Is Printing Actually Bad for the Environment?

It sounds like a simple question, but it’s a hard one to answer in depth.

Printing uses paper, energy, inks, transport and other resources. That means every printed product has an environmental footprint. But the answer isn’t simply ‘stop printing’, it’s sustainable printing. The more useful question is:

How can we print what we actually need, using better materials and more ethical production methods?

Paper is a renewable material

Paper is made from fibre, and responsibly managed forests can provide a renewable source of that fibre.

As of 2016, 1 ton of paper generates approximately 950 kg of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions on average and accounts for 5.7% of the world’s final industrial energy consumption and 9% of the manufacturing sector’s greenhouse gas emissions (Sun et al., 2018; Yakubu et al., 2019).

Yes, you read that correctly! And this was 10 years ago. We’re not certain what it is today but you get the picture.

Paper production is incredibly water-intensive, disgustingly so. However, producing paper still requires resources, and forestry practices vary. That’s why responsible sourcing and recycled content matter so much. Recycled paper can help keep recovered fibre in circulation and reduce reliance on virgin fibre.

It’s such a simple choice to make.

Printing creates waste

Printing processes can generate setup sheets, offcuts and rejected material.

A responsible printer should have systems for reducing and managing this waste. Waste reduction starts before production. Efficient artwork, sensible quantities and appropriate formats can all reduce material that never becomes part of the final product.

Energy matters

Printing equipment uses energy.

The environmental impact depends partly on the efficiency of the equipment and the source of the electricity used to operate it. Printers can reduce their impact through energy efficiency, renewable electricity, solar generation and other operational measures.

Finishes can add materials

A simple sheet of printed paper is relatively straightforward.

Adding plastic laminates, synthetic coatings or other materials changes the product. Sometimes these additions are useful. They can protect a product and extend its useful life. But if they aren’t necessary, avoiding them can simplify the finished product.

Digital isn’t automatically impact-free

It’s tempting to assume that digital communication has no environmental impact.

Digital services also require devices, networks, data centres and electricity. That doesn’t mean print is better than digital. It means the comparison is more nuanced than ‘paper bad, digital good’. The best approach is often to use each format where it makes sense. At Ethical Print Co. – we often recommend offset for larger print runs above 1,000 or so pieces, as that’s when offset becomes more efficient and ethical.

Print when print adds value

A printed annual report can be useful for a shareholder meeting, stakeholder presentation or board pack. A printed brochure can be useful at a conference or customer meeting. A business card can still be useful when networking. The question is whether the physical object serves a purpose, or if you’re better off producing something to be used in the digital space only.

Print less, but print better

If you want to reduce the environmental impact of your printing, start with the basics:

print only what you need
choose recycled or responsibly sourced paper
avoid unnecessary finishes
use an appropriate paper weight
choose a printer with responsible waste practices
consider transport and packaging
design efficiently
make the finished product useful and durable

None of these decisions makes a print job impact-free. They simply make it possible to reduce unnecessary impact. You can read more about what sustainability means in printing here.

What sustainable printing really means today

Sustainable printing isn’t about pretending printing has no environmental cost. It’s about acknowledging that cost and making better decisions.

For businesses, that means asking where materials come from, how they are produced, how much is used, what happens to waste and what happens to the product at the end of its useful life.

That is a much more useful definition of sustainable printing than simply putting a green label on a brochure.

At Ethical Print Co., we believe print can have a place in a more sustainable business when it is produced thoughtfully.

We focus on recycled paper printing for reports, booklets, brochures, stationery and other business communications across Australia.

If you’re planning a print project and want to understand the more sustainable printing options, we’re happy to help.