Green Printing Handbook: China's Plan for Implementing Green Printing

[ppzhan abstract] China's plan for implementing green printing from the Green Printing Handbook: I. Scope of implementing green printing; II. Conditions for implementing green printing; III. Goals of implementing green printing.

I. Scope of Implementing Green Printing

The scope of implementing green printing covers printing production equipment, raw and auxiliary materials, and production processes, as well as publications, packaging and decoration, and all types of printed matter, involving the entire production process of printed products.

The production equipment for implementing green printing covers the printing production equipment involved in printing processes such as lithographic printing, relief printing, gravure printing, porous printing, digital printing, and combination printing.

The scope of implementing green printing in the lithographic printing process covers printing processes and printed products that adopt the lithographic printing method. The printing methods are sheet-fed lithographic printing and web-fed lithographic printing. Printed products mainly include board books, hardcover books, perfect-bound books, gift boxes, paper bags, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, and so on.

II. Conditions for Implementing Green Printing

In China, implementing green printing is still something new, so it is necessary not only to draw on the experience and practices of developed countries, but also to take China's actual conditions into account and formulate standards, testing methods, and supporting measures suited to China's national conditions.

The development of a green printing standards system includes the development of technical standards for green printing products and standards for green printing enterprises, which is the foundation for advancing and implementing the development strategy of the green printing industry. The establishment of standards focuses on implementation; a system of testing institutions capable of covering the entire industry must be established to supervise and test the implementation of standards. Testing is an important means of implementing standards, and testing methods are the evaluation means for implementing standards. To make testing results scientific, reasonable, and impartial, a certification system must be established. Certification is an important tool for promoting standards. Through certification, evidence of enterprises' compliance with standards is sought, and information on enterprises' compliance with standards is expressed externally in documented form. In carrying out certification, certification bodies must base their work on standards, and when determining an enterprise's compliance, they must obtain results through monitoring.

In short, standards are an important basis and evaluation system for implementing green printing, certification is an important tool for promoting the implementation of standards, and testing methods are fundamental to effectively evaluating enterprises and products under the standards. The establishment of green printing standards and the development of testing and certification systems constitute a scientific and complete system, none of which can be dispensed with, and they require coordinated planning and sound organization.

III. Goals of Implementing Green Printing

By implementing the green printing strategy in the printing industry, by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, a green printing environmental protection system will be basically established; efforts will be made to raise the number of green printing enterprises to 30% of the total number of printing enterprises in China; the environmental protection indicators of printed products will reach advanced levels; a number of outdated printing processes, technologies, and production capacity will be eliminated; energy conservation and emission reduction in the printing industry will be promoted; and China's printing industry will be guided to accelerate its transformation and upgrading.

Since China's printing industry covers a wide range of fields and its infrastructure is relatively backward, implementing green printing in China is bound to be a long-term and meticulous task. The Announcement on Implementing Green Printing issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication and the Ministry of Environmental Protection set out the work schedule for implementing green printing during the 12th Five-Year Plan period and established the phased goals for implementing green printing in China during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. The details are as follows:

(1) In 2011, the pilot stage was launched, with standards leading the way and projects. All localities should thoroughly study and publicize the national environmental protection standard "Technical Requirement for Environmental Labeling Products — Printing Part: Lithographic Printing," so that through the study and publicity of the standard, a broad range of practitioners understand and master the basic requirements of green printing. At the same time, support for the current key projects of enterprises implementing green printing should be strengthened.

The General Administration of Press and Publication decided to launch the "Digital Printing and Printing Digitalization" project and the "Green and Environmentally Friendly Printing System Construction" project in 2010 as a breakthrough point to drive the strategic transformation and upgrading of China's printing industry. In October 2010, the National Development and Reform Commission provided funding support of 54.2 million yuan for a total of 10 projects declared under the two major projects, the "Digital Printing and Printing Digitalization Project" and the "Green and Environmentally Friendly Printing System Construction Project."

Starting from 2011, increase support under this special program for enterprises implementing key green printing projects; in accordance with the requirements of the "Application Guidelines for Special Projects of Printing Industry Development," do a good job in the application and support for key green printing projects over the coming period. Through these key projects, accelerate the pace of implementing green printing. Regions and enterprises with the necessary conditions should carry out green printing pilots for printed materials that children and adolescents come into close contact with, especially primary and secondary school textbooks; encourage leading printing enterprises to actively apply for green printing certification.

(2) 2012–2013, deepening and expansion stage: successively formulate and issue relevant green printing standards, gradually promote green printing in fields such as invoices and vouchers, food and drug packaging; establish green printing demonstration enterprises, introduce relevant support policies for green printing; basically achieve full coverage of green printing for primary and secondary school textbooks, and accelerate government procurement of green printing. Gradually establish a green printing standards, certification, and testing system; successively issue green standards for invoice printing and gravure printing; actively encourage relevant enterprises to apply for green printing environmental labeling product certification; achieve full green coverage in China's invoice printing field as soon as possible; at the same time, intensify efforts to promote green gravure printing, first promoting and implementing green gravure printing standards in fields such as puffed food packaging printing, soft drink packaging printing, and pharmaceutical packaging printing.

Demonstration models, exemplary leadership, and setting benchmarks. Industry is an important support for the industrial economy and a pacesetter in industrial transformation and upgrading. Select a number of industry players as green printing demonstration enterprises, cultivate and strengthen these enterprises' highly growth-oriented innovative projects, and strive to achieve substitution of the existing industrial model, thereby providing guidance and reference for the mode and direction of transformation and upgrading across the entire industry. By building a number of green printing demonstration enterprises, giving play to the role of representative demonstrations, researching, developing, and applying new technologies and achievements, accumulating experience, and identifying problems, we can help promote the adoption of green printing among more enterprises. For the established green printing demonstration enterprises, provide support and preferential treatment in terms of the national special fund for cultural industry development, industrial policies, management measures, selection and awards, imported equipment, and other aspects.

Focusing on primary and secondary school textbooks, government-procured products, and food and drug packaging, vigorously advance green printing. In terms of primary and secondary school textbooks, implement green printing in a step-by-step manner. Primary and secondary school textbooks have already been listed as government-procured products. According to the Government Procurement Law, primary and secondary school textbooks must be subject to government procurement and must in the future be processed and produced by printing enterprises that have obtained green certification, thereby achieving full coverage of green printing for primary and secondary school textbooks.

(3) 2014–2015, comprehensive advancement stage

Improve green printing standards; green printing should basically cover printing product categories, and strive for green printing enterprises to account for 30% of the total number of printing enterprises in China; phase out a number of outdated printing processes, technologies, and production capacity; promote energy conservation and emission reduction in the printing industry; and guide China's printing industry to accelerate transformation and upgrading.

Complete the formulation and issuance of all green printing standards. Strengthen guidance for printing enterprises in the construction of printing environmental protection projects. On the basis of summarizing the experience from the mature system design and research of printing environmental protection projects, systematically integrate energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies for printing enterprises, compile the "Green Printing Guidebook," and optimize the design schemes and application specifications of enterprise printing environmental protection engineering systems in a targeted manner, so as to better strengthen categorized guidance and ensure the completion of green printing work according to schedule.

On the basis of building green printing demonstration enterprises, comprehensively and in an orderly manner advance green printing. Through the system design of printing environmental protection projects and typical demonstration work, promote the orderly expansion of green printing. By the end of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, basically establish a green printing environmental protection system.

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362051.html