavy metals used in pigments for colouring); or solvents used as a carrier or to aid in drying.
Mineral oil based inks can contain petroleum oil based pigment carriers, and heavy metals which are used to create colour. Vegetable based inks are now readily available and are comparable in price and performance to high quality mineral oil based inks.
Coloured inks are available as vegetable inks but still can contain some heavy metals so if possible reduce the ink coverage. Metallic colours are harder to source as vegetable inks so avoid using them when possible. Think about the effectiveness of the message and the target audience - what do you gain from the use of colour?
Tip: Inks can be labelled ‘vegetable oil based’ products. Be aware that these may be mineral inks with vegetable ink added. To be sure ask the supplier to state the proportion of mineral inks in the product. There are now inks coming onto the market that are 100% mineral oil free
If you cannot use mineral free inks then specify inks with less than 10% of volatile organic compounds.
This ensures the ink is used as efficiently as possible. Fewer resources are used and less wastage is produced. Try to minimise bleed allowance to acceptable industry needs. Be aware that you may be limiting the options you have for layout. Think about your format as this will influence the bleeds as well.
Most inks can be recycled to make a standard black ink (this ink is not 100% recycled as non-recycled ink needs to be added). Recycled black ink significantly reduces the amount of ink waste going to landfill, reuses a valuable commodity and costs slightly less than standard black inks. There are limitations to the use of recycled black ink such as its suitability for some methods of printing.
Some ink manufacturers now add similar colours together for recycling. For instance all recycled red ink will be added together to form a certain colour red ink.
Traditionally sealers have been oil based and contained solvents. Publishing managers now have the option of specifying aqueous sealers. They have less toxicity than oil based sealers, have no carcinogenic properties and some are suitable for use on food packaging (ie, they meet very high health standards). Aqueous sealers dry almost instantly meaning the printer can start working on the publication (trimming, folding etc.) straight away. Oil based sealers can take several hours to dry.
In smaller documents (less than 60 pages) avoid the hot glue melts used in perfect binding by selecting another type of binding, eg, saddle stitching or wire binding. Hot glue melts can cause problems in the recycling process as glue particles can attach themselves to the machine or become imbedded in the paper/product itself. However, in publications larger than 60 pages a hot glue melt may be necessary.
Avoid plastic lamination unless it is necessary to prolong the life of a document, poster or display. Laminating a document prevents recycling at the end of its life. If you are going to laminate there are different weights of coating. Try to use the lightest one that suits your purpose.
Avoid the use of PVC plastic for bindings, binders, folders and/or packaging. The PVC is not recyclable. If possible use covers that have a recycled content. If using tape/paper binding avoid colours.
Adhesives used on labels can be water based (aqueous) or hot melt (rubber) or a combination of solvent based. Aqueous emulsions are better for the environment due to easy breakdown when recycling. As they contain no chemical additives such as a solvent they do not give off toxic substances when burnt.
There is also a choice between permanent and removable self adhesive labels. Removable labels are recommended. Permanent labels can hinder the recycling process as they are very difficult to remove from the substrate once applied.
Ask if the labels supplied conform to the European packaging laws for heavy metals and have a USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval or another country’s equivalent. Also check the paper product supplied comes from sustainable sources (see the paper section of this guide for more information).
Update mailing lists regularly and target specific sectors to reduce unwanted direct mail in the waste stream. This results in less ‘return to sender’ letters and postage costs. In your mail out include a reply paid form or reply email address asking for any change in contact details.
Avoid flow wrapping. Consider leaving the back page for the address and seal with a sticky label. This reduces the amount of resources required for mailing but may affect the quality of the publication as it passes through the postal system. If you are using flow wrapping ask the supplier if they recycle the offcuts as the plastic can be recycled in commercial quantities.
Overseas types of biodegradable flow wrap may be available. These may be useful but would be appropriate only if the end user composted the wrap rather than disposed of it in the landfill.
This reduces the amount of materials used as sticky labels and other mailing material is not required.
If another mail out is happening at a similar time plan to put both documents in one envelope, if appropriate. This can save costs and resources.
If you are asking for something to be returned use reusable, resealable envelopes instead of reply paid or extra envelopes. This reduces the amount of resources required by saving envelopes.
Ask what is being done to ensure that the designer/printer is compliant with health and safety (ie, OSH) and environmental legislation
Ask if the organisation has an OSH plan in place as required by OSH legislation. A useful resource is the OSH guide Health Safety and Environment Guide for Printing and Related Industries.
This demonstrates how seriously the organisation takes its impacts on the environment and can often save money while also reducing environmental impacts. Does the organisation have an environmental policy or environmental management system and are they measuring and reporting it? Have they had an energy audit conducted and have they acted on it? A summary of environmental management systems is available on the Ministry for the Environment website. For more on energy management in business see the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website.
Landfills have a multitude of environmental effects such as emissions and leaching. Much of the waste going to landfill could often have been diverted to recycling or be reused elsewhere saving money and resources. A variety of practices and purchasing choices can help minimise the amount of solid waste a designer or printer sends to landfill. For example does the organisation have a recycling system and have they conducted a waste audit? For more information on reducing waste in an office see the Ministry for the Environment’s guide on reducing office waste. For information on minimising waste and environmental effects in a print shop see the Christchurch City Council guide (link below).
By looking at their suppliers, designers and printers can help and encourage good environmental practice. Ask if the organisation ensures the information supplied to it by suppliers is verified. Do they look at their suppliers and subcontractors environmental and social practices?
All councils have trade waste bylaws and other conditions that may affect a printer’s operation. Ensure the printer is clear about their environmental effects and what local by-laws and conditions are relevant to them. Any hazardous substances used should be controlled using regulations developed by the Environmental Risk Management Authority of New Zealand (ERMA).
These emissions to air and water have several environmental impacts on the local environment. Printers can take steps to reduce the emissions by changing the products used and practices on the shop floor.
Cleaning products (such as petro-chemical types) can contain some hazardous chemicals that affect printing staff and the local environment. More products are now available that clean the equipment with less adverse effects on staff and the environment. Vegetable based cleaning products can be used to clean both mineral inks and vegetable inks off a printing press. Plus they are safer on the rubber rollers (prolonging the life of the equipment). Ask your printer what they use.
Recycling cleaning rags can reduce hazardous waste (preventing the waste going to landfill) and can often result in a cost saving for an organisation.
Methods of reducing ink waste include improved ordering, press management techniques and cleanup procedures. Old inks and end of line inks can often be returned to the supplier for remanufacture into black inks. This results in the diversion of the ink away from the landfill and allows the ink to be reused.
Ink containers can also be recycled into scrap metal.
End user education is important. You have done the hard work to minimise the environmental impact of your publication. Make sure your audience is aware of this. When they are finished with a publication encourage them to circulate it to others or dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.
Make sure you note that your product is printed on a percentage of (eg, 100%) recycled paper with mineral free inks.
An example of text you can use is:
“This publication is printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks.”
(Remember to confirm the supply of the stock and ink before committing the statement to prepress)
Add a suggestion that the product is disposed or reused.
For example:
“At the end of use please recycle this publication.”
“Please pass this on to others to use.”
“This publication has been designed to be recycled. Please recycle when you are finished with it.”
Published in November 2004 by the Ministry for the Environment, Manatū Mō Te Taiao, PO Box 10-362, Wellington, New Zealand. ME number: 554. This document is available on the Ministry for the Environment’s website: www.mfe.govt.nz