Facts and Fiction

Better Decisions

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Resources and FAQ's

Better Decisions

When it comes to environmental concerns in communications, it is design which can help to establish the criteria. To begin, the most appropriate transmission media should be selected. Some information is short-lived or extremely changable and can be well suited for online distribution on the Web. If print is the best medium choice, then decisions primarily center around material selections and printing processes which impact on air and water quality and waste generation. This is where the complexity and the facts & fiction of the issues becomes confusing. Some things are changing rapidly; other are hardly changing at all and won't unless we begin to make our voices heard.

There are no easy solutions, sometimes just better trade-offs. The hard facts aren't very creative. Mostly, it's a balancing act, but a good place to start taking responsibility is in project planning.

little things that make a big difference

knowing the lingo

true colors?

 
little things that make a big difference

Every time you choose a paper, an ink, a coating, or an adhesive, you are making not only a design and printing decision, but an environmental one as well. Trying to integrate even some of these suggestions into your working process will be the beginning of a real commitment to more environmentally-sensitive design and printing practices.

• Avoid specification of PMS colors that exceed EPA threshold levels of copper and/or barium. Totally avoid all metallic inks and fluorescent inks, especially the greens, oranges and opaque yellows. Download Partners in Design's fact sheet True Colors? Copper and Barium in PMS Colors
  
  
• Lobby ink manufacturers for more research and design of nontoxic pigments.
  
  
• Specify vegetable oil inks with low VOC ratings. Evaluate comparable inks since the range of VOC percentages will vary based on the formulation for specific printing processes.
  
  
• Open up a dialogue with your printer about good housekeeping practices and alcohol substitutes in the pressroom.
  
  
• Design and specify materials with the "cradle-to-grave" principle in mind, matching the expenditure of resources to the intended lifespan of the piece.
  
  
• Select appropriate media for distribution of messages. Consider online communication for mass distribution of changeable, timely information.
  
  
• Build additional time into your schedules for research, testing and production and come to an understanding that this is an acceptable short-term trade-off if you are committed to environmentally-sensitive design.
  
  
• Acknowledge higher short term costs in alternative products while more markets develop.
  
  
• Better success and support will always come from developing long-term relationships with your vendors. Printers are more willing to test new materials with you if they know you are a steady client.
  
  
• Be clear in your specification requests, to avoid the substitution of lesser-quality products. Until you become familiar with particular products, ask for specific information on VOC ratings, the bleaching method used and the breakdown of the waste content in recycled papers.
  
  
• Include production notes on projects whenever possible. Develop your own standard of offering the information you deem essential to your audience. Stating the processes used or avoided can sometimes be the clearest solution.
  
  
• Consider non-ink printing processes like die-cutting and embossing that make beautiful use of rougher, darker grades of recycled sheets (and don't overcompensate with heavy ink coverage on the text sheets).
  
  
• Rather than force-fitting alternative materials to a particular design aesthetic, let them lead you to new ways of considering the design approach.
  
  
• Surface coatings and laminations should be rethought when done for aesthetic reasons rather than for protection, particularly if the piece will have a short life.
  
  
• Dark shades of paper dyes and heavy coverage of inks increase the difficulty and the amount of chemicals necessary in the deinking process. Consider the choices carefully if the printed piece is likely to be recycled.
  
  
• Consider using a lighter weight of paper when choosing a recycled sheet since the naturally shorter fibers are somewhat more opaque.
  
  
• Question paper merchants about the bleaching methods used on both virgin and recycled sheets and indicate your preference for TCF bleaching methods.
  
  
• If you are a student or design or communications, encourage your instructors to arrange visits to paper mills, ink facilities and deinking plants if possible.
  
  
• Consider that the whitest and brightest paper is not always the best solution for every application.
  
  
• Specify recycled papers with high (upwards of 50%-80%) postconsumer waste, and deinked fiber that has not been rebleached with chlorinated compounds.
  
  
• Match the expenditure of resources to the intended life span of the printed piece.
  
  
• Rethink the idea that recycled fiber in text and writing papers lowers quality. Think of the Acoma potter who mixes broken clay shards into every new batch of fresh clay. Think of the quilter who uses scraps to create a new whole.
  
  
• Beware of Greenwash. Double check promotional information, find suppliers you can trust and support professional organizations to provide unbiased information.
  
  
• Always think proportions.

It's important to know what you're talking about! Like any other specialization, you've got to speak the lingo both to understand and to make yourself understood. Here is a basic start-up glossary to get you going, along with some further helpful links. This list will be added to when we get a sense of what people know and don't know, so check back frequently.


AOX (adsorbable organic halogen)
AOX is a broad term that combines all types of chlorinated organics into one number measuring the total amount of chlorine bound to organic compounds. It does not distinguish between compounds that bioaccumulate and those that do not.

alkaline papers
alkaline papers typically use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) instead of clay for filler. The American National Standards Organization (ANSI) requires a permanent paper to have a pH of 7.5 or greater, and a minimum 2% alkaline reserve as a buffering agent. (pH measures the degree of acidity and alkalinity; pH 7 is neutral, above 7 is alkaline, below 7 is acidic). Some "acid-free" papers indicate only that an alkaline sizing process was used, but not that a minimum pH of 7.5 has been achieved or that a 2% alkaline reserve is present. Papers meeting the full ANSI standards can display the Alkaline Permanent Paper Symbol.

CAMALS list
the current standard regulatory list of heavy metals which includes cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, lead and selenium.

direct dyes
dyes used to color paper and textiles, chemically called azo dyes. Direct dyes can be anionic orcationic. Anionic dyes contain compounds which are known human health and environmental hazards.

chlorine free or dioxin free
these non-specific terms do not offer enough information to indicate that the paper has been bleached without the use of any chlorinated compounds.

chlorinated compounds
also called organochlorines, these synthetic chemicals are formed in the chlorine bleaching of brown tree pulp to white, as well as in incineration of solid waste and combustion engines and can cause considerable damage when they enter an ecosystem.

deinking
the process of removing printed inks and finishing materials from the reusable fiber of paper.

dioxins
generic term for suspected carcinogens, extremely toxic to both humans and animals and very resistant to bioloigical breakdown. Many different chlorinated compounds are commonly called "dioxins".

EPA Cluster Rule
US Environmental Protection Agency's proposed regulation to limit water effluent and air emissions from pulp and paper companies. These limits are still under consideration, but if approved, could influence the future of pulp bleaching technologies.

EPA Method 24
US Environmental Protection Agency's measurement method of measuring the amount of VOC emissions given off by a compound, such as a printing ink, when it is burned under rapid intense heat. There is debate as to whether this method gives a true reading, since inks are rarely subjected to such intense heat, even when incinerated.

EcoLogo
The official mark of Environment Canada awarded to products that meet the Canadian government's Environmental Choice criteria. EcoLogo certification requires that "printing papers must contain over 50% by weight of recycled paper of which a minimum of 10% of the total weight must be postconsumer fiber." The distinction of "by weight" is significant, since, if not specified, the recycled content is probably based on fiber content and not weight. Since all papers contain fillers, the actual amount of recycled content in such instances will necessarily be less.

elemental chlorine free (ECF)
refers to pulp that has been bleached without the use of chlorine gas. ECF pulp may, however, have been bleached with hypochlorite or chlorine compounds.

heavy metals
more extensive list of metals with a specific gravity greater than 5.0 such as copper, lead, cadmium, chromium-6 and zinc. Although not all are regulated, most heavy metals pose health risks to humans and animals.

MSDS
(material safety data sheet)
Product identification sheet which is prepared by ink, dye and solvent manufacturers and which must detail any hazardous ingredients and environmental precautions. MSDSs are available for all of these products, <(see sample MSDS)> if not always easy to understand.

mill waste
clean, unprinted paper or board, such as converting cutting, envelope clippings and reject and obsolete paper collected from binderies, envelope manufacturers, and other paper converters. This paper waste, also called "mill broke," is considered preconsumer waste by the EPA but not by Environment Canada.

nondeinked postconsumer waste
recycled waste paper that has not gone through any rebleaching.

oxygen bleaching or oxygenation
a totally chlorine-free process used to seperate lignin from wood fibers, and to bleach and whiten pulp.

ozone bleaching
a totally chlorine-free process used to separate lignin from wood fibers and to bleach and whiten pulp.

pigment
one of the three components of all commercial printing inks, the other two being vehicle and binder. Derived mainly from metals or clays (inorganic pigments) or petroleum byproducts (organic pigments). Some ink pigments, in both petroleum and vegetable based formulas, still contain heavy or toxic metals.

processed chlorine free (PCF)
qualified term which indicates that no new chlorine has been introduced into the bleaching and pulping opeartions. Dioxins, however, may be present in recycled paper pulp, or in the fibers of trees which have been contaminated through toxic air emissions.

postconsumer waste
papers and cardboards which have already been used and discarded by the consumer, such as materials that have passed through consumer use and and have been, for the most part, recovered from the waste stream through recycling, such as papers, cardboards, checks, mailings and office waste. Postconsumer waste is paper that will be burned or buried if not recycled.

preconsumer waste
materials that have been printed, coated or processed, but have not been used in their finished form, such as printed scrap and trimmings from publishers and printers, and second cut cotton linters.
recycling

soy-based or vegetable-based inks
Vegetable or soy oil percentages are given for only the vegetable oil content of the ink. Thus, a "100% soy-based ink" does not necessarily mean that 100% of the total oil content of the ink is soy; but only that 100% of the vegetable oil in the ink is soy. The remainder of the oil content is probably petroleum. A better evaluation of the percentage of petroleum oil replacement in any given ink is by its VOC rating.

SoySeal
The American Soybean Association SoySeal logo can be used for the following soy ink formulations: a news ink with at least 55% soybean oil; a sheetfed ink with at least 20%, and a heatset web with at least 18%. These are minimum replacement standards, and many soy or vegetable oil formulations now being marketed carry much higher replacement amounts.

totally chlorine free (TCF)
refers to pulp and paper that has been bleached without the use of chlorinated compounds, using instead oxygen, hydrogen peroxide or ozone.

totally effluent free (TEF)
a closed loop system in a manufacturing industry, where everything is recycled

ToySafe
Voluntary labeling standard established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for the inks used on toys and other products used by children. A Toy Safe ink does not necessarily pass FDA requirements for food contact inks.

unbleached paper
the only unbleached paper is brown kraft. Newsprint and all printing papers are bleached to some extent.

VOC
(volatile organic compound)
emissions that are the result of the evaporation of petroleum oils and solvents and which contribute to air pollution through the formation of ozone. VOCs are irritants and depressants to the central nrvous system. Some are toxic, and a few, such as benzene and toluene, are carcinogenic. Printers, dry cleaners and metal fabricators are VOC producers.

Eaten any M & M's lately? Remember those white M's? Never mind wondering how they're printed, think about the ink.

Food contact inks...a very select niche in the ink manufacturing business-the only inks available that are totally free of heavy metals and toxic substances. The colorants use the purest forms of the pigment available. Every lot produced needs to be tested and certified before shipment. These alternative nontoxic substitutes are generally synthetic inorganic compounds or organic dyes, lakes or pigments. Many are derivitives of coal tar dyes. These inks' main uses are in the food, drug, cosmetic and medical implant industries, although formulations are available for sheetfed, heatset web, flexographic and silkscreen.

Why aren't they more widely used? The inks are 2 to 3 times the price per pound of standard lithographic inks, but that's not the whole reason. In reality, the cost of ink alone accounts for less than 2% of a average print project's budget. The real reason is that you have to give up something to get something. Color in its purest form does not lend itself well to lightfastness, color strength and gloss. The clear cyan blues and clean warm reds of commercial printing inks are impossible to produce, as we know them, without copper and barium. The long-term environmental impact of these pigments is much debated, and the issue quickly becomes clouded by definitions and numerous regulatory and economic considerations. While there is some work being done to develop an offset ink color palette of nontoxic pigments, which colors to use and how much of them will remain an ethical judgement call for a long time to come.

In the complex area of paper dyes, if designers are concerned about choosing a product with a small ecological footprint, it is easier to assess the environmental record of a company than to assess a particular product. Although MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) are prepared for paper dyes, the formulations are fairly proprietary, since a paper's success in the marketplace relies heavily on its texture, printability and, of course, its color. In 1958, the government developed what was called the Prior Sanctions List, essentially lists of dyes that were deemed safe because they had caused no prior harm.

Most of these dyes are not considered safe by today's standards and very few are still used by the paper industry. In addition, heavy-metal content in paper dyes has been reduced by about 60% since the 70s (although with increased printing volume, the environmental dose may be the same). Many mills have developed new dyes that are water-insoluble. These dyes basically won't come out of the paper, either onto anything the paper comes into contact with or when the paper is deinked. Soluble dyes are, however, still used in some paper lines, particularly for bright, fluorescent sheets, and this could have implications if suspect pigment components enter the waste stream.

The dye industry is not regulated. and the FDA is only concerned with paper dyes that have direct food contact. However, a mill can decide to set its own "standard of care." A good way to assess a company's approach is to contact paper manufacturers directly and inquire what guidelines their paper designers consult and what materials they avoid when developing a new dye color.

An East Coast mill gave us the following scenario that their paper designers need to follow through to develop a new dye color. First, they consider worker safety. If the material has acute or chronic health effects on workers, they won't use it. Second, they consult the Clean Water Act. If the material contains primary pollutants that will cause problems when discharged into rivers or when deinked, they won't use it. And lastly, they consult RECRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) which governs the disposal of materials. If the material comes in a 55-gallon drum which will have to be disposed of as hazardous waste, they won't use it.

 
heavy metals

The current standard regulatory definition of heavy metals includes what is know as the CAMALS list, specifically cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, lead and selenium. If restrictions on the use of heavy metals in inks are limited to these six metals, the inks affected would be only those used to print on flexible packaging, especially on transparent films. Fluorescent greens, oranges and extremely opaque bright yellows would also have to be reformulated.

cadmium
used almost exclusively to print bright and deep reds on special acid-resistant labels. Known carcinogen and neurotoxin, no longer used in pigment formulation.

arsenic
known carcinogen and neurotoxin

mercury
neurotoxin in humans, and acutely toxic to marine life


antimony
linkled to lung congestion, infertility and eye and skin irritation in humans

lead
approximately 60% of the weight used in chrome yellow and molybdate orange pigments is derived from lead. Use is restricted to printing on special materials such as mylar and acetates. Known carcinogen and neurotoxin. The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) suggests inorganic pigment substitution when exact color matches, opacity and lightfastness are not requirements.

selenium
linked to lung irritation, breating problems and liver damage

barium
widely used in formulation of printing ink red organic pigments, including the Lithols, the Permanent Red 2Bs and the Red Lake Cs, among others. Known irritant to the lungs; chronic exposure damages the heart and liver.

chromium
used with lead to make the pigmant lead chromate. Known carcinogen in certain forms.

copper
essential component for formulation of phthalocyanine blue and green pigments. Standard blue pigment for use in Process Blue. There is no available replacement for this important class of pigment that is used in most blue and green inks. Acutely and chronically toxic to marine life.

zinc
essential component of all standard whites and tinted shades, and in metallics. Acutely toxic to marine life.The current standard regulatory definition of heavy metals includes what is know as the CAMALS list, which includes cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, lead and selenium. If restrictions on the use of heavy metals in inks are limited to these six metals, the inks affected would be those used to print on flexible packaging, especially on transparent films. Fluorescent greens, oranges and extremely opaque bright yellows would also have to be reformulated. But if restrictions are extended to other heavy metals, including barium, chromium, copper and zinc, the inks affected would include traditional litho inks used in their most common formulations, ie the four process colors.

 
production notes

Here's an example of how production notes can be written so that they can add value to a project and help in the sharing of useful information. Remember, it is important to mention as many processes as possible that were addressed in the project production, so that people become aware of the range of issues nvolved.

Sample: