Our long history gives us a unique perspective on environmental conservancy and drives our mandate of ecologically sustainable business practices. McAra Printing has attained certification from the Forest Stewardship Council and pioneered the use of vegetable-based inks in Western Canada. Our goal is to produce technically advanced and appealing print products with minimal environmental impact.
Forest Stewardship Council
[link: www.fsccanada.org]
The FSC is an international, membership-based, non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC brings people together to promote responsible forest management and to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices.
FSC does so in providing standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services and market access for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry. Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.
McAra Printing is an FSC Chain of Custody Certified Printer. In order for a product to carry the FSC label, every step in the supply chain between the forest and the final product must be FSC Chain of Custody certified. Companies that are Chain of Custody certified use Control Systems to determine what quantity of their product can carry an FSC Claim, and therefore whether it can carry an FSC Label.
Processing-free printing plates
While most printers have now adopted an environmentally friendly film and developer free Computer to Plate workflow, McAra has taken one step further by using processing-free printing plates. Simply put, our plates are imaged by a powerful laser, then rinsed with a small amount of water before going on press. All the developers and chemical waste has been eliminated, ensuring a cleaner, greener printing process.
Vegetable-based Printing Inks
McAra was an early advocate of vegetable based inks, adopting their use in the mid 1990’s. Vegetable based ink is made with vegetable oil, such as soybean or linseed oil and is used as a substitute for petroleum. These inks significantly reduce the amount of ozone depleting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) released into the air during printing.
Alcohol Free Printing
For many years, an Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) solution has been the standard method of dampening printing plates on press. While the use of IPA made printing easier for many, the environmental hazards posed by the VOC emissions and the ensuing disposal problems far outweighed the benefits. In 1997, McAra Printing was the first printer in Canada to order a new press with rollers specifically to accommodate alcohol-free printing. McAra’s pressroom has never looked back.
Recycling
The two principal waste byproducts produced by commercial printers are paper off-cuts/scraps and used aluminum printing plates. McAra Printing aggressively recycles both, reducing plant waste to near zero. To put things into perspective, for every ton of recycled paper used, you save: 17 Trees; 6953 gallons of water; 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space; 4077 Kilowatt hours of energy.
McAra averages more than 540 tons of paper recycled each year! Additionally, we recycle more than 9 tons of aluminum printing plates each year.
Alternative Power
Many printers lay claim to green power, usually by paying a small premium to their energy provider for the right to display a logo. McAra’s approach to green power is much more “hands on”. We are currently in the feasibility assessment stage of installing solar electricity generating equipment at our production facility. Our south facing plant is ideally situated to take advantage of Alberta’s sunny weather and offset our electricity consumption, ensuring our print products are as green as possible.