Pledge: Natural Press will...

1. ...print on only recycled and tree-free paper
2. ...use only earth friendly solvents and chemicals
3. ...use only soy-based ink
4. ...practice conservation in all phases of production

Natural Press Will Print on Only Recycled and Tree-Free Paper

Choosing recycled or tree-free paper over virgin is critical to conserving our dwindling planetary resources. Virgin pulp production, although not as sensational as nuclear accidents or ozone depletion, is a major drain on our resources. With little fanfare, virgin pulp manufacturers fell our forests, contaminate rivers and air with some of the most potent carcinogens on earth, and choke our overburdened landfills with waste. Contrary to what the Forest Products Industry preaches, trees are not a renewable resource, not at the rate at which paper companies are consuming them. Since the 1980s, some paper companies have been cutting trees faster than natural growth can replace them. Both old growth trees and plantation trees are harvested faster than they regenerate. The former chief forester for Louisiana-Pacific estimates that his company cuts trees at 225 percent of the expected growth rate.

Rivers of water, literally, are contaminated and released into the environment; a good-sized paper mill uses 10 to 70 million gallons of water each day. The EPA reported that in 1995 the U.S. paper industry released more than 3.5  trillion gallons of contaminated wastewater into our lakes and rivers. Some fisheries downstream from these plants have been shut down because the fish are considered too toxic to eat!

Forty percent of our nation’s garbage is old newspapers, books, office paper, magazines, advertising mail, corrugated containers, and packaging. Strangely, it wasn't our diminishing forests or toxic fish, but our shrinking landfill space, that recently earned paper recycling the spotlight. Shrinking landfill space is also largely the inspiration for the Federal Government’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and for recycling legislation in several states.

Taking out those trees and processing them requires copious amounts of energy too. In the U.S., the pulp and paper industry is the 4th largest consumer of energy! In contrast, processing recycled pulp and tree-free paper requires far fewer resources and significantly reduces toxic emissions in our air and water. In the areas of forest conservation and refuse, recycled paper is the clear choice; rescuing paper destined for the landfill or incinerator simultaneously addresses both environmental concerns. Toxic releases in the air and water are also significantly reduced: recycled pulp processing releases less than 10% the hazardous air pollutants and no AOX’s (Absorbable Organic Halogens) in it’s wastewaters.  Even when the energy needed for paper collection is factored in, it still requires less than 60% the energy to process recycled pulp than virgin.

From every environmental angle, choosing recycled paper is clearly preferable. Making the environmental choice shouldn’t limit you either; thanks to a swelling demand for recycled stock and advances in deinking technologies, every paper manufacturer now offers some recycled lines. Most every kind of virgin paper made has a recycled twin, from #1 coated white to copier paper. There are thousands to choose from, some better for the planet-and your budget-than others. Natural Press is happy to make comparisons and cost estimates. Don’t be too surprised if our prices are better than virgin papers!
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Natural Press Will Use Only Earth Friendly Solvents and Chemicals

Printing plants employ several solutions and solvents for press operation and clean-up. It’s these solutions and solvents, along with ink, that give printing plants their characteristic odor. Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are the agents responsible for the smell. VOC’s are a class of compounds with extremely low flashpoints (the temperature at which they ignite). The high volatility allows these compounds to convert from liquid to gas at very low temperatures and make it to your nose. Gasoline and kerosene are examples of  VOC’s. Are VOC’s harmful? In a word, yes. Direct inhalation of the fumes affects the liver and central nervous system and can lead to cancer. In combination with other pollutants and the suns energy they create local air pollution. They are potent greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming. Recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulings restrict volatile organic compound emissions in cities already suffering from air quality problems. To help make its operation a safer and cleaner one, Natural Press employs a Varn® product called Ecolo-Clean™. This cleaner has half the VOC content of traditional blanket wash. It also evaporates more slowly, allowing us to use half as much as other blanket washes. Not only do we benefit the environment, but our expenses are reduced by half. Our customers and even Fire Department inspectors have commented on the significant difference in our plant air quality compared to traditional printing plants.
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Natural Press Will Use Only Soy-Based Ink

Offset printing is possible because of one uncompromising law of nature: oil and water don’t mix. This is offset printing in a nutshell:  On a printing plate (usually aluminum) you have an image to which only ink adheres. The rest is bare metal which only water adheres to. A rotating cylinder coated with ink rides on the plate; the ink sticks to the image portion only and not the water. Ink is some oil and pigment. Where that oil comes from is significant. Traditional petroleum-based inks get their oil from the same source as motor fuel, kerosene, etc. — crude oil. The extraction of crude oil from the earth is an environmentally costly business. Thanks to the Exxon Valdez disaster, crude oil’s ugly reputation is widespread.

Soybean oil derived from plants is superior to petroleum-based ink in many ways. Soybean oil releases far fewer pollutants into the air than do petroleum based inks. Our ink has a VOC (volatile organic compounds) content of 1 to 4%. Petroleum based inks have a VOC content as high as 30%. Soybean plants are natural CO2 absorbers and are renewable. The soybeans in our inks are grown in the U.S., creating jobs and much needed revenue for our farmers. Soy ink is removed from paper to be recycled more effectively, resulting in less paper fiber damage. And, according to government classification methods, the resulting waste is non-hazardous and can be treated more easily and completely using current methods. Soy ink makes press start-up easier, resulting in less paper spoilage. Soy inks also make press clean-up simpler; petroleum based inks require hydrocarbon solvents for clean-up while soy inks allow printers to utilize more friendly solvents. Our soy ink has a very low spray rating (it doesn’t throw a lot of airborne particles into the air). A soybean truck spill on the side of the road will not destroy thousands of miles of pristine wilderness.
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Natural Press will practice conservation in all phases of production

At Natural Press, environmental responsibility is a lifestyle as well as good business; from the pressroom to the lunch room, we do everything possible to lessen our impact. In our camera department, we recycle our film and spent photo developing chemistry. All our paper trim and start-up sheets from the pressroom are recycled. Even the wrapping paper for the paper (ream wraps) is recycled. Empty plastic solvent containers are rinsed and sorted. We recycle our aluminum plates, laser toner cartridges, lunchroom glass, tin, and plastics. We are vigilant about turning equipment and lights off to conserve electricity. Whenever possible, we buy supplies and equipment made from recovered materials like toner cartridges, packaging, boxes, bathroom supplies and office products.
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