Point B Solutions embeds sustainability in all our business practices and processes to help conserve resources for years to come.
Each day we’re making progress in creating carbon-neutral solutions for each service we offer, including printing, fulfillment, promotions and technology. We always go beyond what government agencies require to comply with environmental, health and safety regulations. Instead, our focus is on making our services as sustainable as possible.
We’re also a Great Green Printer, participating in the Printing Industry Midwest Great Printer Environmental Initiative. Being a Great Green Printer means we’ve committed to minimizing our impact on the environment and human health while producing high-quality printed materials.
As a company, we’ve focused our sustainability efforts on greener technology, sustainable sourcing, reducing waste, and ramping up recycling.
Paperless Warehouse Technology
Our warehouses are paperless. Instead of printed tickets, we use electronic scanning technology to track and process printing and fulfillment jobs. Obviously, paperless technology is good for the environment, but it also helps ensure that your orders are packaged and shipped as quickly and accurately as possible. Other benefits of paperless warehousing include enhanced inventory visibility, on-demand reporting and automated customer notifications of important inventory activities.
Advanced Mailing Services
Reducing waste is a hallmark of sustainability measures. Our mailing services ensure high deliverability rates using advanced postal standardizations and validation services. With a cleaner list, you can be confident that you’re only printing and sending mailings that will reach intended recipients, reducing waste and boosting your return on investment.
Greener Technology
We believe technology can produce better outcomes for our clients and the environment. To that end, we make purchase decisions with an eye toward sustainability. We look at every investment as an opportunity to provide superior quality while reducing our carbon footprint.
Right-Sized Packaging
Packaging that’s too big is wasteful, costly and detrimental to the environment. At Point B, we’ve invested in special packaging equipment that customizes box sizes to ensure a better fit and less waste. The machine also determines the precise amount of filler paper needed to fill the box and make it safe for delivery. And, since our packaging is right-sized, we can optimize the number of packages on our truck for more efficient shipping and distribution.
Digital Printing
Our digital presses are carbon neutral and reduce the environmental impact of commercial printing in significant ways:
- Saves paper – Running a project digitally can save a couple of hundred sheets of paper since there’s no need to run the press to get the correct color before starting the print job.
- Reduces water use – Our digital presses our waterless, helping to save thousands of gallons of water each year.
- Conserves energy – Inks and coating dry faster on digital presses, making digital printing more energy efficient than traditional printing. But we’re taking efficiency to the next level and equipping our digital presses with the ability to use ultra-violet coatings dried using high-efficiency LED lights.
- Less toxic – Our digital presses use sustainable inks and films that emit fewer greenhouse gases than solvent-based inks used in traditional commercial printing.
- No printing plates – With digital printing, there’s no need for printing plates, so there’s less to recycle.
High-efficiency Lighting, Cooling and Heating
We’ve taken significant steps to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. Our building has high-efficiency heating and cooling systems. We’ve also equipped our facilities with motion detection LED lights that automatically turn off in areas that aren’t being used, reducing energy use by 75 percent, on average.
Smarter Sourcing
Our choices play a role in our environmental impact. That’s why we’re devoted to sustainable sourcing and making greener choices.
Greener Options for Print Projects
We’re committed to providing our clients with the broadest range of eco-friendly packaging materials and paper options. We’re certified by the Forest Service Council (FSC), an organization that promotes responsible forest management. For a print project to be FSC certified, it must come from materials responsibly sourced from the forest and printed in a way that minimizes the environmental impact.
Eco-friendly printing substrates can be made from recycled paper, reused materials, plants and even plastics. There are also sustainable papers made from trees growing in carefully managed forests. In addition, the materials we use for packaging and shipping are made using recycled paper — and are also recyclable.
Soy-based Inks & Process-less Plates
Soy-based inks are non-toxic and produce less CO2 emissions, making them better for the environment. The good news is that we use soy-based inks for all our presses — both digital and offset. So, if offset printing makes more sense than digital printing for your project, you can still feel good about your printing choices.
When we do need to make a printing plate, we opt for process-less plates, eliminating the use of harsh chemicals and the waste that comes with it.
Responsible Recycling
Our goal has always been to recycle as much as possible — paper, plastic, printing plates, printheads, old printing equipment, and more. We even recycle the heat generated by our presses. We also try to refill or reuse when possible — for example, with print heads and bulk ink containers.
While recycling is inherently green, we’ve taken additional steps to make the recycling process as efficient as possible. For example, by using compactors for corrugated cardboard and bailers for paper waste, we can compact materials, so they’re handled more efficiently during recycling. This helps reduce fuel use and emissions during transport.
Recycling Highlights
- Over 1,000 pounds of plastic recycled each year
- Over 4,000 pounds of aluminum recycled each year
Reducing Waste
We know we’re not the only ones interested in reducing waste. We work with our clients to make choices that will reduce waste and shrink their carbon footprint — without negatively impacting the ROI of their projects and programs.
Smarter Printing and On-Demand Apparel
One of the advantages of digital printing is that it’s cost-effective in smaller quantities, allowing clients to increase flexibility and efficiency while reducing waste. It’s suddenly possible to order just one t-shirt or a few dozen brochures. There’s no need to order extras just in case. We also help clients optimize their print projects to minimize the amount of waste on each press sheet.
One-stop Location
Having all your items shipped to and stored in a central location is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Our climate-controlled warehouses and wide range of services help make shipping and order fulfillment more sustainable.
Learn More About Our Sustainability Efforts
Reducing our carbon footprint — and helping you to reduce yours — has always been a priority at Point B Solutions. Please contact us if you’d like to discuss how to reduce your environmental impact while delivering optimal business results.
