Judging by the amount of printed material being produced every day, hopes of the paperless society seem to be receding. That's why it's vital that printing companies do all they can to ensure the process is as environmentally friendly as possible.
Bedminster-based Doveton Press have a fine record when it comes to green policies but they've now gone even further, gaining recognition from two accreditation bodies to ensure they can prove that the vast majority of the paper they use comes from sustainable forests.
Whenever you see a pile of freshly printed brochures or leaflets it's easy to imagine the trail of destruction through our forests as trees are felled to produce the paper which plays such a big part in our lives.
That thought was certainly in the minds of many of the customers of Doveton Press, who regularly asked whether the paper being used for their orders came from sustainable sources - in fact quite a bit of it already was, but they were determined to do even better.
Now, as a result of gaining accreditation from two leading organisations, the company, which has operated in Bedminster for almost forty years, can prove that around 80% of the paper they use is produced from wood grown in sustainable forests, although some specialist papers can't currently be sourced in that way.
Account Manager, Daniella White, is justifiably proud of the achievement: "We have always been conscious of environmental issues, but we took the decision to go through the formal process of getting properly recognised accreditations so our customers could be completely assured about where the paper used for their products actually came from."
The accreditations came from the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes.
FSC was set up to ensure the sustainability of forests, protect the environment including plants and animals and conserve the livelihood of the people who work in forestry. It is endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund and the Woodland Trust. Their "Chain of Custody" ensures that all products can be tracked from forest to the end user.
The PEFC Council is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.
Doveton made a presentation to the twenty staff to keep them fully informed of the importance of the accreditation and accurate record keeping.
"It's true that the process of gaining the accreditation was time consuming and there was some resistance to the additional administration required, but people were convinced of its value when they heard the full story," added Daniella.
The company's green credentials don't end with the source of their paper. Whenever possibly they use local suppliers to cut down on lorry journeys and all their waste paper has long been collected and recycled, with any redundant stock sent free to the Scrap Store.
They have also invested in a new machine for the production of printing plates which removes the need for using chemicals. Some ink is now soya based and all of it is recycled.
Presses are run for 12 hours a day, 6 days per week with two printers per press working 3 days on and 4 days off, allowing them to travel to work at less congested times and to make fewer journeys and heat from the presses is even re-circulated to help warm the factory.
Daniella has no doubt they will continue to make further improvements in the future: "The environment is at the centre of Doveton culture. It's one of the first issues to be considered when making decisions because we are convinced it's good for our customers, our staff and it's right for the long term interests of our business."