This leaflet just published by the JWPA demonstrates that waterless printing substantially reduces CO2 emissions over those of conventional offset.

Waterless Printing CO2 Reductions Enhance Environmental Advantages

We are again grateful to our Japanese Waterless Printing Association (JWPA) members for more information vital to the growth of the process.  JWPA executive Secretary Tadao Iokbe tells us that a considerable amount of research time was invested in the development of its new CO2 formula which shows the waterless printing reduction of the world’s most pervasive green house gas.

First, Mr.Kazuhoro Shimizu, owner of Shimizu Shiko Company who formerly acted as committee member of the Green Purchase Network (Japan) created the basic calculation. Then JWPA directors met to discuss the content and figures in detail.  The review of the calculation model included Mr. Muneharu Higuchi who is a printing specialist in the ISO 14000 series of certifications.

Further refinements were sought by submitting the calculation model to the Japanese Environment Ministry, Toray Research Center, ink manufacturers and recycle specialists. The result is labeled Version 1.0 of the Kg-CO2 calculation model to accommodate possible revisions in the future.

It may be surprising to some, but it is true that there is a significant amount of CO2 generated in the printing process.  Water itself has an small emissions factor (.38 as used in the JWPA’s calculation).  Next is the IPA (alcohol) factor which includes its production and transportation (even alcohol substitutes would generate CO2  in its manufacture and distribution).  And finally, the formula includes emissions involved in the disposal of fountain waste.

In the future, it may be possible to incorporate the model into a printer’s estimating system to show a customer how many CO2 absorbing trees would be planted as a result of the waterless printing CO2 reductions.

The new calculation model is based on two B1 sheetfed presses, each running 24 hours per day, but one running waterless and the other with conventional 5% IPA dampening.  The waterless press reduces CO2 emissions by a total of 1,297 Kilograms or 2,859 pounds.  Based on these calculations, the JWPA estimates that using waterless printing is the same as the CO2 absorption rate of 118 Japanese beech trees a single year.