Over the past few days we’ve been researching sustainable packaging options for a CD we are designing for local indie band FUZU (Eskimo Grant is a member of the band). Hopefully the project will show not only that sustainable design is achievable on a shoe-string, but also that ethical and sustainable choices are sound foundations of any budget.
Sustainable print design is more than soy inks and recycled paper; it is a fundamental consideration that informs every decision we make as designers. By applying this mindset we not only produce more ecologically responsible work, but also more economical and effective design.
Printing is an involved process that is resource intensive, produces much waste and can result in toxic byproducts. Preparing paper for printing requires either harvesting virgin fibre from trees or recycling used paper. White paper is bleached, often using chlorine or other toxic chemicals, or coated with coloured clay or metals. The paper must then be transported from the mill or recycling site to the printer’s press. Traditionally the inks used by printers have contained toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and have been petroleum based. These inks continue to be used regularly for printing. The process of printing the ink to the paper often requires solvents, chemical cleaners and lubricants, as well as many hundreds of litres of water. The finished product must finally be transported from the press to the reader, the final stage in a costly process.
When designing a print project, ethical designers must first consider whether the project warrants the use of the medium and, if print is deemed a justifiable choice, constantly seek opportunities to minimise the impact of their printing on the environment. Choosing a waterless offset printing press reduces the use of water in the process to virtually nil, as well as reducing VOC emissions by eliminating the need for ‘dampening.’ Soy inks are made from a renewable resource and contain no VOCs. We have designed our CD package to be printed in only one colour of ink, which produces an arresting visual style and reduces printing costs by reducing ink use (by minimising the cost of ink we diminish the additional cost of using soy inks). Choosing an appropriate recycled paper stock, or a paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council ensures that our trees are sustainably harvested. For our CD packaging, we are considering using recycled, unbleached carton-board (the brown cardboard that cereal boxes are made from). The paper has been minimally processed and is unbleached (which is great for the environment, and provides us with a rough brown texture that compliments our typography). As we progress with the project we will continue to seek sustainable alternatives to harmful or wasteful processes.
While some eco-friendly options are more expensive than their alternatives, it is increasingly the case that they are cheaper. Moreover, sensible choices (partnering with a local printer to reduce transportation, designing artwork that uses less ink in printing, choosing an appropriate quantity of prints to minimise waste) are both economically and environmentally sound.
The best design is appropriate to its context, and part of that context is the environment in which we live. Hopefully our CD package will be a great work of design, produced on a sustainable shoestring!
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I should also mention that we originally considered options for how to avoid printing CDs in the first place – considering things like USB drives (which have utility long after the initial use) and download-only distribution. We decided that in our context, some form of “take home” product was important, and that CDs were the best choice for us.
One thing you forgot to mention was that we designed the artwork to completely eliminate plastic use – the artwork wraps around the CD, and only requires a small foam “dot” to hold the CD (and depending on how prototypes go, we may even be able to avoid this).
Everything except the CD will be recyclable. We’d ideally not need the dot, as this would potentially contaminate the recycling of the paper (though, as some recyclers are able to recycle window-faced envelopes, I hope that even with the dot it will be recyclable).
Also – we considered how the artwork might be used outside of its life as a cover for a CD – could it be conceived as a poster instead, for example.
We’re not quite at the point where we’ve achieved a “cradle to cradle” product – but I think we’re on the way…
[...] Printing on a sustainable shoestring (part 2) Posted by Chris to Sustainability, Design Researching the sustainability of paper stock for ouralbum packaging project lead us to consider two interesting questions: how do we find the balance between the needs of the project and the need to be sustainable; and to what extent can we justify using extra resources and creating more waste in pursuit of an aesthetic? [...]
Check out the next post: Printing on a sustainable shoestring (part 2)
Hey guys, I’ve been much considering doing a very similar thing with my bands next album, the problem being is that I cannot find one CD Packaging place in Australia let alone Sydney that will do a recycled card CD case. I have been looking around and there are so many great options from overseas suppliers but I don’t think the whole international shipping thing will help our deadline. If you know of absolutely anyone at all that may be able to help us that would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Hugo, you might like to talk with Eco Design Eco Print (http://www.ecodesign-ecoprint.com/), Sydney offset printers who work with recycled stocks and sustainable inks.