Industries around the world are gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of environmental responsibility, and many are seeking innovative ways to go green. Industries that rely heavily on the use of paper products, such as the printing and promotional industry, must be especially careful to ensure their activities are conducted in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
1. Do business with suppliers of recycled and environmentally friendly products. Use biodegradable inks and recycled paper for your printing activities, and purchase all operational materials, from printing presses to pencils, from suppliers that have shown tangible results in their environmental responsibility programs. Check potential suppliers' websites, call and ask detailed questions or consult online directories of certified green businesses such as the National Green Pages or the Green Earth Directory to determine whether a supplier is truly committed to their environmental initiatives. Visit the websites in the Resources below for more information.
2. Recycle all eligible waste products in your company. Recycling of paper, plastic and other waste products is essential in any industry. It's especially crucial for printing and promotions businesses, which use paper as one of their main raw materials.
3. Make energy conservation an important element of your company's culture and mission. Make policy and purchasing decisions with a constant eye for energy savings. Small things like using energy-saving lighting and heating solutions, purchasing power from utilities with a renewable energy component and instituting policies for turning off lights, computers and other power-sapping devices can add up to a significant energy savings.
4. Source products and raw materials locally whenever possible. Environmentally friendly products that must be shipped over great distances can have a larger negative environmental impact than less friendly materials bought locally.
- Get involved personally or financially in green initiatives. Since the major activities in the printing and promotions industry involve the use of paper, choose organizations that are committed to reforestation and the protection of forests around the world. Giving support to reforestation efforts can help offset the impact of your company's use of paper products.
- Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images