An approach to minimize carbon footprint for an environmental friendly printing by optimizing an offset machine in a printing facility

The growing demand for sustainable business practices, life-cycle analysis and environmental product disclosure will impact e-reader manufacturers, digital media companies and purveyors of print media. Sadly, print has allowed itself to be commonly seen as an environmentally destructive medium, despite the fact that much of print media is based on comparatively benign and renewable materials. This is particularly ironic in that print has incredible potential to be a far more sustainable medium than it is today. and to become the means for printing flexible polymer digital electronics as well. With environmental concerns playing a large role in all kinds of manufacturing industries, the concept of sustainability remains elusive. There are many common steps a print factory can take to reduce the impact that carbon foot print have on environment. It is only with truly holistic approach towards environmental protection we can effectively reduce CO2 emissions and bring down carbon foot print. While CO2 is created in manufacturing of the printing press and of printed products, there are other significant emissions involved in a print production. Process waste includes energy, printing substrates, ink, dampening solution, blanket and wash up solvents, anti-set off powder need special attention. This study helps to find out solutions to make print industry green, rather a new concept "CO2 NEUTRALISED PRINT" under the mantra "Think economically - print ecologically". (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB)