The company is now offering a carbon neutral option on all its Speedmaster presses. Although the company has offered this option on an ad hoc basis before, from now on, this is to be a regular option across the entire range, meeting the increased demand for an environmental option from printers and their customers. Any company opting for this environmental option will receive certification showing how many tons of carbon have been offset.
The greenhouse gas emissions that result from manufacturing the press, for instance in the production of iron, will be compensated by climate protection projects. This is in line with the Kyoto Protocol.
There is no international standard for calculating the CO2 footprint of printing presses but Heidelberg, in co-operation with TU Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Technology) has formulated a method of doing so.
Matt Rockley, marketing manager for B1 and B2 presses in the UK, said, The calculation takes into account both the manufacturing and transport costs from cradle to door. The amount of carbon generated varies from press model to press model. The footprint has to be calculated for each bespoke configuration. Heidelberg is the only sheetfed supplier to be able to calculate the CO2 footprint of any press in detail and to offer this carbon balanced option. We believe supporters of sustainability will welcome this development.
About 220 tons of carbon dioxide is generated during the manufacture of a Speedmaster XL 105-5+L, about half from the electronic components.
Each certificate features an ID number which is clearly attributed to the printing press. By entering the number the printer can track the climate project he supports online.
