Reflections on Reading the "Report on the Results of Implementing Green Printing

[ppzhan abstract] On November 5, in the multi-function conference hall on the second floor of the General Administration of Press and Publication, the Printing and Distribution Management Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Science and Technology Standards Department of the Ministry of Environmental Protection jointly convened the 2012 Green Printing Publicity Week and, at the same time, launched this year's Green Printing Publicity Week.

The conference consisted of five major sections. The first was the much-anticipated presentation of the Report on the Results of Implementing Green Printing, delivered by Comrade Wang Yanbin of the Printing and Distribution Management Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication. Comrade Wang Yanbin's speech focused on three points:

First, the improvement in environmental benefits since the implementation of green printing. Printing enterprises that use environmentally friendly materials for production have reduced their discharge of the "three wastes." It is reported that emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) have been cut by about 1.5% annually. Although the printing industry is not a major emitter of waste gas, it has played a sound leading role. Only then will the PM2.5 levels we all care about move in a better direction.

Second, the improvement of enterprises' economic benefits and cost savings. According to research data provided by the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, as the entire Chinese printing industry implements environmental protection measures such as saving electricity, water, ink and paper, the comprehensive cost of energy consumption and printing material loss is reduced by about RMB 500 million each year. In a conversation with an entrepreneur after the meeting, the author learned that green printing not only did not cost his company more, but that, as the financial crisis continued to spread, his company's export revenue was even higher than before. It seems that green printing brings enterprises not only a stronger development path, but also an expansion of business opportunities.

Third, it fulfilled the social responsibility of printing enterprises and benefited the public. According to statistics from 23 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions), more than 1,000 titles and 200 million copies of autumn textbooks for primary and secondary schools in 2012 used green printing. On this basis, it is estimated that more than half of the country's primary and secondary school students (over 96 million) have at least one green-printed textbook each. According to the author's understanding, all green-printed textbooks currently published bear the green printing logo, which also gives students a more intuitive understanding of green printing and cultivates their environmental awareness from an early age. In addition, by improving process equipment, reducing environmental noise and cutting dust emissions, printing enterprises have also improved the working environment for nearly one million printing practitioners.

Fourth, green printing has adjusted the industrial structure and prompted printing enterprises to enhance their technical strength. 60% of printing enterprises above designated size nationwide have adopted computer-to-plate (CTP) technology and digital workflows, significantly raising the digitalization level of the printing industry. After adopting CTP, printing enterprises' comprehensive environmental protection costs have fallen by about 10%, plate-making efficiency has increased fivefold, and plate-making quality has become more stable. The author believes that only when we are truly strong in technology can our printing enterprises remain invincible in the tide of global development and have greater strength to face "anti-dumping."

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362018.html