Green Printing
We are committed to respecting and protecting the environment, and we understand
the importance of seeking out green printing practices and doing our part to help
ensure responsible environmental stewardship.
Conquest Graphics is a leading green printer. We employ many environmentally friendly
and responsible practices in our operation.Please continue reading to learn more
about our long-standing interest in green printing methods:
FSC Certification® - We are proud of our certification in accordance
with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody (CoC) Standards. Our
certification status is a symbol of our commitment to eco-friendly printing, responsible
forest management, and protecting the environment. Learn more about our
FSC Chain-of-Custody certification.
We are also delighted to now offer an FSC-certified 100% post-consumer waste recycled
paper for our
business card printing.
Recycled Paper – At Conquest Graphics, we are proud to announce
that ALL of our standard papers are now FSC-certified recycled papers that are elemental
chlorine-free and contain a minimum of 10% post-consumer waste. We are committed
to doing our part to help our customers protect the environment!
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So why is paper recycling so important to an eco-friendly printing operation?
Paper manufacturing impacts the environment both upstream (where materials are acquired
and processed) and downstream (waste-disposal processes). Recycling paper significantly
reduces this impact. Here are some reasons why recycling is important:
- Recycling paper saves trees. Recycling one ton
of printing paper saves slightly more than two tons of wood. The Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) certifies paper made from trees harvested according to policies and
guidelines that are meant to ensure sustainable forestry practices. It has been
estimated that recycling half the world’s annual paper needs would avoid the harvesting
of 20 million acres of forested land.
- Reduction of energy consumption. The Energy Information
Administration claims about a 40% reduction in energy when paper is recycled versus
manufacturing new paper from virgin pulp. Recycling one ton of paper saves about
4000 kWh of electricity, which is nearly equal to the amount of energy required
to meet the heating and air conditioning needs of the average North American household
for about six months.
- Recycling reduces landfill use. Recycling 1 ton
of paper eliminates 3 cubic meters of landfill waste. Paper decomposes in landfills,
which releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane, along with carbon dioxide,
is a potent greenhouse gas.
- Paper recycling reduces pollution.
The EPA states that recycling causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution
than the production of virgin paper. Recycling paper decreases the demand for virgin
pulp and reduces the overall amount of air and water pollution associated with paper
manufacturing. The paper recycling process typically uses fewer bleaching agents
than manufacturing new paper; however, paper recycling produces more sludge. Cross
Pointe’s Miami, Ohio recycling plant generates 22 pounds of ink sludge for every
100 pounds of waste paper that is recycled.
Conquest Graphics is committed to being a green printing company offering our customers
the highest quality printed products, at the lowest possible price, with the very
smallest environmental impact.
Saving Trees – Between April 2010 and April 2011, we recycled nearly
1,000,000 pounds of waste paper from our manufacturing operations. Based on a formula
provided to us by Shred-it Corporation, Conquest Graphics saved over 6500 trees
last year as a result of our recycling initiatives.
As a part of our effort to reduce paper usage and waste in our internal administrative
activities, we also saved more than 30 trees during the same time frame by virtue
of office paper recycling, and increased use of electronic and other paperless communication
methods.
Energy Efficiency – Several years ago, when we began our search
for a new location for our manufacturing facility, we made the decision to consider
only those facilities that employed energy-efficient construction methods. Our current
green printing facility is constructed entirely from brick, block, stone and concrete,
which not only makes for a durable and energy efficient structure, but also provides
renewable and recyclable materials at such time that the structure is demolished
and re-built. Our building also features a structural concrete roofing system, which
helps reduce heat loss during the colder months, and helps regulate internal temperatures
during the summer.
Before we moved into our facility, we replaced incandescent lighting with fluorescent
lighting wherever possible. On our manufacturing floor, we replaced nearly two hundred
400 Watt metal halide lamps with newer, more efficient, and cooler-running 250 Watt
bulbs. Then in 2011, we replaced all of the overhead lighting in our facilities
with brighter, more energy efficient T8 fluorescent technology. The new T8 lighting
is over 20% more energy efficient than the outdated T12 lighting we had in place.
Plus, the T8 tubes are smaller in diameter, and use less material in their manufacture
than T12 tubes. We also responsibly recycled the glass and mercury in the old T12
tubes, further reducing our impact on the environment. The bottom line is that Conquest
Graphics is constantly looking for and investing in new ways to reduce our consumption
of energy resources, and leave a smaller environmental footprint.
We replaced most of our aging HVAC systems with new units with a SEER (a measure
of energy efficiency) of 14 or higher. We also captured and recycled all of the
waste refrigerant that was removed from our old systems, and sent our old HVAC units
to a metal recycler.
During the renovation process, we recycled construction waste whenever possible,
and made extensive use of new, energy-efficient building and insulation materials.
Clean Manufacturing – Our commitment to green printing pushes us
to look for eco-friendly alternatives throughout our process. In our pressroom operation,
we use low-VOC soy-based inks, and alcohol-free dampening solutions. We also recycle
100% of our waste paper. We use water-based, low-ammonia emission aqueous coating
on most of our printed products, which helps reduce fingerprints and marking, and
is also much more environmentally-friendly than competing coating methods.
In our prepress area, we have implemented a completely digital workflow, which allows
us to operate without using photochemicals. We also recycle all of our used aluminum
printing plates.
And we went a step beyond eco-friendly printing and looked at our business practices.
We took a close look at our internal communication processes, and set a goal of
implementing a totally paperless internal communication process by the end of 2011.
By the end of 2010, we had already eliminated over 90% of the paper previously used
in our internal communications. Did you know 115 billion sheets of paper are used
annually for personal computing, and that the average daily internet user prints
28 pages of paper each day?
The Digital Advantage – As an eco-friendly printer, we are firm
believers in the environmental advantages of digital printing. In addition to our
full complement of multi-color 40" offset presses, we also employ Xerox iGen3 and
iGen4 digital presses that utilize completely non-toxic dry inks (Xerox says we
can eat the dry inks, but we haven’t worked up the nerve to try it!), and we recycle
100% of our waste colorants and developers.
Our digital presses run 80% quieter and use less electricity than an equivalent-sized
conventional press with an IR dryer. We also re-purpose nearly 30,000 BTU’s per
hour of iGen exhaust heat back into our building during the winter months.
But the big environmental advantage of digital printing is due to its ability to
reduce overall material and energy consumption for printed materials. By printing
only the quantity needed, when it is needed, digital printing significantly reduces
waste due to obsolescence. Also, by taking advantage of the personalization capabilities
of digital printing, marketers can now target their campaigns to those recipients
who are most likely to respond, rather than “carpet bombing” an entire area with
non-relevant materials that will just be discarded, and possibly end up in a landfill.
Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-707-9903,
email us at
support@conquestgraphics.com,
or click on the "Live Chat" icon if you have any questions or suggestions regarding
our eco-friendly printing practices and efforts to protect the environment.
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At Conquest Graphics, we take green manufacturing seriously!
Our printing services help keep the planet a cleaner place with green efficiency!