Sustainability

Print Responsibly

Print uses resources.

The goal isn’t to pretend otherwise. It’s to make thoughtful choices about the paper, quantities, production methods, packaging, and delivery that go into every project.

At Dollar Bill Printing, we look for practical ways to reduce waste, use materials responsibly, and help our customers make better-informed printing decisions.

Sometimes that means choosing a certified or recycled paper.

Sometimes it means printing fewer pieces.

Sometimes it simply means producing the right thing the first time.

Better Paper Choices

There isn’t one perfect paper for every project.

We work with established paper suppliers and can help you choose from FSC-certified papers, recycled-content stocks, and other responsibly sourced options.

Tell us how the piece will be used, how long it needs to last, what it needs to look like, and what sustainability goals are important to your organization.

We’ll help you find a paper that makes sense.

Reducing Print Waste

Sometimes the most sustainable piece is the one you don’t have to throw away.

We use digital workflows and electronic proofing to reduce unnecessary materials during production.

We also help customers choose print quantities that make sense instead of automatically ordering more than they’ll realistically use.

Digital printing and print-on-demand can be especially useful for materials that change frequently. Smaller, targeted runs can reduce obsolete inventory, storage, and boxes of outdated materials sitting on a shelf.

Recycling What We Can

Printing creates trim, setup sheets, cartons, wrappers, and packaging materials.

We work to keep recyclable materials out of the waste stream whenever practical, including:

Paper and production trim

Cardboard and cartons

Paper ream wrappers

Packing materials

Other recyclable production materials

We also reuse suitable shipping and packing materials when practical.

Dollar Bill Printing participates in Washtenaw County’s Waste Knot program, which supports waste reduction and increased recycling among local businesses and organizations.

Smarter Production

Sustainability doesn’t stop with the paper.

Our approach includes digital production workflows, energy-saving equipment settings where available, efficient production technology, and LED lighting.

We also work with local and regional suppliers when practical and look for opportunities to consolidate purchases and deliveries.

No single change solves everything.

A lot of practical ones help.

Packaging With Less Waste

Your printed project still has to arrive safely.

Whenever practical, we reuse clean packaging materials and choose recyclable or recycled-content packaging.

We also try to match packaging to the size of the project instead of using more material than necessary.

Protect the job.

Skip the unnecessary stuff.

Print the Right Amount

This may be one of the easiest sustainability decisions you can make.

Printing too much creates waste before anyone even opens the box.

For pieces that change frequently, we can help compare traditional production quantities with shorter digital runs or print-on-demand.

You may find that ordering what you’ll actually use makes more sense environmentally and financially.

Environmental Policy

Dollar Bill Printing is committed to conducting our business in an environmentally responsible manner through responsible sourcing, waste reduction, recycling, efficient production, and continuous improvement.

We recognize that printing uses natural resources, energy, materials, and transportation. Our responsibility is to manage those resources thoughtfully while continuing to provide the quality, value, and service our customers expect.

Responsible Sourcing

We work with established suppliers and support the use of paper from responsibly managed sources.

FSC-certified paper, recycled-content paper, and other responsible paper choices are available for appropriate projects based on customer requirements, availability, performance, and budget.

Waste Reduction

We continually look for practical ways to reduce production waste through efficient workflows, electronic proofing, appropriate print quantities, optimized production, and print-on-demand when appropriate.

Recycling and Reuse

We recycle paper, cardboard, packaging materials, ream wrappers, and other production materials where recycling streams are available.

We also reuse suitable shipping and packaging materials when practical.

Energy and Equipment

We consider energy efficiency in our production practices and equipment decisions.

This includes using energy-saving equipment settings where available, efficient digital production technologies, and LED lighting.

Purchasing and Transportation

We use local and regional suppliers when practical and look for opportunities to consolidate purchasing and deliveries to reduce unnecessary transportation.

Customer Support

We help customers identify papers, quantities, production methods, and packaging options that support their sustainability goals while still meeting the project’s requirements for appearance, performance, timing, and budget.

Continuous Improvement

Environmental responsibility is an ongoing process.

We will continue reviewing our materials, equipment, production methods, recycling practices, packaging, purchasing, and transportation for practical opportunities to reduce waste and use resources more efficiently.

Paper, Print & Sustainability

Frequently Asked Questions

No.
U.S. forests are a renewable natural resource that is continually replenished through sustainable forest management and natural regeneration.
According to Two Sides North America, net forest area in the United States increased by approximately 10 million acres between 2000 and 2025. Demand for responsibly sourced forest products can also give landowners an economic incentive to keep their land forested rather than convert it to other uses.
That doesn’t mean every paper is the same. Responsible sourcing and forest certification still matter.
Not according to current U.S. data.
In 2023, the U.S. pulp and paper industry accounted for approximately 0.6% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and 1.2% of industrial-sector emissions.
The industry also makes significant use of biomass energy produced from materials such as bark, chips, and other wood-processing residuals.
U.S. paper companies reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 36% between 2005 and 2020.
Paper has something many materials don’t: an established recycling cycle.
According to the most recent government data, paper and paper packaging are recycled more than any other material in the U.S. municipal waste stream.
In 2024, approximately 60% to 64% of paper was recovered for recycling, while the recovery rate for corrugated cardboard was estimated at 69% to 74%.
That makes responsible paper use, recovery, and recycling an important part of a circular system.
For a while, yes. But not forever.
Paper fibers become shorter and weaker each time they’re recycled. Most paper fiber can be reused about five to seven times before it becomes too weak for another paper-making cycle.
That’s why both recycled fiber and fresh fiber from responsibly managed forests are necessary.
Recycled content is valuable.
Fresh fiber keeps the recycling cycle going.
Digital communication has an environmental footprint too.
Electronic devices require raw materials, manufacturing, electricity, data centers, and eventually disposal.
The United States and Canada generate approximately 7.9 million metric tons of electronic waste each year.
Globally, only about 22% of the electronic waste generated in 2022 was officially documented as properly collected and recycled.
Digital communication can certainly be useful.
So can print.
Neither one is impact-free.
Not necessarily.
Claims such as “Go green. Go paperless.” can make it sound as though replacing paper with electronic communication automatically benefits the environment.
The reality is more complicated.
Paper and digital communication both have environmental impacts. Determining which option has the lower impact for a particular application requires looking at the specific products and systems being compared.
Electronic communication involves devices, data centers, energy consumption, raw-material extraction, and electronic waste.
Paper involves forestry, manufacturing, transportation, printing, and recycling.
So we prefer a simpler approach:
Choose the communication method that works best for the job, and make responsible choices whichever way you go.
Yes.
We can help you evaluate FSC-certified papers, recycled-content papers, and other responsibly sourced options based on the needs of your project.
The best choice depends on how the piece will be used, how it needs to perform, availability, appearance, budget, and your organization’s sustainability requirements.
Absolutely.
Sometimes reducing waste has less to do with changing the paper and more to do with changing how the project is produced.
We can help you look at print quantities, digital printing, print-on-demand, paper selection, sizing, finishing, packaging, and other choices that may reduce unnecessary materials or obsolete inventory.