r/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(TS-779)
EPA 744-F-93-003c\.
July 1993
OASBO C-17
Component
Design for the Environment
Printing Project
What Is the Design for
the Environment
Program?
The Design for the Environ-
ment (DfE) Program in EPA's
Office of Pollution Prevention
and Toxics harnesses EPA's
expertise and leadership to
facilitate information ex-
change and research on
pollution prevention efforts.
DfE works with both large
and small businesses on a
voluntary basis, and its wide-
ranging projects include:
• Changing general busi-
ness practices to prevent
pollution.
• Working with businesses
and trade associations in
specific industries to evalu-
ate the risks, performance,
and costs of alternative
chemicals, processes, and
technologies.
*
• Helping individual busi-
nesses undertake environ-
mental design efforts
through the application of
specific tools and methods.
Why Is EPA Working With Printers?
Over 62,000 printing establishments are located in the United States.
They perform functions as diverse as printing brochures, decals on
T-shirts, and labels for cans of soup, as well as publishing books and
daily newspapers. In the course of providing their services, printers
select chemicals from hundreds of printing inks, solvents, and other
chemical products. Because 80 percent of printing establishments
employ fewer than.20 employees, very few printers have the time or
resources to research chemicals, work practices, and technologies that
are safer for the environment.
What Is the Printing Project?
The DfE Printing Project is a cooperative effort by EPA and industry
aimed at developing specific pollution prevention information for
small- and medium-sized printers. The Printing Project brings to-
gether comparative information on the risks, exposures, performance,
and costs of alternatives so that printers can make informed, environ-
mentally sound decisions.
How Do Printers Print?
Each of the six different printing methods used by printers (lithogra-
phy, letterpress, flexography, gravure, screen printing, and plateless
technologies) has a different set of chemical and technological alterna-
tives. A draft of the Use Cluster Analysis of the Printing Industry was
released in May 1992 as a starting point for exploration of more
environmentally safe alternatives. This document provides printing
market data and information about different printing methods and
technology trends. Representatives from the printing industry are cur-
rently working with EPA to revise the document for final publication.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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What Is the Focus of the Printing
Project?
The Printing Project is focusing on three areas of
environmental concern:
• Blanket washes in lithography
• Screen reclamation in screen printing
• Inks in flexography
Industry representatives prioritized these areas, us-
ing information on risk, printers' priorities, and
EPA regulatory activities. A draft list of federal
regulations that affect the printing industry is
available. For each area identified, industry repre-
sentatives and EPA are working together to com-
pare the risks, performance, and costs of
alternatives. This information will be presented in
a document called a Cleaner Technologies Substi-
tutes Assessment (CTSA).
How Are Printers Helping To Identify
Pollution Prevention Opportunities?
Two committees, which include members from both
industry and EPA, are working to assist EPA scien-
tists and the University of Tennessee in conducting
the CTSA:
• The Use Cluster Committee has formed three sepa-
rate groups to work on lithography, screen print-
ing, and flexography. Subgroups on chemicals,
work practices, and technologies are collecting
data on existing and emerging alternatives.
• The Performance Testing Committee is developing
protocols for comparing the performance and
cost of various alternatives. The committee
members will oversee the testing of various
alternatives in actual print shops.
How Will This Information Reach
Individual Printers and Suppliers?
Two committees composed of representatives from
EPA, environmental organizations, state govern-
ment, academia, and industry are working to
develop outreach strategies and information prod-
ucts that communicate the information developed
by the Project:
• The Information Products Committee is creating ve-
hicles for communicating information on
alternatives. The committee developed a case
study of a lithographic printer that has changed
its work practices and solvents. Products like
newsletter articles, televideo conferences, comic
books, and even "how-to" videotapes might sup-
plement more traditional information products
to communicate the results of the CTSA.
• The Publicity Committee is developing a strategy
for communicating project information (created
by the Information Products Committee) to print-
ers throughout the country. In January 1993,
the committee held 16 focus groups in eight dif-
ferent cities to find out where printers currently
get information, what information they find use-
ful, and what will motivate printers to incorpo-
rate pollution prevention into their, daily work.
From these focus groups, a communication strat-
egy including local, state, and regional networks
is being developed.
How Can I Get More Information?
To receive more information or to participate in
existing committees, contact:
EPA's Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse (PPIC)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401M Street, SW. (PM-211A)
Washington, DC 20460
202-260-1023
Fax: 202-260-0178
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