Despite several predictions that offices would become completely paperless in the future, printing continues to be a vital part of modern corporate operations. Not only did offices not go paperless, but print volumes also consistently climbed during the 2000s before slowly starting to fall.
Print quantities did experience a significant fall as a result of firms switching to more remote work models or ceasing operations as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, but in 2021 volumes began to recover.
The pressure on businesses to provide a sustainable and successful business strategy for the future has increased as sustainability has grown in importance across industries. For the majority of firms, simplifying print processes is a sensible place to start as printing is typically poorly managed and out-of-date.
The good news is that by adopting web to print solution, print operations can be greatly streamlined, making room for more environmentally friendly methods.
Let’s understand how print services enhance environmental sustainability.
1. Less Paper Waste
Printing is something very common in workplaces. It is believed that every professional prints thousands of pages every year and most of it goes waste.
Not only does too much paper usage contribute to deforestation, but it also increases landfill volume, which has an impact on our water, air, and soil. You would be surprised to know that paper waste is the third-largest industrial polluter of Earth.
Web-to-print solutions are of great help in reducing paper waste and increasing paper saving through as they facilitate auto-duplex printing and behavior modification that doesn’t allow individuals to waste paper.
These services also allow you to set print limits to make sure that printing is done on the most energy efficient device. Additionally, they safeguard privacy by removing private documents from output trays where they could be seen by anybody.
Managed print services make it possible to restrict access and improve network visibility, ensuring that only approved documents are printed and nothing goes waste.
2. Less Energy Usage
Commercial printers have a tendency to use a lot of electricity. For example, Laser printers and office copiers can utilize up to 1000 watts. Infact, these printers utilize electricity even in a standby mode.
As a result, when in use, printers require as much electricity as, say, your air conditioners or other major household energy user.
It is quite common for every employee at a workplace to have access to a personal printer. Now imagine the amount of electricity used at a workplace with 500 employees. Sounds ominous, isn’t it?
With online print solutions, you can get rid of those extra printers and significantly cut your energy usage.
Web-to-print software offers complete end-to-end printing solutions, including next-generation printer use, customized technology and system recommendations, training, and maintenance services.
Web-to-print services offer a variety of energy-saving options that let you reduce your electricity bill and waste no energy.
3. Eco-friendly Inks
These substances are known to release volatile organic compounds, which, with extended exposure, can have a negative impact on health as well as environment.
Every year, offset printing uses more than three million tons of chemicals and inks based on hydrocarbons, which releases a significant amount of harmful greenhouse gases into the environment.
However, with the advent of new technologies and methods, we have alternatives for almost everything now. The best substitute to oil or petroleum-based ink these days is Soy. It produces VOC-free, more environmentally friendly inks. These inks can easily be recycled because they are also simpler to remove.
Web-to-print solutions use inks that are eco-friendly so that printing processes can be done without hampering environmental stability.
4. Brand Promotion
If you wish to develop a strong relationship with your clients, it is super important to have a company branding. As mentioned above that individuals have started being quite concerned about the environment lately.
Therefore, if you include eco-conscious practices in your business strategy, you would attract more customers as the demand for eco-friendly businesses has grown a lot with the passage of time.
Eco-friendly printing entails more than just recycling and resource conservation; it also requires consideration for the environment, native tribes, and people in sectors of the economy that are subject to environmental protection. Going green will help you gain a reputation for caring about the environment, as well as the species and people who live there.
5. Paperless Process
Print services are known to provide paperless processes as well. You would agree that paper documents are not cost-effective at all. According to a research, Paper documents are misfiled 20% of the time and lost 15% of the time. Reproducing lost paperwork costs 11 times as much as the original document, which results in a cost to businesses that is six times greater than the value of the lost document.
Eliminating lost paperwork and promoting paperless operations reduces waste. Since digital archives are safer and easier to search, using electronic memos, reports, and other sorts of records instead of paper help businesses avoid loss.
In order to decrease lost and unnecessary paper, managed print services fit seamlessly into a paperless office. For secure archiving and convenient access, paper documents can be scanned and kept electronically with print services. This prevents lost paperwork and the time and resources needed to recreate lost materials.
6. Eco-friendly packaging
The demand for eco-friendly paper goods has risen to an all-time high as more and more customers have become concerned about the environment.
Customers now carefully examine a product’s packaging whether they are making an online or offline purchase. They have certain questions in mind such as Is the paper used recycled? Which ink was applied? Can the item be easily recycled?
Eco-friendly packaging techniques are significantly less expensive than conventional packaging. Printing services also provide the same high-quality outcomes that you would get from conventional printing. Second, it lessens waste, gets rid of dangerous substances and shields the environment from more damage.
Because of this, companies are now turning to custom web-to-print development solution providers who can provide packaging products manufactured from eco-friendly materials and with little carbon footprint.
Wrapping up!
Deciding whether to follow sustainable practices in your business is not an option but a necessity in this dynamic world.
In order to incorporate more environmentally friendly procedures, printing companies have examined their production processes over time.
As mentioned before, these practices limit the use of harmful chemicals and recycle materials.
Additionally, forward-thinking printing businesses have chosen web-to-print technologies that use less energy, fewer chemicals, and biodegradable toner.
Changing press and other chemicals, after all, makes sense if efficient and sustainable alternatives can be developed!
The above-mentioned benefits are great examples of how web-to-print solutions help you enhance business sustainability. However, there is still work to be done in terms of environmentally responsible printing!
Henceforth, partnering with an online print solution provider that adopts environmentally friendly methods, such as employing recycled paper and eco-friendly inks can definitely take your business to another level.