Designitgreener’s mission is to help creatives learn and better understand how to take a few environmentally sensitive steps toward greener designs (of course, the more the better). There is so much that can be done to reduce the overall environmental impact of a printed piece, package, product, interior or building, it just takes a little knowledge thoughtful planning. Now, take a little time to discover the world of green design and put it to good use!
Graphic & Packaging Design
Printing, Inks & Finishing
Claiming Responsibility
Avoid Greenwashing
Around the Office…
Resources
Graphic & Packaging Design
Be selective. When choosing materials, consider not only the recycled content, but also the overall environmental impact of manufacturing the materials and the project. Select materials from a source using renewable energy, has a low carbon footprint, practices recycling and clean disposal of waste before, during and after production and has minimal transportation needs to ship the material. Is there a way to give this product a longer or more useful life? Also consider the biodegradability and how easily and likely the material is to be recycled after the end use.
Reduce. Use the fewest materials necessary to be effective.
Simplify. Simplifying a piece can also reduce waste. Complex folding specifications can use more paper, resulting in an inefficient (typically more expensive) and wasteful design. For example, while elegant, a french-folded book uses double the paper necessary, as it is composed of sheets with printing on one side, folded to reveal the printed side only. Sometimes, reducing complexity might be as simple as adjusting the size of a pocket or folded section.
Size matters. Designers pursuing eco-friendly packaging decision need to look first at the attribute that can have the most immediate impact: size. While oversized packaging was once considered to be a good way to gain more visibility on the shelf, today’s eco-oriented consumers see oversized and over packed items as wasteful and unnecessary. Designing a product’s packaging to be more in line with the product size dramatically reduces the amount of packaging, while making it less expensive to produce and transport.
Package wisely. The shapes and sizes of individual packages directly impact the efficiency and amount of outer carton materials required to transport packages to market. As much as 50% of packaging waste can occur in outer carton packaging that an end user will never see. Designing for packing and transportation efficiency requires research as to how many packages are intended to be shipped at once, how the packages will be displayed when in store, and for smaller runs, what standard outer carton sizes are available. This information allows for the most efficient design for bulk packing in addition to packaging.
Shape also affects outer packaging material requirements. Cylindrical packages are less efficient to ship in bulk, as outer shipping cartons are rectangular. A general rule of thumb is that the more voids there are inside a shipping carton when packed, the more waste there is in outer carton materials. The use of pre-packs can also reduce waste. Often outer shipping cartons can be designed to double as in-store displays, eliminating the need for additional merchandising materials.
Design for versatility. Expand continuing value with functional, multipurpose design. Although it might seem a bit counter intuitive, another way to make packaging eco-friendly is to design it to last. Packages themselves can become keepsakes if they are appealing and durable enough to provide an alternative use. Similarly, packaging for nonperishable products can be designed to be an appealing and efficient storage method for the product throughout its useful life and perhaps saved for future reuse. Package longevity can also be encouraged by building convenience features in such as hang tabs for easy storage, contours that aid in stacking and insets that provide a base for more unsteady products can all add to a package’s lifespan. To ensure a long life, choose materials that meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for product longevity.
Protect with the environment in mind. The method used to protect products can dramatically improve a project’s environmental impact. For fragile products that require added protection, consider recycled pulp-based molded inserts and water-soluble, cornstarch-based packing materials instead of molded and loose polystyrene. If the materials inside the package are made from the same or similarly based materials as the package itself, it is more easily and more likely to be recycled.
Will it still be recyclable after use? Make sure that the end use of a product or package doesn’t alter its recyclability. Take pizza boxes, for example. Cardboard is recyclable, but not after a delicious, greasy pizza has been sitting in it (grease isn’t easily stripped out of cardboard during the recycling process). Consider designing the piece to avoid this by adding a recycled and/or recyclable barrier (such as a aluminum foil from which grease can easily be removed) so the grease never touches the cardboard, and both components are still recyclable.
Disassembly required. Design so that non-recyclable or components made of different materials are easily removable prior to recyclabling (such as a paper label on a glass bottle). This will increase the likelihood that the piece and its components will end up being properly recycled. A more eco-friendly alternative to easy disassembly is design it as a monopack (something in which all the components are made of the same materials that makes for easy recycling.)
Go digital. Use PDF (portable document file) digital proofs in place of paper printouts when appropriate. The technology of the PDF can save not only resources but also a lot of time. Delivering art directly to the printer via email or server uploads eliminates wasted storage media and costly overnight shipping. If a paper proof is necessary, designers can request the use of double-sided, smaller, reused or recycled paper.
Target mailings. Use specially targeted, updated mailing lists to generate less waste, postage and transportation needs from invalid or irrelevant addresses. Additionally, these mailing lists are more likely to generate better results.
Plan ahead. Whenever possible, plan your project and production well in advance to avoid air and rush shipping or having to make less eco-conscious compromises due to material unavailability because of a time constraint.
Encourage a continuing life. If the design isn’t reusable at the end of its intended use, ensure that it is recyclable and encourage the end user to either share or recycle.
Printing, Inks & Finishing
Involve the print vendor in the planning stages and clearly outline the specs so they can determine the best way to produce the project.
Print responsibly. Choose an FSC-certified vendor to produce your project. If not FSC certified, check that they have an effective environmental management system in place.
Check the eco attributes of paper. Consider 100% post-consumer recycled, and process chlorine free or totally chlorine free, uncoated paper as coated papers can lose up to 40% of usable fibers in recycling. If avoiding wood fiber papers is desired, a cotton fiber paper is a great alternative. There are many available stocks that have these attributes and print beautifully. If choosing a virgin paper stock, consider one that has FSC or SFI certification. Find out which paper would best suit the project by discussing with a print vendor.
Design for optimum sheet use. Sheets of paper typically come in several standard sizes. Designers can size their projects to make more efficient use of standard sheet sizes—printing two-, three- or four-up (or more) to use less paper and to minimize the amount of waste.
Gang multiple print jobs. By working with their printer early in the conceptual stage, designers creating multiple pieces with the same paper stock and ink can combine similar print jobs in the same print run. Ganged print runs reduce paper use, decrease the number of press make-readies, use fewer printing plates and save money and time.
Use fewer ink colors. The more colors used, the more plates have to be made which also increases the final cost. Attractive designs can be made with effective use of a limited number spot colors instead of traditional four-color printing.
White space is a good thing. Consider less ink coverage or design without bleeds. Designs with bleeds are printed on oversized sheets and then trimmed to finish size. This not only increases the number of paper sheets, but also increases the amount of trim waste. If bleeds are desired, consider downsizing the piece to allow for trim on bleeds without upgrading to an oversized sheet of paper.
Go Agricultural. Consider vegetable-based inks as an alternative to petroleum-based options. When specifying vegetable ink, be sure the one used has a high percentage of vegetable oil, as some only have a small quantity of vegetable oil with the remaining oil being petroleum. Petroleum-based inks dry quickly, but are harmful to the environment because they release high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) into the air during the drying process, which contributes pollution and global warming. Also, you can’t re-grow petroleum!
Protect properly. Consider using aqueous coatings and water-based varnishes instead of UV coatings and laminates. There are many options from high gloss to matte depending on the look you’re going for. Like with UV coatings, uncoated paper absorbs the aqueous varnish more than coated stocks, therefore can’t achieve a high gloss finish, but it still offers a finished look and great protection from scratches and scuffs.
Think twice about bright or shiny. Avoid metallic and fluorescent inks when possible. They both can contain toxic heavy metal pigments, which can lead to a myriad of health problems. Metallic inks, particularly greens, oranges and opaque yellows have some of the highest levels of heavy metals. A better, but still metal using option is foil stamping. Better yet, are options like embossing, engraving or die cutting, which provide attractive embellishments without the use of metals.
Smaller impact for small runs. Consider filmless and plateless digital printing for small and simple four-color (or less) runs that don’t require spot colors. Efficient quantities are fewer than 1,000 and typical sheet sizes are no larger than 12×18. Items like brochures, flyers and postcards are typical candidates for digital printing. This process allows for very fast turnarounds due to the absence of film and plates and drying time that is required for wet inks.
Stick with eco. Consider water-based, non-chlorinated glues when appropriate (as opposed to animal, resin, plastic or chemical-based options) as they are more easily removed during the recycling process.
Review. At project close, recap with client and vendors to learn from successes or failures.
Claiming Responsibility
Specify sustainably grown materials when using wood or agricultural materials.
Use recycled logo and indicate post-consumer waste content.
Use “FSC,” “SFI” or “ISO” certification logos according to guidelines.
Note soy or vegetable ink use.
Indicate if recyclable and give details of how to recycle, if necessary. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the end user to do their part and share or recycle it properly or there’s a good chance they will not follow through.
Avoid Greenwashing
Spell it out. An environmental claim needs to be obvious as to whether it relates to the product, the package, or a service. A declaration on a package containing a product that simply states “recycled” can cause confusion over whether the claim relates to the package itself, or what’s inside. Also, avoid general or implied environmental benefits such as “Earth-safe” without clear, qualifying language that limits the claim to specific product attributes that can be demonstrated.
Compare it. When making comparison claims, it’s important to ask the question – compared to what? Is it being measured against the marketer’s prior offering, a competitor’s or an alternative technology? A claim of “produces 40% fewer emissions” is deceptive on its own, as it needs to declare the basis of the comparison. “Produces 40% fewer emissions than competitive products” would be more acceptable provided the benefit is significant, isn’t exaggerated and can be substantiated (see below).
Don’t exaggerate. Avoid making claims that overstate or imply environmental benefits when they are marginal in reality. For example, a claim of “Now with 50% more recycled content than before” would be an obvious overstatement if the product went from 1% to 2% recycled content. It is better to assess the worthiness of a claim based on the significance of the total environmental impact.
Substantiate. The foundation and legitimacy of any claim, environmental or otherwise, depends on the confirmation of its true impact. The verification needs to be in the form of measurable, provable and accurate data and should be made readily available.
Avoid smokescreen claims. Smokescreen claims are those that select one property of a product that favors the environment to imply that the product is environmentally friendly by failing to reveal other inherent harmful elements or processes. An example of a smokescreen claim would be to declare “petroleum-free” for a paint that is lead-based.
Around the Office…
Use “energy saver” features on computer equipment.
When purchasing new office appliances, ensure they are Energy Star compliant and only leave them turned on when necessary.
Institute a recycling program and promote the purchase of recycled paper.
Print double-sided and/or in draft mode and print only what is necessary.
Use the backs of discarded printed documents as note or scrap paper.
Use reusable flatware and silverware instead of paper and plastic.
Donate old office equipment to schools or other local organizations in need.
Shake toner cartridges occasionally to lengthen life.
Don’t buy a new product or equipment just because it’s more eco-friendly than what is currently in use, (unless it has a continuously high impact and has already been put to good use; like an older, inefficient refrigerator that uses a lot of power all the time). DO consider an eco-friendly alternative, but only when it’s time for a new one.
Resources
American Forest and Paper Association, “Environment & Recycling” www.afandpa.org
Conservatree
“Buyers: Consumers are Key.”
Kinsella, Susan: “The History of Paper.”
“Making Paper: Content.”
“Making Paper: Production.”
Creativepro “Are ‘green’ inks as good as traditional inks?” www.creativepro.com/article/eco-friendly-inks
Design by Nature
“Printing Methods.” Guide.
“Recycling Process.” Guide.
Evans, Poppy. The Complete Guide to Eco-Friendly Design (Ohio: North Light Books, 1997), 18.
Monadnock Paper Mills & Signaltree Marketing & Advertising. A Field Guide to Eco-friendly, Efficient and Effective Print www.mpm.com/graphicarts
Paper Industry Association Council www.paperrecycles.org/paper_environment/index.html
Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board. www.swmcb.org
University of Melbourne. “Little Green Guide to Printing and Design.” www.marcom.unimelb.edu.au/publishing/green
Disclaimer: Information for the green resource center was obtained from the best sources available at the time of publishing and is continually being updated as new research and resources surface.
