Since we promote a large selection of eco friendly wedding invitations from a variety of printers at Think 2100, we thought it would be helpful to offer a few tips on factors to consider when you are looking for wedding invites that will be easy on the environment.

First, understand that there are variations on the meaning of “recycled.”  Post-consumer waste paper comes from products that consumers have already used.  Pre-consumer waste paper comes from products, such as unsold newspapers, that have not been used by consumers.  Some people include in this category clippings and waste materials that are recovered from paper mills, garment manufacturers or other industries, whereas others include such materials in a third category called “recovered paper,” “wastepaper,” or “mill broke.”  Environmental sources such as this article from Green America’s Better Paper Project often recommend using higher percentages of post-consumer waste.  The reason is that pre-consumer waste use has been in existence for a long time, and in order to expand recycling, we need to make use of heretofore unexploited post-consumer paper resources.  We need to exhaust our existing end-use waste resources before supporting milling that depends on new timber.   

Secondly, understand that “recycled” is only one consideration when looking for environmentally friendly invitations or other paper products.  Paper manufacturing and printing ordinarily involves the use of a wide range of hazardous chemicals.  Many paper mills still bleach paper with chlorine gas in order to make it white.  This process releases dioxins and other toxic materials.  Healthier alternatives include unbleached, processed chlorine free (PCF), and totally chlorine free (TCF) paper.  Unbleached paper is often grey in color or dyed.  This is the best alternative from an environmental point of view.  The terms processed chlorine free and totally chlorine free are confusing because people assume that “totally chlorine free” uses the least chlorine and is therefore better.  However, chlorine is not used in the manufacture of either PCF or TCF paper.  PCF is the term used for chlorine free recycled paper, whereas TCF is applied to chlorine free virgin paper.  Therefore, between these two alternatives, PCF is the environmentally preferable choice.

Hazardous chemicals are typically used at several stages in printing.  According to the EPA’s National Emissions Inventories, printing is the fifth largest domestic industrial producer of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)  (Miller, 2008).  VOC’s are skin, eye, and lung irritants that are linked to neurological damage and birth defects.  Hazardous petrochemicals are used in the solvents used to clean printing equipment.  Petrochemicals and heavy metals are used in ink, pigments for color, and additives that help with ink drying or adhesion. 

Environmentally friendly alternatives for printing have been available for over two decades (Biochemicals for the Printing Industry, 1997).  They include plant-based solvents used to wash printing equipment and vegetable-based inks.  Vegetable-based inks are not entirely biodegradable because the vegetable oil vehicle for the ink is still mixed with hazardous pigments and additives.  However, according to studies on soy-based ink conducted by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the more soy based oil used as the vehicle for ink, the less pigment is needed, and the more biodegradable the product.  Moreover, unlike petroleum-based vehicles for ink, soy ink does not release VOC’s into the air.  In other words, the higher the percentage of vegetable-based oil vs. petroleum-based oil used as a vehicle in which the colorants and additives are mixed to make ink, the better the ink is for the environment.

So if you are looking for an eco friendly wedding invitation, these are factors to consider.  The higher the post-consumer waste recycled content, the better.  Look for unbleached or PCF (chlorine-free recycled) paper.  The more vegetable-based solvents and ink used in the printing process, the better. 

At Think 2100, we offer a wide range of invitations that fall at different points along the eco friendly continuum.  Some of our merchants sell 30% post-consumer recycled content products because they say that their customers prefer this paper over 100% post-consumer recycled paper.  Some do not offer vegetable-based ink because they say that their customers prefer the standard ink products.  Other merchants on our site offer 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free, and vegetable-based ink products.  Formal Invitations, finestationery.com, cardstore.com, Green Field Paper Company, eInvite.com and Dream Green Weddings all offer one or more of these earth friendly options.  We want you to know that these are the best choices from an environmental standpoint, and that you have the power to move the entire industry in this direction.  Consumer demand for the most eco friendly alternative will drive change.