Environmental Steps Brochure
Webcom Environmental Policy
|
WEBtree quiz Supporting Information Carbon footprint of printing / publishing a book The list of ways to reduce the environmental impact of printing a book can be extensive if one measures every aspect from cutting down trees to make paper to the shipping and distribution required to get a book into the hands of consumers. Along the way there are environmental choices such as: The one measure that makes more of an impact on the environment than any other is the use of recycled paper, by avoiding the loss of carbon dioxide caused by cutting down trees. According to survey results compiled by the Book Industry Study Group, almost 63% of the industry’s carbon footprint can be attributed to the cutting of trees. Book Industry Study Group: Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry Publishers Weekly article 3/10/2008 about BISG environmental study | |
|
What is there to know about recycled paper? This is more to be known about the content mix of a grade of paper than the fact it is recycled. In some cases, recycled paper may contain only a minority of recycled fibres with a majority being virgin content manufactured directly from the wood of trees. Beyond that, recycled paper is defined as either pre- or post-consumer waste. Post-consumer waste (PCW) is the most preferred since it has been used by a consumer in the form of a pre-existing product and considered to have completed its usefulness. Keeping PCW out of a landfill helps reduce carbon emissions. Markets Initiative: Definitions | |
|
Certification programs Canada is a world leader in forest management, reported to be the country with the largest area (40%) of independently certified forest. As of June 2007, Canada had 134.06 million hectares of forest land certified under one or more forest-specific certification programs available in Canada. This represents an annual allowable cut of about 102.9 million cubic meters primarily from three programs: FSC certification has advantages over these programs as well as Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifications (PEFC) for: FSC certification not only offers assurances of the forestation practices and tracking the source of virgin paper, it also assures the source of recycled post-consumer content on qualifying grades. Webcom received chain-of-custody FSC certification early in 2007, providing its customers with an opportunity to use FSC logos on products manufactured with qualifying paper grades. Public recognition of FSC logos has grown extensively in recent years due to its increased popularity and wide use. Market Initiaive: A Paper Buyer's Guide to Forest Certification Schemes Natural Resources Canada: Sustainable Forest Management | |
|
Added value of Ancient Forest Friendly™ Paper grades recognized as AFF by the environmental organization Markets Initiative adds to FSC certification by taking into consideration the percentage of PCW as well as the bleaching process used. Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) means that products contain post-consumer recycled content that has been re-bleached with a process that does not use chlorine compounds. AFF grades included in Webcom’s eco-friendly Legacy line are a minimum of 40% PCW and PCF. | |
|
Environmental support Markets Initiative is a Canadian non-profit environmental organization much like Green Press Initiative in the United States. They work with publishers, authors and industry stakeholders to shift paper consumption patterns that threaten ancient and endangered forests or contribute to climate change. Both organizations are strong advocates of the use of recycled, FSC-certified paper. Markets Initiative The Green Press Initiative | |
|
Digital versus conventional web offset printing On those occasions when publishers need a small number of copies of a book, digital printing provides an option for minimizing the amount of paper used. Choosing digital printing for short print runs has the environmental impact of contributing to the better management of paper, helping to minimize the amount that goes to landfills. More often print runs are larger and web offset printing far out-weights the efficiency of digital print. Webcom can easily accommodate both digital and conventional printing with environmentally sound paper. | |
|
Minimize cost, energy and pollution with coldset printing Presses at Webcom use a coldset drying process that reduce the release of Volatile Organic Compounds into the atmosphere by approximately 97% compared to a heatset process. This means, in addition to increased amount of energy required to dry ink, heatset drying contributes more to the level of pollution. | |
|
Using soy or vegetable-based ink Soy-based ink is a form of non-food soy. Soy is an environmentally friendly, healthy and safe approach to printing that takes only a small amount of energy to make. In fact, soy uses only about 0.5 percent of the total energy that is needed to create the ink. The soy ink can be removed more easily during the de-inking process of recycling, causing less damage to its paper fibres and resulting in a brighter appearance. The waste left from the soy ink during the de-inking process is not hazardous and can be easily treated or disposed of. | |