Sustainability – Why we teamed up with FOREST CARBON?
Like many other businesses we are looking at offering sustainable printed products that minimise our impact on the environment. In this blog we’ll share some of the initiatives that we’re working on.
To most of us, the compelling scientific evidence is clear that we all need to improve our effort to become environmentally sustainable and focus on the wider targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. One of the clear benefits of the digital imaging process that we use is that we only print what gets sold, there is rarely waste as our workflows are designed to be right first time. The results are consistent so the opportunity to print once you’ve received orders works really well using limited energy and no water for the printing process.
The main art paper we use is made using 100% cotton rag from the UK paper manufacturer St Cuthberts Mill which is located in the Somerset countryside. They take great pride in respecting the environment, making paper in harmony with the local environment. Water is a major component in paper making and theirs is sourced from the River Axe whose water is filtered through the limestone of the Mendip hills. Of course, no hazardous chemicals are released into the river, as it supports the local wildlife living around the mill.
All materials are checked to ensure minimal environmental impact including pulps from sustainable sources (no rainforests are harmed in making our papers), and our cotton linters are an annual crop, which are a by-product from the textile industry.
Green House Gas emissions are a reality when making any product as all manufacturers use energy and transport to ship finished goods or raw materials . We work at ensuring our processes are efficient and any waste paper firstly goes to our artists and their children and any remaining offcuts are segregated for recycling.
So, where does Forest Carbon fit in?
We buy monthly Carbon Credits as members of the Carbon Club run by Forest Carbon who lead the way in voluntary carbon woodland creation and peatland restoration in the UK.
Through the planting of over 9.5 million new trees in 172+ new woodlands in the UK since 2006 the projects are removing over 1,900,000 tonnes of CO2 from the global atmosphere, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including flood mitigation, river improvement and public access.
The quality of their schemes is assured by the UK government’s Woodland Carbon Code and the IUCN’s Peatland Code, both of which certify our projects in important areas like biodiversity, ‘additionality’, risk management and carbon capture measurement.
Compensating for our unavoidable environmental impact by helping to create a new woodland or restore a degraded peatland is rewarding in many ways. For more information visit forestcarbon.co.uk.
