Conventional Ink Vs. Alternative Vegetable-based Ink
- certain pigments used in ink contain metallic substances that are harmful to human health & enviornment such as cadmium, chromium, lead & mercury
- conventional printing inks are petroleum-based and are typically used with alcohol-based solvents
- as alcohol & petroleum evaporate, VOCs aka Volatile Organic Compound are emitted
- this leads to atmospheric pollution when the VOCs react with nitrogn oxides
- in the presence of unslight, this creates ozone pollution or photochemical smog
- Alternative to conventional inks are soya or vegetable-based inks
- these have a greatly reduced rate of VOC emissions
- whilee petroleum inks emit 25-40% VOCs when they dry, soya & begetable-based inks emit as low as 2-4%
- thus, vegetable and soya-based inks are virtually non-hazardous
- while energy required for extraction, refining and treatment for conventional inks are high, vegetable oils are derived from renewable resources
- additionally, soya and vegetable-based inks are easier to remove during the de-inking process of recycling
- when the LA Times switched to soy-based ink, they reduced their VOC emissions by 200 tons per year, earning them an air quality award from South Coast Air Quality Management
Tree-Free Paper
- alternative fibers such as kenaf, cereal straw, and sugar beet pulp can be used to make beautiful paper that is made from 0% of trees!
- Ecopaper (Costa Rica Natural) offers eco-friendly paper that uses recycled materials. Furthermore, they are based on principles of fair trade and sustainable production by relying on partnerships among first and third world businesses. Every sheet of the treeless paper is handmade in an organic process. http://www.ecopaper.com/
- For additional information on waste management, the CIWMB (California Integrated Waste Management Board) website is a good place to start. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/
- The CIWMB even has a section that offers a variety of recycled items that can be purchased, ranging from textiles to furniture to jewelry to birdhouses!
