Environmentally-friendly printing

Printing uses resources and energy, and we should never do it thoughtlessly. Always consider carefully what you’re printing, for whom, how often and how much – and whether you need to at all.

When we do decide to print, the paper we use should have the best environmental credentials. It’s an area where we can practise what we preach, by using paper with low forest, climate and water footprint. The following steps will help achieve this:

Step 1: Ensure the paper you use comes from known sources and from a transparent supplier, and that the printing company is environmentally responsible.

WWF-UK has a dedicated external Print Management provider, that is responsible for ensuring all our print meets the environmental requirements in our Paper and Timber Products Purchasing Policy. Please contact a member of the brand and design team for more information on who to contact to print any materials.

FSC 100%All the timber or comes from an FSC Mixed sourcesThe timber in the product is a mixture of some/all of the following:•Reclaimed material•Controlled Sources, which exclude unacceptable forestryFSC Recycledthe product is reclaimed material

When checking your paper – choose products that contain more than 70% recycled material

Step 2: The paper you use must be (in order of preference):

  • Certified as FSC Recycled, or
  • 100% recycled (we prefer recycled material from post-consumer waste and certified products such as Blue Angel or EU Ecolabel), or
  • Certified as FSC Mix, or
  • Certified as FSC 100%

In addition, all our printed publications and communications materials must be:

  • Totally chlorine free (TCF). It may not be possible to guarantee post-consumer waste material is TCF, but you should seek processed chlorine free (PCF) items where products are made from recycled material
  • Sourced in the UK where possible, or from within Europe
  • Listed on the WWF Check Your Paper website, achieving a minimum rating of ‘good’ and be third party audited
To deliver on the above commitments, WWF-UK will choose products that score highly on the WWF Check your Paper database. If suppliers suggest using products that aren’t listed on Check Your Paper, we ask them to score the environmental performance of their products using Check Your Paper.

Step 3: Ensure correct printing and labelling

  • All printed materials should include a logo or statement identifying the environmental credentials of the paper. If the paper is FSC, the correct FSC logo must be used (this logo can only be applied by a certified FSC printer). This is usually placed on the back page, next to the boilerplate.

The printing process

Printing as a process adds further environmental impacts. All print companies producing work for us (including all our communications and fundraising materials) must:

  • Be certified to ISO 14001
  • Use vegetable based printing inks for all lithographic printing
  • Use other vegetable based products in other types of printing wherever available
  • Clean their printing presses without using volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  • Under no circumstances use UV varnish or varnishes containing endocrine disrupting chemicals to coat printed materials: where coatings are used they must be water-based
  • Never use PVC for printing

WWF-UK’s paper stock

We recommend the use of either Cocoon Silk coated or Cocoon uncoated depending on your audience and the finish that you require. The weight of paper you choose will depend on the type of publication, budget and print run.

Alternative materials

We will consider the use of paper and board products made from the following non-wood materials, on a case by case basis according to available information on key sustainability issues:

  • Alternative fibres which are considered agricultural by-products, e.g. bagasse, straw, hemp
  • Sustainably produced material such as bamboo fibre
  • Other materials made from post-consumer waste, such as cotton rags

Always consider carefully what you’re printing, why, for whom, how often and how much

Wood stacks