Sustainability of Print

In an increasingly digital world, print can be unjustly portrayed as an unsustainable means of communication. However, print is more sustainable than you think!

Paper is a sustainable resource

Responsible forest management and recycling makes paper both renewable and sustainable. Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) paper is made of responsibly sourced wood fiber and is managed carefully to reduces environmental impact. FSC® paper is widely available and is becoming an industry standard.

Additionally, the combined pulp, paper, and print sectors are the lowest industrial emitters of global greenhouse gases, at only 0.8%. For comparison, the information and communications technology industry accounts for 2.5–3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Innovative technology reduces emissions

Advanced developments in production equipment and print products have significantly reduced emissions caused by printing. Digital, on-demand printing allows customers to print only what is needed, reducing waste and improving efficiency. Innovative products like soy-based and UV inks lower environmental impact and produce lower emissions (Zero VOC) than conventional inks.

Employee engagement creates a sustainable environment.

Recognizing and rewarding employee engagement in environmentally friendly activities helps boost morale and creates a sustainable business environment. Engaging employees in sustainability gives them a sense of belonging and purpose, impacting their decisions so they make better choices that serve them, their community, and the environment.

At Prisma, we understand the importance of sustainability. We continuously work to improve the quality of our lives and preserve our ecosystem and natural resources for future generations. Keep reading to learn how we integrate environmental mindfulness in our business practices.

Prisma’s Mission

Our mission is to continually integrate environmental mindfulness in our company by focusing on three key objectives:

• Offering green-alternative products and services to our customers
• Implementing sustainable business practices and making our print processes more efficient
• Encouraging employees and the community to support environmental stewardship

Although we’re proud of the practices we’ve implemented to protect natural resources, we recognize these are initial steps in our journey to become an industry leader in environmental stewardship.

Sustainable Products and Services

Our first objective is to offer eco-friendly products and sustainable marketing and printing services to our clients. Prisma is a Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified printer (FSCC023676) in both our Phoenix and Nashville facilities. We encourage customers to use FSC® paper which is produced, harvested, and sold to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

Sustainable Business Practices

Our second objective is to implement sustainable business practices and make our print processes more efficient. Prisma recycles nearly 2,062 tons of paper, 185 tons of cardboard and other materials each year, which saves:

• Enough water to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools
• This represents a savings of 123,720 pounds of carbon dioxide a year
• 35,054 trees a year
• And saving 6,186 cubic yards of landfill space saved a year

Sustainable Innovation

Prisma’s state-of-the-art presses utilize UV inks for production. The benefit of UV inks is that they have a lower environmental impact, don’t use solvents, and also produce lower emissions (Zero VOC) than conventional inks. These eco-friendly inks are dry as soon as the sheet comes off the press which eliminates the need for an overall coating as was done in the past.

Prisma has also partnered with Packsize to implement on-demand packaging that allows our company to produce shipping boxes in custom specs to eliminate wasted corrugated material. The result of this implementation has resulted in:

• 19,566 pounds of carbon dioxide saved
• 200+ trees saved

Other ways we’ve increased our commitment to the environment include:

• Implementing AC units and a custom ventilation system that uses 15% less energy than standard systems
• Paper waste extraction system that pulls out cut off scraps of paper for recycling from the stitchers, Heat-Set Web and perfect binder
• Using a special web press dryer that releases 100% clean air and reduces natural gas consumption by 30% over other dryers
• Purchasing door mats made of 100% recycled tires and plastic water bottles

Employee Engagement

Our third objective is to inspire employees to support environmental stewardship in our community. Our employees are encouraged and rewarded for telecommuting, carpooling, utilizing public transportation, and even biking to work, which has saved more than 1,000 commuter trips in 6 months.

• Paper, plastic, aluminum, wood skids and cardboard waste are collected and recycled
• Employees are encouraged to bring recyclables to work if recycling is not offered at their residence
• A company-wide power-down policy promotes turning off computers, lights, air conditioning and heating, and other energy consumption devices at the end of the work day

Creating a Sustainable Future

Prisma’s goal is to continue executing sustainable business practices and offer eco-friendly products and services to our clients. We are continuously investing in innovative technology to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage active employee engagement to keep print sustainable.

Do you have an upcoming print project and don’t know where to start? Prisma is here to help. Our in-house consultants have the knowledge and expertise to recommend eco-friendly solutions and use sustainable business processes to seamlessly execute all your marketing logistics and print production needs. Contact us today to get started.