Impact of Printing and Laminating Services on Environment

Running head: IMPACT OF PRINTING AND LAMINATING SERVICES ON ENVIRONMENT
IMPACT OF PRINTING AND LAMINATING SERVICES ON ENVIRONMENT
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IMPACT OF PRINTING AND LAMINATING SERVICES ON ENVIRONMENT1
Industrialization is important for the growth and development of the country. However, it
has its own positive and negative consequences on the society and the environment. These
industrial developments cause climate changes and are also contributing to air, water and soil
pollution. The printing and lamination services industry is one such industry that heavily causes
negative impact on the environment. The aim of this paper is to analyse the potential
environmental aspects that can have a significant impact on the industry. The paper further
aims to discuss the available pollution control technologies, provides recommendations and also
the impact of those recommendations on the industry.
The printing and lamination services industry is one such industry that creates a huge
amount of waste and negatively affects the environment. One such huge source of waste is
paper. Paper serves for over 12,500 tons of waste on an average [1]. The papers are carelessly
discarded, certain documents that are ignored and wasted simply increases the problem of
wastage. Due to the wastage of paper, demand for paper increases and that leads to
deforestation. Deforestation means cutting of trees and the effects of cutting of trees can be
seen on a global level. The production of paper also increases the pollution levels in the
atmosphere and to the water supplies. Paper mills have been reported to produce huge
amounts of carbon dioxide as well as nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere. The wastewater from
the industries are then released into the freshwater bodies that pollutes the water and causes
damage to the aquatic life and the human life as well. The second environmental problem that
this industry creates is the printing cartridges. The printer inks are toxic to human beings. The
chemicals used in the printer inks are extremely harmful to the environment as they contain
petroleum oils and other non-biodegradable plastic casing. The negative impact of simply
throwing in old ink or toner cartridge into the garbage are many. The volatile organic compounds
(VOC) and heavy metals in ink can lead to soil and even water pollution when left in landfill,
whereas the plastic in the ink can tale years and years to degrade and even then, they would be
able to pollute the soil [2]. The third problem with the printing and the lamination services
industry s the use of printers. The printers contribute to the energy consumption and when the
printers are turned on, they are actually energy efficient. However, the real issues arise while
disposing off the printer. It is an electronic waste that can be dealt with in order to reduce
regular waste. These problems in the industry can have certain impacts on the industry.
The first and the most important environmental factor is the wastage of paper as
mentioned above. This wastage of paper causes deforestation because of the demand.
Deforestation then means cutting of more and more trees and cutting of trees has severe

IMPACT OF PRINTING AND LAMINATING SERVICES ON ENVIRONMENT2
negative effects on the environment. Cutting trees changes the climate, increases air pollution
and also leads to soil erosion. Therefore, production of paper in the printing and laminating
services industry can be said to be the most important problem of the industry. The second
important problem is the production of ink. Because the ink contains such harmful substances
like petroleum oil and even plastic, it is a potential threat to the environment on a larger scale.
Plastic is the worst enemy of the environment as it is a non-degradable waste and if ingested by
any living being, then it can be fatal to the organism. The third most important problem therefore
is the electronic waste. The discarding of the electronic waste is a problem and that creates a
threat to the environment as well. The fourth problem is the products that are used for
lamination. The laminating process includes plastic and other heavy metals like mercury,
arsenic and zinc that are harmful to the environment [3]. Plastic is a non-biodegradable material
and it has been seen to create hazardous problems to the environment. Therefore, it would be
an important step to find alternate ways of using laminating materials so that they can be
recycled and also that they do not produce any other hazardous waste.
There are various pollution control technologies that are invested in the improvement of
the environment. Two such pollution control technologies are mercury control technology and
particulate control systems. As inks contain mercury, these technologies can help in reducing
the amount of the mercury used in inks and the particulate control system is to reduce the
particulate that are released into the environment. The environmental laws according to the
Singapore regulations include pollution, coastal zone, management, forest conservation, parks,
wildlife, mineral development, and cultural environment. Singapore is a nation that has one of
the largest oil refineries, largest port and biggest bunkering services in the world [4]. Therefore,
it is extremely prone to pollution as it is a hub for chemical, pharmaceutical and electronic
industries. It is very complex with laws and regulations and therefore multiple agencies like the
Public Utilities Board (PUB) that is under the Ministry of Trade and Industry is responsible for
the environmental concerns like sewage and drainage. It will regulate the water pollution that is
cause the printing industry as they use the chemicals in their inks and release them into the
water bodies [5]. Creation of the ministry of environment is another possible pollution control
planning that can help in the process. The Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Regulations for the
hazardous as well as noxious substances (2017) was an act that was created to act in order to
stop pollution of the sea. Such acts can be beneficial in preventing pollution of the water
resources that the printing and the laminating industry contributes to [6].