Always offering guilt-free stocks and inks
We encourage our clients to choose recycled stocks or stocks that have been responsibly sourced from well-managed forests through the FSC programme. Our own promotional print is always produced using recycled or FSC stock.
Our most popular recycled stock;
Cocoon Offset – Made from FSC Recycled pulp
Meets the needs of the environmentally conscious consumer by recycling and reusing waste paper, avoiding landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Cocoon is made with 100% post consumer waste, which has been certified through the FSC Recycled Credit program.
See more popular environmentally friendly stock options here>>
What’s more, we have two options for print – either with ink made from soybeans or digital print. Unlike traditional petroleum-based ink, soy-based ink dries without sending volatile emissions into the atmosphere, provides more accurate colours and makes it easier to recycle the paper.
Digital print is suitable for smaller print runs, and requires less extra/over sheets and doesn’t require plates for printing. We will discuss the best option for your print job with you.
Using recyclable or recycled packaging
Our finished print jobs are wrapped in brown paper, which is fully recyclable, and sealed with paper masking tape
Business Cards are packed in our customer made boxes made from an uncoated 100% recycled waste paper board and printed with soy inks.
We’ve even found a way to make courier deliveries more sustainable – all parcels are sent in R3 pack compostable or recycled bags. For big orders, we use recycled cardboard boxes.
R3pack’s range of compostable bags are made with corn starch, PLA and PBAT. We use non toxic inks to provide you with a natural alternative to traditional plastic based courier bags.
Our compostable range is certified to comply with the International Standards for home and commercial composting. EN13432 / AS4736 / AS5810
For more information please see our Compostable Courier Bag FAQ’s or click on the products below.
Re-using, recycling or giving away our waste
At Bowring Print we hate putting anything in our landfill bin, so we go out of our way to minimise waste. Paper offcuts are donated to local pre-schools and community groups, and larger offcuts are made into notepads and given away to our customers. Soft plastics are recycled and cardboard boxes are re-used for outgoing jobs. The metal drums that some of our consumables arrive in are given away on Facebook (horse owners love them). And our printing plates are recycled at the metal recyclers.
Follow us on Facebook, to be kept updated on what is available for collection.
Encouraging our suppliers to improve their packaging habits
We prefer to purchase from suppliers who have the same love for our planet as we do. When we order materials or supplies, the purchase order always includes the message “Please send all packages in minimal plastic/packaging. We are happy for our orders to be sent in recycled boxes or with recycled packaging. We don’t mind the presentation if it is saving our planet!”
When dealing with new suppliers, we always check the systems they have in place to reduce their waste, and environmental impact, before placing our first order.
Day-to-day sustainable practices
Around the print shop and office, we do our best to be environmentally responsible. We have an ink & toner cartridge recycling system through the Croxley Recycling Centre for in-house and encourage our customers to use it too; food scraps and organic waste are composted on site; cleaning products are purchased in bulk from Eco Store or Figgy & Co using reusable containers; we use reusable coffee cups and bottles, which we provide around our office; and our toilet paper comes from Earthsmart, which is recycled and made in New Zealand. We also subscribe to the ideals of the Living Wage and use their guidelines for paying our people.
Working with sustainable suppliers
Wherever possible, we choose to work with suppliers who share our commitment to doing business in an environmentally-responsible way. For example, we recommend AS Colour and Little Yellow Bird for blank apparel because they are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified. Our leaders, Charlotte and Tom, are also volunteering their time to help a local annual event to reduce waste to landfill.
Our papers and the environment
We have a range of paper and card stocks available at Bowring Print for your printing requirements. We encourage using recycled stocks or stocks that have been responsibly sourced from well-managed forests through the FSC programme. All of the paper we use at Bowring Print adhere to some the following standards:
Fibre Source: Well Managed Forests (WMF) or FSC Mixed Sources – woodfibre from well managed sustainable forests and other controlled sources. These papers are totally derived from resources which are managed to ensure their sustainability for generations to come.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): FSC certification supports responsible forest management worldwide. FSC certified forest products are verified from the forest of origin through the supply chain, ensuring the product is from responsibly harvested and verified sources. By buying products with the FSC® label you are supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
Bleaching Process: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) is a whitening technique that uses no elemental chlorine compounds for the bleaching of wood pulp for paper production. Pulp is bleached using processes that do not use elemental chlorine gas, reducing significantly the amount of toxins released.
ISO 14001: International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organisation to develop and implement policies and objectives.
Recycled Papers: Some of our papers are recycled (full or partially) which is where waste paper is returned into new paper products, either direct from the mill or through collected waste from commercial/residential properties. Paper can usually be recycled up to six times before its fibrous quality becomes too unsuitable for reuse as paper. It is then usually either put through a waste management process or reused in a number of other ways (such as the bulking material put inside many modern office desks!) Don’t forget that paper is a natural product and is therefore biodegradable.
See more great paper and environment facts on one our supplier’s websites here – bjball.co.nz/toolbox/environment