Most print companies focus on 4 main colours; cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) but at Data Image, green is at the core of our company. Over the past year, we’ve really been focusing our efforts on leading the way for sustainability within the print industry. Acknowledging that it’s not only our corporate social responsibility to become more engaged with the green movement but also our moral demand, we have spent the past 12 months taking steps to become a greener, more sustainable Data Image. National Recycling Week took place last week (24th–30^th September) so we want to take this opportunity to highlight how we’re doing our bit for the planet.

Materials

Working with clients in industries that rely heavily on plastics, sometimes it’s difficult for us to use green products. However, we offer eco-friendly alternatives wherever possible. We are now trying to really highlight the impact of switching from acrylic to our 100% recyclable cardboard. Particularly within the cosmetics and beauty industry. We are constantly trying to find practical, high-quality alternatives from plastic at Data Image and something we’re really looking into at the moment is PVC free fabrics. To show our clients these alternatives, we’re currently working on an eco-friendly sample pack of materials that highlight the green, recyclable benefits of each product; so, stay tuned for that.

Inks

Another eco-friendly alternative that we provide our clients with is our inks. We suggest latex inks wherever possible as an alternate option to UV and solvent inks due to their greener attributes. Not only is the ink recyclable but also the print heads, ink cartridges and maintenance supplies that we use; making this a thoroughly eco-friendly alternative option here at Data Image.

Lighting

At Data Image, we now use LED lights across all of our light sources. Having made the switch across from halogen and incandescent light bulbs a few years back, we’re now reaping the benefits of using longer-lasting lighting solutions.

Reusing Materials

We recently moved across from sheet to roll on one of our small format printing machines. As a result of this transition, the machine now needs to run through more meterage at the start of a job than before. To combat this issue, we created the digpad. The digpad (Data Image Green Pad) is a 100% recyclable notebook. It is a wholly sustainable, eco-friendly notebook. From the paper through to the metal wire o bind, all of the materials can be fully recycled.

Rather than creating marketing materials from scratch like many companies, we have reused our set-up paper to craft the digpad. Reducing our energy usage, reusing our materials and creating a recyclable product bespoke to Data Image.

Recycling at Data Image

We don’t just reduce and reuse at Data Image, recycling is also important. We ensure that all of our waste goes to the appropriate places to be fully recycled wherever possible. In fact, we even have our own cardboard baler on site! This allows for us to guarantee that our cardboard waste will be recycled within a suitable recycling facility, promising no contamination to the recyclable material.

If you want to know more about any of our green initiatives, then leave a comment below! Alternatively, if you’d like a digpad then email hello@dataimage.co.uk and we can arrange for one to be delivered to your company.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more information about how we are leading the green movement within the print industry. We’re on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube so make sure to keep updated!