Sustainable Printing Practices at Red Sun Press
Red Sun Press is a graphic design and printing company that was founded in 1974. Red Sun is located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. As a worker-cooperative union shop dedicated to social responsibility, Red Sun’s commitment to environmentally sound printing practices has been consistent throughout our history.
Recycled Paper
• For more than 20 years Red Sun Press has been a leader in promoting papers with high recycled and post-consumer content to all our customers. We also encourage the use of processed chlorine-free papers.
• We are the first printer in New England to stock 100% post-consumer waste paper as our house sheet at no extra charge to the customer. All of our other stock sheets are 25-30% post consumer.
• All of the paper we use in our copy department is recycled, and our color copier stock paper is 100% post-consumer waste.
Sustainable Production Practices
• We have used vegetable-based inks (a combination of soy, linseed oil and other vegetable oils) since the early 1990’s.
• Red Sun Press has been recycling all of our own waste paper since 1988. We recycle more than 50 tons of waste paper per year from our pressroom and offices. We have an ongoing program of donating usable waste paper and out of date paper sample books to local schools and daycare centers.
• We have changed our pressroom solvents to products with lower VOC’s. We use alcohol-free fountain solutions on all of our offset presses. In 2006 we installed a computer-to-plate system that eliminated film (which contained silver) from our production process. And we continue to recycle our metal printing plates.
• We are in the process of developing a program to donate used machine parts from our presses and copiers to the sculpture departments of local art schools.
Consumer Education
• All customers are asked to include a recycled logo on their printed pieces. Discussing the placement of the recycled logo gives our staff an opportunity to educate our customers about the issues connected to using sustainable products.
• All of our marketing materials are printed on recycled papers with high post-consumer content and highlight our commitment to recycled paper and sustainable products.
• Our web site provides further information on recycled paper, and explains to our consumers the benefits of using post-consumer waste paper.
• Our staff members have spoken at environmental conferences in the Boston area, and participate in the Coop America Green Festival.
Greening our own Business
• In 2003 we completed an exterior rehabilitation of our building façade using fiber-cement siding, which both contains post-consumer recycled content and is a product that is resource efficient and has a lower environmental impact than traditional sidings.
• We provide a kitchen stocked with plates, glasses, mugs and utensils to minimize the use of paper products for employee meals, and we compost our food wastes.
• We use a bicycle courier service to send small packages out by bicycle, rather than by car and van services.
• We are committed to remaining in Jamaica Plain, one block from an Orange Line T stop. Both our customers and our employees can reach us by public transportation, and we offer a T-pass program to our employees. Seven of our eleven employees walk, bike or take public transportation to work.
Red Sun Press has continued to take pride in our commitment to environmental issues. We believe that our environmental practices are good for our community, as well as being good for our business.
Environmental Awards
• City of Boston Green Business Award, 2007
• Two-time winner of the Massachusetts Buy Recycled and Environmentally Preferred Products Award, 2000 and 2002
