The Green Spot is Hot Inks’ forum for Eco-issues.
Send us your thoughts (click here).
The Hot Ink Environmental Policy (read here)

Hot Ink is on the GREEN MAP - are you?
Check out Cape Towns' other "green sites" - click here

WHAT IS “GREEN” EXACTLY?
We all need to work towards greening our planet. The paper we print onto can have a negative impact on the environment and should be chosen carefully, but what makes a paper “green”? There are many interesting answers to this question and a lot of misleading information from suppliers in an attempt to “greenwash” people into using their products. Some criteria to consider are:

1. The source, ie. how the forests are managed. Forest certification schemes indicate that forests are well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards to ensure that they are used in a sustainable manner with the focus on forest biodiversity.
   FSC: Forest Stewardship Council
   PEFC: Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes.
   Both PEFC and FSC are independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisations. Look out for these two accreditations.
2. Is the paper wholly or partially recycled. Recycled matter can consist of either pre or post consumer waste or have a rag (cotton) content. Bear in mind that many recycled papers undergo a chemical de-inking process to remove the ink.
3. Was the paper manufactured using acid, chlorine or other toxic bleaching agents. Some papers are only elementally chlorine free ie. chlorine dioxide is used but not chlorine gas.

IS RECYCLED PAPER BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAN VIRGIN PAPER?

YES, if the Recycled paper carries the FSC recycled label.
YES, recycled papers do help the environment in a number of ways

• Recycled papers help preserve forests by reducing the demand for wood
• Recycling avoids accumulation of waste sites and incinerators which generate CO² emissions
• Recycling lengthens the lifespan of the paper as fibres can be recycled 4 to 5 times
• Producing recycled paper requires around 2 times less energy and 3 times less water than a paper made with virgin pulp

WHY HOT INK?
Since printing is a very necessary part of our daily lives here are some reasons why doing it at Hot Ink will ease the burden on our planet slightly:

• Laser printing allows you to print only what you need - less unnecessary wastage.
• Hot Ink offers discounts for jobs printed on environmentally friendlier papers.
• The laser printing process uses powder toner which is more environmentally friendly than liquid inks some of which are solvent based. The use of soy-based inks is desirable in traditional offset printing because, by substituting the soy oil for part of the petroleum oil, volatile organic emissions are reduced. Hot Ink uses dry toners, not liquid inks. Toners are fine powders composed of plastics, colorants and small quantities of functional additives. Since Xerox toners are safe and non-toxic and the product is manufactured according to strict emission standards, emissions of volatile organic compounds during printing should not be a concern.
• All printer consumbles are returned to Xerox for recycling and/or remanufacturing.
• All paper waste generated at Hot Ink is collected by Mondi for recycling.
• All Xerox papers used are both FSC and PEFC certified.

Sources: “The Complete Paper Guide 2008” - Paper Link
“sustainability, Energy & Environment” - PrintCity
M-Real Corporation Finland
www.antalis.co.za
www.xerox.com


5% OFF!
As part of our endeavour to make print practices greener, Hot Ink is offering a 5% discount for printing done on the following new range of paper:

Cocoon Offset, available in 100gsm, 120gsm, 140gsm and 300gsm
Only launched in March this year, we already love it! Unlike Reviva, this very white paper is made from 100% recycled post consumer waste. It carries the following certifications: PEFC, ISO, NAPM plus FSC and is suitable for archiving.

Other environmentally friendlier papers available at Hot Ink:

Reviva Plus, White and Natural, available in 105gsm and 250gsm
Reviva is a 40% post-consumer and 60% pre-consumer waste recycled paper. Reviva does not go through a de-inking processes and it is acid free thereby reducing the toxic by-product.
Triple Green, available in 135gsm and 230gsm
Triple Green is a double coated paper made from sugar cane fibre, it is woodfree*, acid free + totally chlorine free and has a 60% recycled content. (*woodfree = paper that is primarily made from chemical wood pulp, with no more than 10% mechanical wood pulp, which is used for the best grades of paper.)

Samples of all these papers are available for you to see at Hot Ink.

The following conditions apply:

• 5% discount off all laser printing done on the following range of paper only: Cocoon Offset 100gsm, 120gsm, 140gsm and 300gsm
• Offer valid until further notice
• Offer not valid in conjunction with any other discount
• Discount applies to laser printing only, design fee not included
• All prices exclude VAT
• Conditions subject to change without notice