Sustainable printing does not compromise quality

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Manufacturers are innovating to meet increasing demand for greener products

The printing industry is generally acknowledged to be the 4th largest industry in the UK. There are over 6,000 printing companies in the UK, but very few have taken voluntary steps to reduce their environmental impact.

The demand for climate neutral products is rising steadily. Printing has a huge impact on the environment and we as consumers, designers, marketers, charity pioneers are in a position to do something about it, simply by choosing the climate responsible printers.

SAXOPRINT is an international provider for offset printing, operating since 2006 as an online shop, who doesn't believe that being climate neutral means quality compromise. They also believe in carbon offsetting, recycling and vegetable based inks, all from renewable sources and with the finishing touch of CarbonZero delivery. Effective management is key to climate neutral printing. It is also important not only to retain the human touch to the business but also genuinely show the humanity to the environment. Nobody loses from this kind of printing.

Climate neutrality with SAXOPRINT is not just achieved by using recycled paper; there are many factors involved. There is the collective printing process, which makes paper consumption more efficient and reduces the company's greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to conventional printing methods.

Because of the batch printing methods it enables to spread the set up and production emissions over every job that is produced within that batch, therefore all the printing jobs produced are not entirely responsible for all of the CO2 created, unlike with most of the conventional printing methods, where each job is produced on an ad-hoc basis and is solely responsible for the emissions it creates. They collect and distribute all of the print orders in a resource-saving manner so that almost no paper is left unused. This optimization is absolutely essential when you consider that paper accounts for the majority of the entire CO2 emissions, which arises in media production.

A key element in SAXOPRINT'S printing process alongside the paper is of course the printing ink they use. They completely dispense it by use of the alcohol Isopropanol. This protects the environment and at the same time the health of the staff who works on the printing machines. Furthermore, SAXOPRINT does not use mineral oils that have poor biodegradability and are also harmful to health. They are replaced by vegetable oils or their derivatives. The use of primary color supply lines on the printing machines also enables to considerably reduce the amount of waste caused by ink containers. The shipment of print products also causes CO2 emissions, therefore, they use "DPD Total Zero" and "UPS carbon neutral" to reduce and compensate for these unavoidable emissions, which means the climate-neutral delivery of all parcels is guaranteed.

In addition SAXOPRINT uses FSC certified papers both silk and gloss finish, and also undertakes to implement and develop all the demands and goals set by the FSC®. SAXOPRINT also partner a number of environmentally friendly initiatives, such as Climate Partnership For Forest Protection Kasigau Wildlife Corridor Kenya.

SAXOPRINT is also involved in several projects in Europe, such as the WWF and Act -responsible charities. In 2015 they are also planning to extend their CSR in the UK too.

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