Sustainable printing services are a focus for several printing companies in Australia.
Designed to help you produce the printed materials you need while making more responsible choices about materials, production and waste, sustainable printing is a great option for any business.
For some organisations, that might mean recycled business cards. For others, it could mean a large run of annual reports, sustainability reports or corporate brochures.
The important thing is that sustainability is considered per project, but also adopted as an overall business strategy – to help reduce emissions and practice responsible procurement where possible.
What can sustainable printing services include?
Business stationery
Business cards, letterheads and other stationery can often be produced using recycled paper stocks. Simple formats are particularly well suited to sustainable production because they can avoid unnecessary coatings and mixed materials.
Brochures and flyers
Brochures are still useful for events, sales conversations, visitor information and campaigns. For sustainable brochure printing, consider recycled paper, appropriate paper weight, efficient layouts and whether a coating or laminate is actually required.
Booklets and reports
Booklets are one of the most useful applications for sustainable print because they can communicate a substantial amount of information in a compact format. They are particularly useful for annual reports, sustainability reports, strategic plans and corporate publications.
Annual reports
Annual report printing combines visual quality, information density and environmental considerations. A sustainable approach might include recycled paper, a sensible page count, an appropriate binding method and a print quantity based on actual stakeholder requirements.
Packaging and labels
Labels, swing tags and packaging components can be more complicated because they often involve adhesives, coatings and multiple materials.
Here, the goal is to consider the whole product rather than focusing on one ‘eco’ component.
Paper selection
Paper is central to most sustainable printing services.
Common considerations include:
- recycled content
- post-consumer recycled fibre
- responsible sourcing
- paper weight
- finish
- recyclability
There is no universal ‘best’ paper. The right choice depends on what you’re producing. At Ethical Print Co. we primarily print on EcoStar Uncoated and EcoStar Silk. These stocks are provided by Australia’s leading distributer, Ball & Doggett, who have a tonne of useful information about their papers on their website.
Finishing options
Finishing includes binding, folding, lamination, coatings and other treatments. A sustainable print service should help you understand the trade-offs. Sometimes less finishing is the better choice. Sometimes durability makes an additional treatment worthwhile.
Quantity and production
A sustainable printer can also help you think about how much to print.
If your information changes every six months, producing a five-year supply of brochures may create waste. If a document will remain relevant for several years, a larger production run may make sense. Sustainable printing is therefore partly about planning.
What should businesses ask their printer?
Before ordering, ask:
- Which recycled papers are available?
- What percentage of recycled content do they contain?
- Where will the project be produced?
- How is production waste managed?
- What finishes can be avoided?
- What quantity would you recommend?
- Can you provide evidence for your environmental claims?
These questions make it much easier to compare sustainable printing services.
At Ethical Print Co., we focus on practical sustainable printing for Australian businesses and organisations, particularly reports, booklets, brochures and business stationery.