We have only one Planet Earth, so we spare no effort to ensure that we produce books with as little impact on it as possible. We strive to operate with the greatest possible care for the environment and natural resources. We strongly believe that even tiny, daily eco-friendly and community-oriented actions make a difference and bring measurable benefits to nature and the environment we function in every day.
Everything starts with the right technology. Digital printing is much more environmentally-friendly than conventional offset printing. There are a number of reasons for this.
or aluminium matrices, required in the case of offset printing. When printing ‘digitally’, data from the computer is transferred directly to the printing machine. Thanks to this the production process does not use harmful printing inks and aluminium. Instead, we use eco-friendly inks and toners.
We do not waste paper for press start-ups and printing substandard products. Used cardboard is re-used as a filler for boxes with books sent to customers.
The digital printing systems and binding equipment that we use are highly productive without excessive energy consumption.
We recover some energy used by certain machines (e.g. Müller Martini Diamant 35 MC, or air compressors) and then we use it again, for example, for heating purposes.
Our technology is supplemented by reasonable decisions and implementing and offering environmentally-friendly solutions.
We use eco materials and offer our customers a wide choice of certified paper types and recycled paper
We reduce the use of plastic films in production processes and use biodegradable and recyclable packaging materials. Thanks to responsible production management, we reduce the amount of paper waste and dispose of it for further processing.
Our delivery policy is well thought-out. We plan the logistics, whether relying on our own means of transport or employing external contractors, in such a way as to reduce mileage and pollution resulting from transportation of goods to the minimum.
For a few years now, we have only been using green energy from renewable sources (hydropower plants, PV, wind farms and biogas plants).
We hold an FSC CoC® (Chain of Custody) certificate, awarded to wood and paper industry companies, including paper mills and printing houses. It is a proof that the raw materials we use for printing books and other products are FSC certified, i.e. have been sourced in a socially- and environmentally-friendly manner from properly managed forests, controlled sources, reclaimed or recycled materials, or a combination of these.
In 2024, a certification audit was carried out at our company, the results of which confirm that Totem.com.pl meets the requirements used for calculating CO2 emissions, issued by the International Association ClimateCalc.
ClimateCalc is designed to provide exact information on the carbon impact of the specific print product in a life cycle perspective. On the basis of the calculation we are able to neutralize the impact of a printed book on the environment by purchasing carbon credits from certified suppliers. The product can then be marked with a 'CO2 neutralized’ logo.
We separate waste, drink tap water, use energy-efficient lighting and heating systems. We promote an eco-friendly lifestyle among our personnel and carry out in-house educational activities related to nature conservation.
There are jobs in our company in which internship is not required. This enables us to employ graduates and provide them with a friendly working environment in which they acquire hands-on professional competence.
We believe that personnel makes our most valuable asset, so we implement an equal opportunity policy as regards recruitment, offering jobs to candidates without discrimination based on age, gender, origin, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
We allow free access to positions for both men and women and the only selection criteria for a candidate are qualifications and work experience.
Newly employed staff are guaranteed equal working conditions with pay corresponding to their qualifications and experience; we provide them with access to training to upgrade their qualifications and to enable promotion. We make sure that we level the playing field by using flexible forms of employment and enabling those who want to develop to take part in training, internships and workshops, amongst other things.
We are open to the needs of our immediate community by supporting local green initiatives, such as the regular clean-up of the Noteć River, in which our employees have already taken active part a few times, or by sponsoring sporting events, e.g. the Piast Running Festival. A strong team of Totem runners participate in the May races every year.
We are happy to get involved in various efforts, especially those related to the promotion of reading.
We are especially proud of a charity campaign of printing books in the Ukrainian language for children and teenagers who found refuge in Poland, fleeing the war. It was Totem that initiated that action, successfully inviting other Polish printing houses. We wished to help in the way we know best – by printing books and trusting that reading in their mother tongue would let Ukrainian children forget about the atrocities of war, at least for a while.
The campaign received an enormous response – our company alone printed 25,000 books, donated for free to various institutions and relief organisations throughout Poland.
Write to us and we’ll explain everything.
You can also write to us: kontakt@totem.com.pl