Here at Sambazon, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and protecting our natural resources, not only in the production of açaí, but also with our marketing efforts. We value the ecological impact and quality, over mass-producing “junk” at a lower price, which unfortunately is still a common trend today. As the Print Trafficker here at Sambazon, I work hard to find vendors who can help keep us on track with the latest and greenest printing options.
Through the help of our friends at Monster Media, New Leaf Paper, AOSA, Meridian Graphics and Lifework (to name a few of our awesome partners), we continue to further our efforts with sustainable printing and eco-alternatives. More recently, we produced some great looking banners with the help of AOSA made from 100% recycled PET – recycled water bottles. It's technology such as this that allows us to step outside of the box and hopefully lead a new wave of companies looking to go green.
Some of the other ways that these companies allow us to promote green printing is through the use of post-consumer recycled papers, chlorine-free papers, water-based and soy-based inks, along with the many eco certifications they hold. Furthermore, our friends at Monster Media and Lifework have taken it a step further by using solar power to generate clean effective energy for their place of business. This not only saves a few bucks, but more importantly eliminates toxins that pollute the air with chemicals such as nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.
Some of the more rigorous certifications our vendors hold are from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Green-E Renewable Energy and Ancient Forest Friendly Initiatives. These certifications, collectively, help promote the use of renewable energy, responsible use of forest resources and the use of paper that has a high percentage of post-consumer waste and no virgin fiber from old-growth, ancient or endangered forests.
While we continue to seek out more and more eco-alternatives, it saddens me to say that the options are still fairly limited, yet increasingly getting better over time. And while no individual or company is perfect, we can certainly strive to head in the right direction and change the “quick and cheap” culture that haunts the print world today.
Every company should strive to make these changes as well. By doing a some quick research, individuals and corporations can find environmentally friendly printers all over the United States. The more that environmentally friendly printing processes are demanded, the more available they will be to everybody. I encourage you to talk to the marketing team at your company (and/or email your favorite brands) to find out what they are doing to move towards using recycled and/or more environmentally friendly materials in their printed collateral - we can all make a difference by asking for positive change. This will not only help reduce the carbon footprint of your business, but give back to the environment that gives so much to us.
Keep it green & purple,
Jody Weisberg
Print Trafficker/ SAMBAZON
No comments:
Post a Comment