Much like Kermit says “It ain’t easy being green” or cheap!

To get the most sustainability out of your print products you want to pay attention to a few things and of course it will cost a little more but printing sustainably is worth it!

Paper and ink are of course at the top. But other things to consider are; How green is my printer, does my printer use green energy to produce products and how environmentally friendly are their in-house practices? What about the shipping and delivery practices, is the delivery method green? How are they working to reduce the carbon footprint to get the items delivered to my home or office?

Printed on 100% Recycled paper will have a standard recycling icon informing the consumer they are using paper fiber that is completely recycled. Otherwise, your label should indicate a smaller amount of recycled content.

FSC certification is here to ensure your product is sourced from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits for all uses.The FSC Principles and Criteria provide a foundation for all forest management standards globally, including the FSC US National Standard (v1.0) that guides forest management certification in the U.S. Please visit https://us.fsc.org/en-us/certification to learn more.

Soy ink is actually ink made from soybeans. Removing the petroleum-based ink, environmental contaminants and dependence on fossil fuel. Soy-based ink is environmentally friendly and makes it easier to recycle paper.

Neenah Papers are on the forefront of paper sustainability among paper manufacturers. They have even created an EnviroCalculator so you as the consumer are able to check out creative and interesting paper options while keeping environmental sustainability in mind. It is always important for all of us to do our part in reducing waste and cleaning up the environment, even if it costs a little more.

By Kristen Stauss