06/1/13

Green Sheen is a ner-do-well trickster!

Green Sheen, more commonly known as Greenwashing, certainly sounds more likely to be the antagonist than the protagonist in a tale of good-vs-evil – using subtle mind control to alter the perception of the unsuspecting public. Oh what a dastardly villain that Green Sheen be!

Though there may very well be a character such as this in the making, comic book villains are not the topic of today’s discussion, but rather a form of green marketing which twist the perception, promoting the impression that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly.

We’ve all seen products, which are undoubtedly toxic, displaying a tree, a flower or some such earthly symbol on the front of its’ packaging. If you didn’t stop to examine the list of contents, you’d never guess the neon green substance could melt your hair. Most folks are likely making a mad dash through the store, and if the price is right, grabbing the items that appear to be earth friendly.

This funny business, with its subtle assurances, pops up everywhere. Hotels offer an Eco-friendly sign to hang on your door, alerting the maid service that you’d prefer to save the environment than have your room cleaned – supposedly the reduction in water usage and toxic cleaning products being the motivation behind the hotels’ intentions.

The examples are numerous; such as car manufacturers taking liberties with the terms “clean” and “environmentally friendly”. Less harmful…possibly, but friendly, well that’s a stretch!

Or how about the EPA renaming sewage sludge to bio-solids, and allowing it to be used as fertilize, despite the fact that it often contains many hazardous materials including PCB’s, dioxin, arsenic, cadmium,lead, and asbestos.

Everything from diapers to bottled water allude to or outright claim being earth friendly. In reality, most of what makes modern society function has a harmful impact. To what degree, is the question.

Printing is no different. There are many components to the process that are quite harmful – everything from the production of paper, to the ink, to the final product which may very well end up in a landfill. What’s available is the option to choose a printer that is less harmful to the environment. Simply offering paper with a certain percentage of recycled content is not a huge environmental leap.

Certified Green printers alter not only their printing practices but the efficiency of their business as a whole. In addition to offering forest friendly, recycled paper, vegetable based ink & recyclable cartridges; they work with carbon offset companies, reduce waste and minimize energy usage, among other things.

Yet, it is not an endeavor which is earth friendly. All of our contemporary practices have their own impact which needs to be offset. At Printing Green, we make every effort to provide the cleanest product and service possible – minimizing our impact in every step of the process.

Do you have a complex print job? Contact our Parent Company Bacchus Press.