Green Spot | Hotink

Climate Neutral Printing

At Hot Ink we feel strongly about the world around us and the impact that each of us has on the environment. For several years we have made it our responsibility to research and provide our customers with a variety of greener paper choices. Following on to our practice of REDUCE, RE-USE and RECYCLE, we have OFFSET too.

Hot Ink became one of the first accredited Carbon Neutral Printers in South Africa in 2012. (view certificate)

What Does This Mean?

By offsetting all emissions created by Hot Ink, we will leave a zero carbon footprint on our earth.

How Does It Work?

We have teamed up with the Climate Neutral Group to calculate our carbon footprint annually which we offset through the purchase of Gold Standard carbon credits. Initially these credits came from the Paradigm Project which is a cooking stove initiative in Kenya. In 2014 we switched to initiatives closer to home which have included ‘Composting in Cape Town’ and the ‘Wonderbag Foundation’. We are currently invested in the Basa Magogo project.

Over and above providing the best quality in Cape Town, we can now offer our customers sustainable printing solutions along with our trademark excellent service.

110% Green

Hot Ink was invited to become one of the Flagship Projects for the Government of the Western Capes’ 110% Green Initiative. We accepted our signed flag from Premier Helen Zille in June 2013. Read more about this initiative and how you too can be involved.

For more info on Choosing the Right Paper, read our guideline.

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 en- sure that they are used in a sustainable manner with the focus on forest biodiversity. Check your paper for the following certifications:

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 paper is only ECF (elementally chlorine free, i.e. chlorine dioxide used instead of chlorine gas) which is better but TCF (totally chlorine free) is preferable.

Is recycled paper better for the environment than virgin paper? Find out here...

Why use 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:

Hot Ink is a certified carbon neutral printer
Laser printing allows you to print only what you need resulting in less unnecessary wastage.
The laser printing process uses powder toner which is more environmentally friendly than liquid inks - some of which are solvent based. 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 our printer consumables are returned to Xerox for recycling and/or re-manufacturing.
All paper, glass and plastic waste generated at Hot Ink is collected for recycling.
All papers used at Hot Ink are both FSC and PEFC certified plus we carry a range of recycled papers to choose from as well.
We are able to print on heavier grammage stock than most digital printers which means you don't need lamination (which is unrecyclable) to bulk up your card.

Sources:

"The Complete Paper Guide 2008" - Paper Link; " Sustainability, Energy & Environment" - PrintCity; "M-Real Corporation Finland"
www.antalis.co.za
www.xerox.com