Half-truths and green twits

People want a simple solution, a choice between black or white with little interest or tolerance for the grey areas of ‘sustainable packaging’. The most recent example I can think of is with the FSC - Forest Stewardship Council - many people insist on printing with FSC stocks when there are other better, less expensive, greener options and yet for them, the FSC Logo absolves them of seeking better alternatives and gives them the ‘green seal of approval’ on their printed material that they seek - be it deserved or not.

The manufacture of temporary use items must be BENIGN BY DESIGN.  Plastic doesn’t just disappear, nope, it becomes a bigger problem somewhere else - like in the ocean where it joins other bits and pieces of plastic detritus.  Just like your toilet when it’s clogged and floating in circles, except that paper and… uh, you know, will break down in a short period of time, while that plastic is going to be around long after you’re dead and yes, me too.

a few pictures of printed samples are up

and so it begins - now the facebook page, tomorrow green printing for the world. hehehe

This link has pictures of various recent print jobs using Corn, Bioflex, 100%pcw, FSC/Green-E/SFI Certified Stocks.

Thanks NASA

It’s really kind of intimidating beginning something like this.  In bed, the shower, walking home after dropping my children at school it all seems so very easy; to whip out ideas and discuss printing with a conscience.  Now, looking at the screen… not so much.  Bear with me, while I slog into this a bit.

I’ve been printing stickers on an uncoated sticker stock composed of bamboo, bagasse and cotton-linters.  A tree-free sticker stock.  It’s really cool stuff and I’ve printed it for a bunch of companies who put it on their soaps, candles, use it for shipping/mailing labels, branding, you get the idea.  I love this stuff - it’s uncoated, so it absorbs ink in a natural, somewhat uncontrollable manner and the registration when using two or more colors isn’t perfect. It has a raw and natural look to it.

This stock is manufactured or converted by Fasson which is a subsidiary or some derivative of  Avery-Dennison.

Side Discussion on a few words:   I’m getting to the point where the words ‘natural,’ ‘green,’ ‘eco-friendly,’  have become overused, hyped, distorted terms and using them makes me uncomfortable for the reasons I just mentioned.  Like the term ‘American Hero’. When did ‘American Hero’ become acceptable to describe something slightly above average?  The guy makes a touchdown and he’s suddenly an ‘American Hero’ what is up with that?  So, please, suggest another word for ‘green’ and help save my stomach.

Is printing on a stock  that is ‘green’ good enough?  How ‘green’ does ‘green’ have need to be?  For example, what if bamboo is coming from Indonesia?  What if children are a part of that labor force?

I call up Fasson/Avery-Dennison and ask them to tell me where and how the tree-free stock is manufactured.  A wonderfully pleasant person tells me that unfortunately the country where the tree-free stock is manufactured is proprietary information and cannot be disclosed.  HUH???  ”Can you, uh… narrow it down to a hemisphere, would that be possible to tell me which hemisphere the stock comes from?” I ask.  ”No.  That is not possible.  But I can tell you the stock is sustainablymanufactured” he tells me.  Well, I guess that’s something.  ”Do you have a white sheet, ASTM or some type of proof backing up that claim?”  I ask.  ”Sure, I’ll send it over to you.”   Over a year and I’m still waiting for that white sheet.

SO, on one hand, the stock is made from sources other than trees - sounds good to me - on the other hand we’re not sure where it’s coming from or how it’s made.

Do you see the problem?

Tomorrow, we’ll begin the rant.