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5 Frightening Facts about Printing Industry Waste

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It’s spooky season and we’ve got some frightening facts about the waste the printing industry produces. Love it or loathe it, Halloween is upon us once again. In the spirit of spookiness, we thought we’d tell you some frightening facts about paper waste.

Take a look at some of the most frightful ones below:

 

1. Every year we need a forest the size of Wales to produce all the paper we use in the UK

It’s no surprise that the printing industry goes through a lot of paper but mapping out a forest the size of Wales put things into perspective. In late 2022, Technoprint invested in a replacement printing press that requires less paper use, and thus waste, as well as lower energy consumption. The introduction of the new press has helped us to improve our capacity to meet customer demand, while at the same time ensuring we can do so in an eco-friendly way. In addition, all the paper we print on is FSC®-certified meaning they have come from responsibly sourced forests that harvest in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. This comes at no extra cost to our clients.

 

 

2. Paper accounts for 50% of all business waste by volume

Despite the term “The Paperless Office” first being used in 1978, paper is still playing a significant role in commerce 45 years later as more than 199 tonnes of paper are produced every 15 seconds. Our team endeavours to conduct as many meetings with customers, where possible, in a digital setting, so as to reduce the exhaust emissions caused by travel to physical meetings. An additional benefit to this setting is the lack of paper used. All the files are digital instead of physical, so we save paper by eliminating the need for multiple copies for each meeting member.

 

3. Paper rotting in landfills emits methane gas, which is 25 times more toxic than carbon dioxide

100% of our waste is collected and disposed of by Environmental Agency-approved waste collectors to ensure it is sustainably managed, while all our paper, plastic, cardboard, and aluminium waste are recycled. Pulp and paper are the world’s third-largest polluters of air, water, and soil and a lot of that comes from printing industry waste. Whilst not a lot of people know that all our staff receive annual training on environmental practices to provide them with the tools and knowledge to go about their roles in an environmentally sustainable way. To do our bit in the war against carbon emissions, Technoprint are in the process of becoming a carbon-balanced printer, meaning for every tonne of paper-based material we purchase, we pay a fee that helps plant trees to replace those used in our production.

 

4. The average worker uses around 500 paper cups for hot beverages every year

And not all of those make it to a recycling bin. Whilst paper cups are a step in the right direction, away from their plastic alternatives, a far better solution provides itself in the form of reusable flasks or bottles. This method is preferred in many independent coffee shops and chains with some even offering discounts and other incentives for those who bring along their own receptacle for their caffeine fix. In our office, this isn’t a problem, our MD Alan makes a cracking cup of tea and always makes sure the office is stocked with mugs for all!

 

 

5. Paper recycling saves about 1,400 litres of oil, 26,500 litres of water and 17 trees per tonne of paper

These figures are a startling reality for most of us. In an economic climate such as the one we’re currently facing, having that extra energy and water in the pot would lessen the financial load for a lot of those struggling to keep up with the rising costs of fuel and amenities. That’s why making sure that we continue to recycle and save on waste products when we can is imperative.

 

At Technoprint, environmental sustainability has always been at the forefront of our agenda as a business. In this current climate, it was important to us that we make this one of our core business priorities and we’ve been diligent in our focus on reducing our emissions, cutting printing industry waste, and ensuring we comply with regulations.

 

Over the last year,  we’ve made great progress through the implementation of key initiatives when it comes to reducing our environmental output.

 

The team’s tireless work has been recognised by the fact we improved on our gold EcoVadis rating by achieving a platinum rating in December, which puts us in the top 1% of businesses for sustainability.

 

We place huge importance on operating in an environmentally sustainable way, so to have achieved such a great deal of progress over the last year is extremely satisfying!

 

If you’d like to find out more about our sustainable practices, head over to the CSR page on our website and download our annual Sustainability & Responsibility Report.

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