Sustainable Production Guidelines

Greenpeace should lead the way in sustainable production and printing. The first question you ask should always be: do we need to produce this at all? Anything we do produce or commission, and the raw materials from which it is made, should be sourced from socially just and environmentally responsible suppliers.

Labrinth Models ‘Save the Arctic’ T-Shirt © Andy Gotts MBE

When creating print documents consider the following:

  • Avoid heavy ink coverage if possible, especially when printing large quantities, as this makes them easier to recycle.
  • We should always aim for 100% recycled stock. If 100% recycled stock is not available, go for the highest percentage of recycled fibre. Paper must be Australian FSC certified and ISO14100.
  • At the author’s discretion, it may be appropriate to include a reference to the paper used to print and/or the accreditation. Eg the FSC logo, or a statement such as “this report is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.”
  • Greenpeace brand collateral should be on uncoated stock. However, coated stock may sometimes be more suitable for brand jamming.
  • Only print what you need. It may be cheaper to print in bulk, but it may have unforeseen environmental costs.
  • Use environmentally friendly vegetable or soy-based, non-heatset, ultraviolet/electron beam curable inks. Do not use petroleum-based ink. Printer should be Australian FSC certified and have an ISO14001 certification.
  • If printing on other materials, specify non-PVC based laminates and inks.

When printing T-shirts, consider the following:

We prefer to use certified organic and fair trade textile-based products when we produce or commission t-shirts or canvas bags. Wherever possible, we purchase GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified products. We also seek to use water-based non-PVC, non-hazardous chemical inks when choosing our suppliers. Our preferred supplier for screen-printing in Australia is: OCC Apparel