| Some decisions made by manufacturers carry environmentally conscious implications without being subject to regulation in the traditional command and control context. The printing industry serves as a model for research in how decisions are made to use recycled or virgin paper, elemental or totally chlorine free paper, and petroleum or soy based inks. Environmental consciousness is examined including such concepts as Design for Environment, Environmental Literacy, Green Design, Industrial Ecology, Life Cycle Assessment, Sustainable Development, Total Quality Environmental Management, and ISO 14000 Standards. Major environmental legislation affecting the printing industry includes the Clean Water and Air Acts, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Pollution Prevention Act. Driving forces come from environmental participants such as trade associations, suppliers, and green marketing. The classical and behavioral schools of decision theory are examined as well as Japanese decision making methods.; Interviews were conducted with a nationwide sample of eighty-three offset lithography printers to examine categories of knowledge/awareness, attitudes/values, intentions, and actions. The major conclusions are: printers are not familiar with government sponsored voluntary programs; environmentally conscious decisions are market driven; printers are not engaging in green marketing; vendors are the primary source of information or learning (Government agencies are last); there appears to be no correlation between trade association membership and environmentally conscious performance; printers are not familiar with TCF paper as an alternative; and printers are more likely to default to virgin paper, ECF paper, and petroleum based inks. |
