Chinese Printing Solutions is committed
to offering environmentally friendly options wherever
possible. Described herein are a few of the options and
issues you can expect when printing in China:
Recycled Paper
China is a world leader in recovered paper demand, and
recycled paper is readily available in China for some
paper types, including newsprint, cardstock, corrugated
board and some uncoated papers. The range of paper choices
is not as large as you may be accustomed to in your country,
however, and some types of paper, especially high quality
coated offset paper, is hard to come by. It is possible
to import recycled stock from Taiwan, Japan, Europe or
North America. However, lead times and costs may be prohibitive,
so please consult with us early. Also remember that domestic
recycled paper can be expensive in some cases.
Alternate Papers
Besides recycled paper, you may consider producing your
work on paper made of alternate source materials instead
of trees. Alternate paper stocks available in China include
papers made from Bamboo, Sugar Cane and mineral powders
derived from stone.
Sustainable Forestry Certification
Sustainable forestry practice is very important in China,
due to the limited natural forestry resources in the country.
Most of the paper used by China Printing Solutions has
a high or total pulp content originating from sustainable
forestry initiatives. However, adoption of forestry certification
initiatives like FSC and PEFC is limited due to a fragmented
supply chain and a competing certification scheme in the
China Forestry Certification Council (CFCC), hence obtaining
FSC/PEFC certified paper can be challenging. Here again,
it is possible to import FSC or PEFC certified paper,
time and cost willing.
Chlorine Free Paper
Chlorine bleaching of pulp used to make paper has been
proven to produce cancer causing dioxins in the runoff
effluent of paper mills. For the uninitiated, there are
three types of “chlorine free” paper:
• Totally Chlorine Free (TFC)—a designation
used for paper made from virgin fiber, indicating that
no chlorine or chlorine containing compounds were used
as bleaching agents in making the paper. TCF paper may
be unbleached, or bleached with Oxygen, Ozone or Hydrogen
Peroxide, and is the most environmentally friendly chlorine-free
paper, but produces pulps which may be weaker, less bright,
of lower yield, and more costly than ECF pulps or normally
bleached pulps.
• Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)—a designation
for recycled papers meaning that, while chlorine may have
been used in creating the original paper stock, the recovered
feedstock used to make the recycled pulp has not been
bleached with Chlorine.
• Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)—a type of
bleaching where chlorine dioxide (CIO2) is used, but not
elemental (gaseous) Chlorine (CI), resulting in little
or no dioxin, but which may still produce toxic chlorinated
organic compounds like chloroform.
All three types of chlorine free bleaching are used in
China. Please enquire if you wish to ensure your project
is produced on paper created by a particular type of chlorine
free paper.
ISO 14001
The international standard for environmental management
systems (EMS), ISO 14001 specifies requirements for establishing
and maintaining a supportive environmental policy. Not
all, but a high percentage of the production facilities
we use have attained ISO 14001 certification.
Inks and Coatings
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's), often present in printing
inks and coatings, can evaporate into the atmosphere causing
illness, air pollution, and ozone depletion, contributing
to global warming. Some inks and coatings are available
in low VOC or VOC-free varieties. Please let us know in
advance if you prefer to use VOC-free materials.
One well known low-VOC ink is Soy ink, used more and more
frequently these days. Because it is vegetable, not petroleum
based, it is has a low VOC impact. In addition, soy inks
may produce brighter, more vibrant colors and make recycling
more convenient. Soy inks do take longer to dry, and are
known as a result to produce smears, ghosting or other
problems on coated papers, so we recommend only using
Soy inks with non-coated papers.
