How does climate-friendly printing work?
Climate friendly? – What is that?
This concept is based on the Kyoto Protocol agreements to reduce
harmful greenhouse gases and means that a determined amount of CO2
can be equalized with a reduction of the same amount in another place.
This happens by the purchasing and binding shutdown of climate
protection certificates. Since the climate is a global problem, it does
not matter where the CO2 reduction takes place.
Climate Neutral Printing
First of all the entire printing plant undergoes an intensive
certification process. To this end a material flow analysis is done.
This means that all materials that are used in printing and are
relevant for the printing of a print product are logged and assessed
with regard to their CO2
emissions. This includes, among other things, the paper (production and
transport), the current used (how is the current put together with
regard to production?), and also paints and cleaning products, up to
employee mobility.
Calculation of the Individual Print Products
After completion of this comprehensive analysis we are in a position,
thanks to a calculation method developed especially for our plant, to
determine and categorize the CO2 emissions of every single print product.
Equalization of the CO2 Emissions
The amount of CO2 which has been determined and categorized in this way is the starting point for the purchase and shutdown of high-quality CO2 emission-reduction-certificates in the same intensity.
Climate Protection Projects – It’s the Quality that Makes the Difference
Since climate protection projects are not all alike, we equalize the CO2
emissions using climate protection projects with the Gold Standard. The
Gold Standard is a quality and grade that, in addition to the CO2
reduction, ensures that the climate protection projects are integrated
in the region in a socially acceptable way. This Gold Standard was
initiated by the WWF, among others, and makes sure that the quality is
very high for the climate protection projects.
Verifiability is Safety
So that you can rely on it, every print product that is produced by
us in a climate friendly way has an ID number in addition to the label.
By means of this ID it is possible to trace back how much CO2 was compensated with which climate protection project.
Birkhäuser+GBC is a member of the graphic industry Energy-Model-Group
The Swiss CO2 law from autumn 2000, as a national implementation of the Kyoto guidelines, provides for a 10% reduction of the CO2 emissions by 2010 as against 1990. The Energy efficiency and the CO2 reduction target of the Group is presently being worked out.
The Group received the label for energy efficiency and volunteer climate protection of the Energy Agency for Trade and Industry for 2008/2009.
In 2007, the Group decreased the amount of CO2 by 16.3% as against the fixed quota.
