Almost everything we consume in this modern age can directly impact our planet.
David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg, among others, have given us a big reality check in recent years, and the pressure is on everyone to ‘do their bit’ and protect our planet from the disastrous effects of climate change.
Factories emitting harmful gasses into the atmosphere, planes snaking across our skies and cars puffing clouds of smoke from their exhausts are just some of the typical images we think of when we talk about carbon emissions and climate damage – and they are among the first things we point the blame at.
But what about the smaller things that aren’t so obvious? How can we make smaller changes add up to something bigger that can have a significant impact on our carbon footprint?
Here at AlphaGraphics, we have been working with our paper and materials suppliers to reduce the amount of carbon our print jobs can create, using the World Land Trust’s Carbon Balancing and the Forest Carbon’s Carbon Offsetting schemes.
What is Carbon Balanced Paper?
In partnership with our paper supplier, we are supporting the World Land Trust’s (WLT) Carbon Balancing programme and offering our customers the opportunity to use carbon balanced paper in their printed orders.
Carbon balanced paper has had the carbon created during production and distribution process balanced by the WLT. Forests and the associated land that are in danger of being cleared are purchased and protected, which locks in the carbon that would otherwise be released.
Clients who wish to support this scheme and choose carbon balanced paper will receive an official logo supplied by the WLT to use on their materials to demonstrate their dedication to protecting our planet and reducing their carbon footprint.
What is Carbon Offsetting?
We are also supporting Forest Carbon’s Carbon Offsetting scheme – another great initiative.
This works by offsetting the amount of carbon that is produced from our orders – particularly those from our large/wide format materials.
It works by our customers simply ‘opting-in’ to offset the carbon from their order, and we work with our supplier to purchase the the equivalent amount of certified woodland carbon credits which are used to plant new and indigenous woodland in the UK and Ireland.
Like the carbon balancing scheme, customers who take part in this will receive official collateral to use in their marketing efforts.
How do you get involved?
To get involved in either of the schemes, our customers just have to chat with one of our account managers when placing printed orders or getting a quote for a particular project. We will be happy to give you the associated costs and let you know the next steps.
These initiatives are a great chance for you to do ‘your bit’ for the environment and are just some of the ways that we, as a print company, are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and being kinder to our planet.
You can find out more about the various other ways in which we are trying to be more sustainable by reading here.
