A Cooperative Project
between the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
and the
Printing Trade
Associations
Nationwide
August 1996
EPA 744-F-96-008
FOR
THE
LITHOGRAPHY PROJECT BULLETIN 2
U.S.EPA*
BULLETIN
HIGHLIGHTS)
ices
ALSO IN T
us BULLETIN)
* Management Commitment
•Pollution Prevention Checklist
Workplace Practices Make
the Difference
JL llC tlCllVlllC J described in this bulletin are the most popular workplace
practices that redllCed Chemical USage among 206 lithographers
surveyed. These lithographers, mostly small-and medium-sized facilities, are using these
low cost practices to reduce overall chemical usage in their shops. Improved
workplace practices have the potential to:
> Reduce harmful chemical exposure to employees and the public
e> Reduce operation and materials costs
> Eliminate or minimize sources of pollution
•> Improve employees' health and work attendance
> Improve productivity and product quality
The survey was developed and distributed
by printers, union representatives, printing
industry trade associations, suppliers, and
The University of Tennessee Center for
Clean Products and Clean Technologies.
Compare their simple ideas "with
yours and see if you can make
your shop even better.
Design for the Environment I
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A Closer Look at
Management Commitment
To make pollution prevention
an ingrained ethic and strategy
with all your employees, it is
essential that your shop's defini-
tion of work excellence includes
environmental awareness.
O Make it clear that
management will support
employees as changes are
made and will commit
the resources necessary
to succeed.
O Encourage employee
suggestions through a
merit program or some
other type of incentive.
O Emphasize hazardous
waste reduction efforts
to each employee by
displaying written
procedures on equipment
operation and materials
handling.
It Begins with
Materials Management
and Inventory
Identifying the best opportunities for
pollution prevention begins with understanding how chemicals
and materials flow through a facility. By examining and documenting this flow
through your entire process, you may be able to identify ways to increase the efficiency
of your process and reduce waste. Examples of simple, COSt-CrrCCtlVC pOllutlOU
ideas in materials management and inventory control include:
Order and manage chemical use on a "first-in, first-out" basis. Do not order more than can be
used within the shelf life of the product. Label contents and expiration dates should be legible.
>~ Why To reduce materials and disposal costs of expired materials.
Minimize the amount of chemicals kept on the press room floor at any time.
>- Why To give employees an incentive to use the minimum
amount of chemical required to do the job and to prevent spills.
Centralize responsibility for storing and distributing chemicals.
^- Why To keep track of chemical usage and give employees an
incentive to use less materials.
Eliminate duplication. Don't order many different products to perform the same task, and
use multi-task chemicals when possible.
>- Why To eliminate purchasing, tracking, and disposal costs of unnecessary chemicals.
Use a pump to transfer chemical products from large containers to smaller containers that
are used at work stations
^-Why To reduce potential for accidental spills that can occur when chemicals are
transferred from container to container by hand and to reduce worker exposure.
B Design for the Environment
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It Continues Everyday with
Process Improvements
Attention to day-to-day practices will uncover many valuable opportunities for pollution
prevention and cost savings. You will find that these opportunities exist in nearly every area
of your shop. The survey of lithographers focused on blanket washing. Some examples of
process improvements identified by the survey include:
Use squeeze bottles or plunger cans to apply a specific amount
of blanket wash to shop towels
Reduces cost and chemical use by applying only what you need to shop towels
Prevents accidental spills by using a closed container
Reduces chemical loss and worker exposure by limiting evaporation
Use smaller, reusable towels for as long as possible
Reduces materials and chemical use by using dirty towels for the first pass and
clean ones for the final pass
Reduces number of towels sent to the industrial laundry by using fewer towels over time
Reduces chemical use and worker exposure because less blanket wash is needed to
dampen the smaller towel
Store chemicals and used towels in closed containers
Reduces chemical loss and worker exposure by limiting evaporation of chemicals
Use alternative, low-volatile organic compound blanket washes or
combine an alternative wash with limited use of a standard solvent
Reduces chemical usage with no loss of efficiency
Reduces worker exposure by using a blanket wash with a lower volatile
organic compound content and/or lower vapor pressure
Apply blanket wash only where necessary
Reduces chemical usage by wiping ink off before cleaning equipment
with solvents and using blanket wash only when necessary
Reduces worker exposure by using chemicals less frequently
Use personal protective equipment (gloves, aprons, and barrier creams)
Reduces worker exposure by protecting from direct contact with chemicals
Try increasing water dilution ratios
Reduces cost per wash by using less blanket wash
Design for the Environment E3
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Here's Your Checklist
for Pollution Prevention
in Your Workplace
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
AND INVENTORY
Q Manage inventory on a "first-in
first-out" basis
U Minimize the amount of chemicals
on the press floor at any time
Q Centralize responsibility for storing
and distributing chemicals
U Store chemicals in closed, clearly
marked containers
Q Use a pump to transfer chemical
products from large to small containers
PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
U Use squeeze bottles or plunger cans
to apply a specified amount of blanket
wash to shop towels
Q Use smaller,reusable towels for as
long as possible
U Store chemicals and used towels in
closed containers
Q Evaluate chemical alternatives
U Apply blanket wash only where
necessary
Q Use personal protective equipment
U Try increasing water dilution ratios
WASTE MANAGEMENT
U Track chemical and material stock,
use, and waste generation rates
Q Segregate waste by waste stream
U Store waste and used towels in
closed containers
Partners in the Design for
the Environment Lithography
Project; Printing Industries of
America, Graphic Arts Technical
Foundation, the Environmental
Conservation Board of the
Graphic Communications
Industry, The University of
Tennessee, and individual
printers and suppliers.
H Design for the Environment
Don't Let Your Efforts
Go To Waste. IfllprOVC Your
Waste Management practices
Now that you have begun reducing the waste generated in your shop, additional
opportunities exist for improving the ffl.3.ri3.gCmCrit Ol ^V3.StC
products generated during normal printing operations
Track
Store
chemical and material stock
chemical and materials use
waste generation rates
Provides insights into pollution prevention and cost saving opportunities
waste by waste stream
Allows for easier reuse and recycling of waste materials
waste and used shop towels in marked, easily accessible
closed containers
Prevents nonhazardous waste from becoming contaminated with hazardous waste
Minimizes evaporation of chemical waste products
Reduces worker exposure
About the Design for the Environment Lithography Project
The goal of the Design for the Environment (DfE) Lithography Project is to provide lithographers
with information that can help them design an operation which is more environmentally sound,
safer for workers, and more cost effective.
Concentrating on the process of blanket washes, the partners of the DfE Lithography Project,
in a voluntary cooperative effort, evaluated 37 different blanket wash products. Information was
gathered on the performance, cost, and health and environmental risk trade-offs of the different
types of substitute blanket wash. For more details on the evaluations,
please refer to the "Evaluating Blanket Washes: A Guide For Printers."
In addition to the Lithography Project, similar DfE projects are currently
underway with both the screen printing and flexography industries.
To obtain additional copies of this or other bulletins and case studies, or for more information about
EPA's Design for the Environment Program contact:
EPA's Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)
U.S. EPA
401MStreet,SW(7409)
Washington, DC 20460
E-mail: ppic@epamail.epa.gov
DfE Web page: http://WTvw.epa.gov/dfe
Phone: (202) 260-1023
Fax: (202) 260-4659
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