Climate initiative of the print and media associations focuses on the sustainable avoidance of CO2 emissions
The sharp rise in awareness of environmental and climate protection is also making itself felt in the printing industry. More and more customers are asking for CO2-free print products. Most companies in the industry use state-of-the-art production processes to ensure that production is as environmentally friendly as possible. However, during the production of print products and the use of the necessary materials, the release of CO2 cannot be completely avoided. This is why the climate initiative of the print and media associations, which is supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, focuses on CO2 compensation for printed products. For more than ten years now, numerous printing companies have been compensating their unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions by supporting climate protection projects.
FLYERALARM offsets over 100,000 t CO2
The Bavarian company FLYERALARM reached an important milestone in environmental protection right at the beginning of the year. Since the introduction of "climate-neutral printing" almost ten years ago, customers have offset 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. "100,000 - a huge number combined with a huge thank you to our customers who have supported numerous climate protection projects through their voluntary contribution", says Thorsten Fischer, CEO of the e-commerce company. "When we made the option available almost ten years ago, I couldn't imagine that we would once have compensated for the amount that a car would emit during more than 13,900 orbits along the equator. I am very proud that our customers are taking such good advantage of this offer.
Compensation payments promote climate protection projects worldwide
The CO2 calculator of the German Printing and Media Industries Federation provides a calculation basis that specifically takes into account the criteria of the printing industry. This ensures the central requirement for a reliable calculation of CO2 emissions, which takes into account all relevant ISO and DIN standards. High-quality CO2 reduction projects bear the "Gold-Stan- dards-Certificate" seal of approval and are under the ongoing control of the WWF and the Federal Environmental Agency.
Companies such as FLYERALARM buy so-called emission reduction certificates with the voluntary compensation payments made by customers. The projects in Ghana, Mali, Taiwan or New Zealand focus on ecological concerns as well as the needs of the local population.
Avoid, reduce and offset
"Protection of the environment is important for all our futures. The printing and media industry is committed to resource-conserving production and has taken a leading position here compared to many other industries," says Holger Busch, Managing Director of the Verband Druck und Medien Bayern, adding: "But CO2 offsetting is not a licence for wasteful behaviour. Serious climate protection always rests on three pillars: avoid, reduce and offset. The print and media associations have anchored these three pillars in the bvdm climate initiative. All participating printing companies can claim to be sustainably committed to the reduction of CO2 emissions.
The Bavarian association supports companies in developing a climate protection strategy. Its services range from CO2 climate calculators to individual site assessments for printing companies.
