Two-phase assessment for the environmental impacts from offset lithographic printing on color-box packaging

• This study assessed the environmental impacts from offset lithographic printing on color-box packaging.
• The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to identify and evaluate improvement options.
• The life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to assess environmental impacts quantitatively.
• The study demonstrated the viability of the AHP for evaluating environmental impacts of printing processes.

This study employed a two-phase methodology to assess the environmental impacts from offset lithographic printing on color-box packaging. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to prioritize improvement options and the life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to assess environmental impacts quantitatively. This study quantified the total amount of energy consumption and CO2 emissions caused by the printing processes of color-box packaging and showed that the total reduction of GHG emissions of the system that omitted the laminating and varnishing process was approximately 239 kg. Moreover, incineration contributes 2905–3004 kg of CO2 to potential global warming in the case of color-box packaging. The study demonstrated the viability of the AHP for evaluating environmental impacts of printing processes, ranking them in order of pollution potential, and subsequently identifying those critical for reducing environmental pollution on the printing operation. This study also showed how the LCA approach may be used together with expert opinion to identify opportunity to alter printing processes in order to address environmental impacts and improve the environmental profile of offset lithographic printing.