Each year, print media generates a ton of toxic waste that is quite harmful to the environment. As per the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reports, over four million tons of paper waste is generated annually, out of which a significant weight is contributed by the print business cards.
If four million still does not sound much to you, it’s 4,000,000 tons or 3,628,738,960 kilograms per year in numbers.
Hence, companies are now shifting from their ill practices towards a better and more thoughtful effort of using eco-friendly materials and operations. In fact, studies show that eco-friendly materials alone can reduce the carbon footprint by 50%.
So, there are numerous modern practices that businesses and corporations are adopting for eco-friendly business card printing. This article is going to discuss the same, so, keep reading.
Eco-Friendly Printing Techniques
Eco-friendly printing techniques avoid the material that may harm the environment in any way possible. This is the best way to reduce any kind of pollution (it may be land, water, or air pollution). So, the following are some eco-friendly printing methods:
Recycled Paper: Recycled papers are quite popular these days. For printing business cards, the recycled paper is equally strong and works literally the same. Hence, it becomes a pretty viable option to go for.
DID YOU KNOW? Recycling 1 ton of paper can save approximately 17 trees, which can help greatly in conserving forests.
Soy-Based Inks: Inks are generally made from petroleum, hence, their production leads to polluting the environment. As a solution, soy-based inks are a much better alternative. These inks are made with and printed with much less emission as compared to the traditional ones. And most importantly, they are equally vibrant and bright.
Waterless Printing: Modern printers and machines are able to eliminate water from their printing process. It leads to less water pollution and makes operations much more eco-friendly.
These are some major changes that printing techniques have observed that are leading to a safe and better environment.
Sustainable Design Software
You might not feel like it, but software and computers play a key role in contributing to eco-friendly business card printing. The following points show how software can result in eco-friendly printing:
Digital Templates: Programs like Canva or Adobe come with templates or layout presets that are targeted to use minimal material. With their minimalist approach, a lot of paper and other materials can be saved over time.
Preview and Optimize: The software lets you get a preview and render a 3D model of how the card will look once it is printed. It means, you will be required to print fewer samples, which means less paper wastage in case a sample is rejected.
This is how software plays its role in reducing the pollution in the environment.
Digital Business Cards as Alternatives
Digitization is the best way things can be made eco-friendly. No paper, no ink, no manufacturing. Also, you can make numerous copies of your cards without even using a bit of paper or ink. The following are some points that might help you know things better:
Virtual Sharing: Business cards can be shared through social media, links, or through any other means. Currently, QR codes are the trendiest way to share these virtual cards. This way, enterprises can advertise at a much wider range without harming the environment in any way.
Interactive Features: As mentioned, these cards can be shared through links, social media, messaging, etc. Apart from that, virtual cards are also more interactive than physical ones. You can embed links, animate some elements, and whatnot.
Ultimately, virtual cards are much more versatile, modern, and overall a better option than traditional or physical business cards.
Case Study
The company Moo recently set a standard of how companies can significantly lower pollution and exploitation in their operations. Moo started by integrating digital tools and offered recycled paper for their printing operations. Instead of making samples, the makers decided to make virtual copies and preview them if they worked or not.
This way, the business was able to cut waste by 32%. They processed 2 million orders, out of which, 60% of their clients chose a more eco-friendly option. This is how you can also reduce waste and promote green printing.
End Note
Finally, business card production leads to massive pollution of all kinds (water, air, and land). The more businesses are realizing this, they are shifting their journey towards eco-friendly alternatives. This article covered all those practices about how companies make their operations more environmentally friendly. It also shared a case study of a business named Moo which significantly achieved a huge success with their campaign.
