At Conquest Graphics, our printing services help keep the planet a cleaner place
with green efficiency.
We are committed to respecting and protecting the environment, and we understand
the importance of doing our part to help ensure responsible environmental stewardship.
Conquest Graphics is a leading green printer. We employ many environmentally friendly
practices in our operation.
Please continue reading to learn more about our long-standing interest in green
printing methods:
Energy Efficiency – Two years ago, when we began our search
for a new location for our manufacturing facility, we decided to consider only those
facilities that employed energy-efficient construction methods. Our current 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.
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 – In our pressroom operation, we use
low-VOC inks, and alcohol-free dampening solutions. We also recycle 100% of our
waste paper, which adds up to several tractor trailer loads each month. 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 UV coating.
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.
We even 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
2009. By the end of 2008, we will have eliminated nearly 80% of the paper previously
used in our internal communications.
The Digital Advantage – 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 two Xerox iGen3 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 iGen3 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.
What About Recycled Paper? – At Conquest Graphics, our
typical products are printed on virgin papers that are manufactured in the USA by
environmentally responsible paper mills. We have researched this issue extensively
with input from our paper suppliers. The popular conception is that recycling paper
is more environmentally friendly than manufacturing virgin papers. In reality, recycling
paper may not be as clean and energy-efficient as you might think. Consider the
following statement from the United States Department of Energy website:
So does paper recycling save energy? Yes it does, although the energy savings are
not as spectacular as they are with aluminum and steel recycling.
A paper mill uses 40 percent less energy to make paper from recycled paper than
it does to make paper from fresh lumber. However, a typical recycling mill consumes
more fossil fuels than a paper mill. Paper mills generate much of their energy from
waste wood, but recycling mills purchase most of their energy from local power companies.
Making recycled paper does require fewer chemicals and bleaches than making all-new
paper. Although recycled paper may be less polluting than paper made from wood fiber,
both processes produce different by-products. Paper mills emit more sulfur dioxide,
but recycling mills produce more sludge. De-inking at Cross Pointe’s Miami, Ohio
mill results in 22 pounds of ink sludge for every 100 pounds of wastepaper recycled.
Paper recycling does mean fewer trees are used to make paper, but all-new paper
is almost always made from trees specifically grown for papermaking. A tree harvested
for papermaking is soon replaced by another, so the cycle continues. “We are not
talking about the rain forest or old growth in the Pacific Northwest,” says Champion
Paper’s Martin Blick. “Most of the trees cut for paper come from fifth or sixth
generation pulp-wood forests.”
And because a majority of American paper companies are now leveraging renewable
and sustainable forestry principles in their raw material sourcing operations, we
believe that the overall environmental advantage to using only recycled papers in
our printed products is marginal.
However, if you have a need for recycled paper for your printed materials, please
let us know about your requirements, and we will be happy to accommodate you!
Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-707-9803,
email us at support@conquestgraphics.com,
or click on the "Live Chat" icon if you have any questions or suggestions regarding
our efforts to protect the environment.
At Conquest Graphics, we take green manufacturing seriously!
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