We print vast amounts of products on a wide range of materials and deliver these to our customers every day so you may be wondering how a company like Birch could be eco-friendly at all. Over the past few years, Birch has been working hard to reduce our carbon footprint by implementing more sustainable methods of operation
In the last two decades, the print industry itself has shifted in the way that supplies are sourced. Our suppliers source both paper and ink as sustainably as possible, with the majority of our orders printed using vegetable ink. This is a huge improvement from unsustainable wood loggings and synthetic ink that was used in the past.
Birch focuses on using FSC-accredited suppliers. FSC stands for the Forest Steward Council which is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the responsible management of the World’s Forests. We continuously search for FSC-accredited suppliers to ensure our paper supply has been harvested in a responsible manner from sustainable forests.
What does the FSC label actually mean?
·FSC 100% – All forest-based materials in the products or packaging are sourced from well-managed FSC-certified forests
·FSC Recycled – All the forest-based materials in products or packaging have been verified as being 100% recycled (either post-consumer or pre-consumer reclaimed materials)
·FSC Mix – All forest-based materials in products or packaging are made from a mix of materials from FSC-certified forests, recycled materials, and/or FSC controlled wood (controlled wood is not from FSC-certified forests but it mitigates the risk of the material originating from unacceptable sources)
In addition, our carbon offsetting scheme provides customers with the opportunity to include a carbon neutral logo printed on their items, as well as providing us with quarterly certificates outlining how much carbon we’ve managed to offset as a business.
Our offices have LED lights which are 80% more efficient than traditional fluorescent lighting. 95% of energy used by LED is converted into light and only 5% is wasted as heat, which means more heat energy is preserved.
In 2014 we worked with Biowood Recycling Limited to install a Biomass boiler which heats our 27,000sq ft factory/warehouse and offices using wood pellets. Our Biomass boiler reduces our CO2 emissions by around 48,000kg per year which is a significant move towards reducing our carbon footprint. The wood pellets are made from virgin wood which ensures that no harmful emissions are released into our atmosphere when they’re burnt.
More recently, the roof at our HQ is the perfect home for a set of solar panels which contribute to providing power for our company electric cars. We’ve had over 5 pallets of solar panels installed and each pallet is equivalent to 710 trees being planted. Our goal is to be powered self-sufficiently by the end of 2023.
As a complete UK based print management company Birch has always been more than just ‘Print’. Since day one, we’ve offered a helping hand to customers who are looking for a print marketing solution that’s right for them.
