Magazines can be fabulous AND sustainable - TrooRa leads the way
Between 2016 and 2020, there were more than 220 million magazine readers in the United States, according to an annual survey.
That is a LOT of printed magazines ending up in our landfills. Some get recycled, but most don’t.
In these large numbers, can magazines also be sustainable?
The answer is yes!
However, getting there can be difficult with all the greenwashing by companies.
Source: Photo by Pixabay
Magazines can easily be greenwashing
As per The Paris Accord, all firms want to look good to their stockholders about reaching Net Zero Waste by 2050.
With that in mind, it is easy for any magazine to declare that they are sustainable, use eco-friendly paper, and are moving towards Net Zero Waste.
This, in a nutshell, is called Greenwashing.
If not the magazine itself, any printing firm can also falsely assure the usage of 100% PCW Recycled Paper, compromising the environment and the magazine’s commitment to the environment and its stockholders.
Thus, it is essential that environmental claims can be substantiated.
Source: Xiaojie Liu, Investopedia
So how to substantiate eco-claims? Here’s a case study:
TrooRa is leading the way in sustainability in various forms.
The Founder, Trystanne Cunningham, has ensured this through her vision and efforts towards a better world. Under her leadership, TrooRa Magazine is daring you to stand out in a world of conformity. Cunningham has created TrooRa to become a platform championing minority entrepreneurs, emerging brands, creatives and talented artists.
Sustainability is equally important to her in this journey, so she had been researching how to achieve it with TrooRa.
After four long years, she found her printing partners able to deliver just what she wanted through the joint efforts of Greg Barber at Eco-Friendly Printer and Stuart Toms at Xcalibre Communications.
Let’s see how TrooRA is pioneering in this area.
TrooRa - The Holiday Issue Winter '22
Planting Trees
TrooRa’s vision is to make planting trees an everyday habit. Yes, planting trees helps offset CO2, but for TrooRa, it is so much more than just that.
In their partnership with Click a Tree, their holistically sustainable approach to planting trees, they have managed to create jobs with full-time income for local communities, build habitats for endangered animal species, and actively fight climate change.
Green Web Hosting
TrooRa is leaving no stone unturned by hosting its website eco-consciously.
Their hosting platform has been designed with a maximum use, no waste of resources mindset.
It has been optimized to be energy-efficient in every aspect. Plus, for every amperage used from the grid, they match 3 times that in the form of renewable energy through Bonneville Environmental Foundation and plant one tree for every hosting account provisioned.
Invest in an eco-friendly printer
TrooRa Magazine went the extra step and got their Carbon Balance Certificate from Denmaur Paper Media, who delivered the 100% PCW text and 100% PCW cover paper to Xcalibre Communication.
For a fabulous finish and look for the magazine, TrooRA chose Xcalibre Communication’s 100% Post-Consumer Waste recycled Silk Coated Text and Cover paper for their magazines.
Not just the paper, but the inks and coatings used in the prints are also completely non-toxic.
On top of that, the DHL freight was also Carbon Balanced.
To confirm the credibility of this claim, a Carbon Balance Certification is provided by the paper mill that created this paper for TrooRa.
Carbon Balance Certificate for TrooRa
Importance of Carbon Balance certification
This certificate helps avoid fraud, false claims, and greenwashing, all together.
Since it is issued by the mills created Post Consumer Waste paper, it has accurate information about the carbon offset amount, amount of trees saved by that project, and the details to verify its authenticity.
Every magazine company that claims to use eco-friendly paper must have this proof of claim, or it is a clear sign of greenwashing.
The positive impact of investing in 1 ton of PCW paper
Why using 100% PCW paper makes a difference
100% PCW papers are made from previously printed paper, using less water and fossil fuels to produce. Also, using recycled paper to make new 100% PCW grades means we are saving these previous grades from going to our overloaded landfills.
Every ton of recycled paper printed saves a minimum of 17 trees and tons of water and fossil fuels are saved.
Using 100% PCW paper saves trees, water, energy, and landfill space, and helps each firm come closer to its goal of Net Zero Waste.
It’s time to be vigilantly eco-friendly
Without an intentional collective effort by businesses and corporations, individuals can take sustainability only so far.
With millions of magazines being printed annually, working towards a Net Zero Waste future is the number one priority.
Not only magazines, but newspapers, book publications, and even the marketing materials used by companies can drastically minimize their negative environmental impact by investing in Eco-Friendly Printers.
TrooRa truly is leading the way by setting an example for all magazines to adopt a more green way of business.
Author bio: Hi, I’m Mrudavi. I help sustainability-focused businesses generate high ROI through content marketing strategy and content writing.
You can find me on LinkedIn to collaborate.