Keeping Design Green in Production

How does your brand live in the world? This is a question I've been thinking a lot about recently as we step into a place of impact. As a business owner you have the opportunity to do lead with change. Which is a mix of feelings, some daunting and some exciting.

I spend a good chunk of my life intertwined in nature. When I close my eyes and think of home, it's usually deep in the woods surrounded by the loudness of the outdoors (think more croaking toads, less screaming mosquitoes). It's where I feel most true. As I designer I'm trying harder to pull these values forward and advocating for a positive future in our world. Designers hold power to help you create a positive impact through sustainable design choices.

Production

In production there are many paths we can take to insure our choices are less negative. Starting with where we produce. Creating and sourcing materials locally not only has an effect on our community's economy but it has positive environmental factors. Less shipping = a reduction in greenhouse gasses and air pollution.

Materials

Consider what materials you're using. Recycled materials can come into play not only on your products, but on your print material. I personally love the feel of recycled paper. The texture comes across as lux and stands out from other papers.

Think Ink

Oh man, I used to have hungry eyes for foil. I still do. But did you know that foil doesn't recycle. Neither do the soft-touch matte coatings you see on so many print materials. To minimize air pollution consider printing with plant-based inks, rather than petroleum inks. When choosing spot colours, choose an uncoated ink rather than a coated ink.

Packaging

There are so many options for sustainable packaging. If you seldom ship things, consider saving old grocery packaging (like cereal boxes) to ship your items in. If one of your values is sustainability, I can guarantee you that your audience reflects this value. If you frequently ship items, consider packaging with recyclable and/or compostable eco-packaging.

There are growing resources on green design and an abundance of printers/suppliers that are going the eco-friendly route. If you're in pre-production with your materials, I urge you to chat with your local printer about green options :)