6 Ways to be an Eco-Conscious Shop

In an article recently published in Printwear Magazine,  Kieth Stevens gives us some tips on how to become a more Eco-friendly print shop.

Try these six actionable steps to become a more Eco-friendly shop.

• Use water-based table adhesives for the platens instead of spray.
• Try to avoid emulsion hardeners. It makes it much harder to reclaim screens, which means more water.
• Purchase from local suppliers rather than sources farther away to reduce emissions and shipping resources.
• Scrap as much ink from the screen after use to keep excess ink out of the wastewater.
• Use an ink that doesn't air dry but can be reused indefinitely until it is gone.
• Try to reuse dirty squeegees by saving them for the next job with like colors. This allows you to skip the cleaning process and reduce the use of chemicals.

Kieth Stevens is the Western regional sales manager for International Coatings. He has been screen printing for over 37 years, teaching screen printing for more than 12 years and is a regular contributor to International Coatings' blogs. He also won a 2014 Golden Image Award from SGIA. For more information, visit iccink.com and read the company’s blog.