Comments on: Recycled paper: What does going green mean?

By: UnforkRaranon

UnforkRaranon — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:48:06 +0000

Good website:D will definitely come back again soon:D

By: Jackson

Jackson — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:14:57 +0000

I’ve seen a couple of different ‘certifications’ for green printing or sustainable printing practices that printing companies are claiming. A couple I’ve seen are SFI and FSC. What is the difference in the various certifications out there and which ones should I really be looking for? And do they really mean anything, or is it just lip service by printers pretending to be “green” printers? Great blog post and good info on recycled paper and what it really means – I was not aware. Thank you!

By: Chip

Chip — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:44:38 +0000

Thanks for the comment and the resource! It’s easy to understand how customers or coworkers can jump to the term recycled. It’s sexy. All projects come down to scope, schedule or cost. As designers working with clients or sales and customer service representatives working with customers, it’s our job to ensure we determine what is most important and effective guide them to make the right decisions.

By: Burninghair

Burninghair — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:49:49 +0000

When ‘Going Green’ hit the company I work for, many people asked me to use recycled paper for their marketing materials. I contacted my printer and asked about my options. They happily sent me several samples of recycled paper stocks… but with heavy warnings regarding print quality and pricing.

The print quality was horrible and the cost was 3 times more than the norm. When I discussed the issues with my printer, they explained that the paper stocks I usually use contained 10-30% recycled material and suggested I continue using those because the greater the recycled content, the lower the quality went. I made no change- but I did a little research on the manufacturers of the stocks I used.

If “printing green” is absolutely important to your client, without the loss of quality, you can consider purchasing paper stocks with the SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) label. Simply put, SFI wants to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of forests. You can learn more about it here:
http://www.sfiprogram.org.

I can tell my clients that the paper products I have chosen to use have a percentage of recycled materials, are 100% recyclable and come from a manufacturer that genuinely cares about the environment by being SFI certified.

I didn’t even think about the chemical treatment process recycled paper goes through until I read this article. I can add that point to my list!

Thank you!