Waterless and the Environment

	Butterflies are a litmus test of our environment.

Environmental Breakthroughs

Clean air. Clean, adequate water supply. Forest conservation. Safe working conditions. These environmental goals are universal, though the degree of concern may vary from country to country. In some parts of the world, the printing industry has been specifically cited for its contribution to the degrading environment.

Waterless printers worldwide are winning national and international environmental awards in recognition of their environmental standards, and many have received ISO 14001 certification for their Environmental Management programs.

VOC-less Printing Milestone

Many printers have been drawn to waterless printing because it eliminates dampening-related volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the printing process. Some VOCs have been linked to the deterioration of the earth's protective ozone layer and, consequently, to global warming. Now, with the release of water-washable inks, the waterless pressroom can be virtually VOC-free.

This revolutionary ink technology, eliminates the need for solvent-based press and blanket wash solutions, which typically account for a large portion of a printer's VOC output. The press wash solution is 93 percent water and 7 percent mild surfactant (soap), with the ultimate goal of a 100 percent water-washable product.

The environmental benefits of water-washable inks are far reaching. In some cases the elimination of pressroom VOCs may even result in expansion opportunities that were previously limited due to emission restrictions.

Water Conservation

In 1995, 92 percent of the global population had a sufficient supply of water. If the world continues to consume water at its current rate, it is projected that water sufficiency in 2050 will be only 58 percent. It is further predicted that nations will go to war over water supplies within the next two decades.

Waterless printers have recorded dramatic conservation of our water resources. A printer in Switzerland, operating one of the world's first waterless web presses, eliminated the use of approximately 250,000 litres (about 66,000 gallons) of water in one year. That water would normally have come from a nearby lake, which is a source of drinking water for tens of thousands of people.

Forest Conservation

It takes 17 pulpwood market-sized trees to make a ton (907 kg) of paper. Barely enough to provide a daily newspaper to 20 people for a year. Besides depleting our supply of virgin fibers for papermaking, deforestation destroys the natural habitats of countless plants and animals, one of which may have otherwise provided a cure for cancer.

Because presses running waterless come up to color and register so much faster, and hold those consistently throughout the press run, paper savings of 30 percent to 40 percent have been reported. In addition to saving trees, that also represents a significant manufacturing and paper cost savings.

Cleaner Environment, Better Health

According to the National Officer for Health and Safety and the Environment, of the UK's Graphical, Paper and Media Union (GPMU), printers inhale organic solvents all day long. As reported in the November/December 1998 premier issue of the Environmental Print Journal, the undisputed effects of occupational exposure to organic solvents include damage to liver, kidneys and lungs, degreasing of the skin and dermatitis, mild and reversible effects on the nervous system and more severe effects from large acute exposure.

The GPMU stipulates that exposure is highest when printers clean the printing machines with highly volatile organic solvents, and that exposure increases where alcohol dampening is used.

Obviously, removing dampening from the press and eliminating the need for the toxic substances found in blanket wash solutions will not only ease the burden on our air, soil and water, it will help protect our most precious natural resource: Mankind

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