An Oscar went to Al Gore's global warming trope “An Inconvenient Truth” last month, and printers were called upon to support the Academy Awards event with collateral on recycled papers. Whether pushed by customer demand and industry regulation or motivated by personal conviction, printing “green” is an accelerating trend.

An online survey by Graphic Arts Monthly evaluated the industry's current state of green initiatives. What became clear was that printing companies, and their suppliers, are committed to eco-reform. They are developing multi-faceted approaches to improve the industry's ecological footprint. Some of the many strategies printers are embracing include: buying sustainably manufactured paper; using electricity generated by wind power; recycling aggressively; using vegetable-based inks and low-VOC press washes; and to some extent, printing using waterless presses. Printers embracing “green practices” demonstrate that more eco-friendly, yet still financially viable, operations can be sustained.

Indeed, printers are taking the business of being green very seriously, following many paths to get there. For some firms, steps to achieving sustainable operations have greatly exceeded mere compliance with environmental regulations.

Use of paper that supports sustainable forestry is the hot “eco” practice. Customers' requests for such substrates has prompted many printing companies to invest in detailed accreditation processes to certify that paper products used support the environment.

Already some 181 printing facilities (see page 12), 25 paper manufacturers, and 48 merchant locations in the U.S. have earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, undergoing a multi-step review of by an FSC-authorized auditor. The list of FSC-certified printers has grown dramatically since last fall, when only 80 were certified. Now, for example, all U.S. and Canadian locations of RR Donnelley have achieved FSC status; so too has its operation in Reynosa, Mexico. Nine of 10 Quad/Graphics plants are certified (the only exception being a plant acquired last August.) Printing behemoth Quebecor World counts six FSC-certified sites.

The FSC is an international organization which administers a program for certifying that paper used in printed products originates from sustainable, legal and verified logging sources—avoiding harvesting wood from areas that would have negative environmental effects or destroy slow-to-revive “old growth” forests. It accredits independent certification organizations to audit and certify that papermakers, paper sellers and printers meet its rigorous standards. Only firms who pass muster may display the FSC logo.

The certifiers verify that companies claiming to sell FSC-certified products can document the chain-of-custody of substrates back to FSC-certified sources. The process requires tracking and recording the possession and transfer of paper, from origin through the stages of production, to the end user.

xpedx, which printed the cover of this issue, launched a service to help printers attain chain of custody certification for both FSC, and for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. SFI is a certification body that serves the U.S. and Canada and is governed by a fully independent board. Its directors include environmentalists and conservation organizations. xpedx posted an interactive presentation that explains chain of custody on its Website at www.xpedx.com/coc .

Once printers put procedures in place to meet the requirements of both standards, the audit process can take four to eight weeks, say xpedx officials. To pass the accreditation audit, printers must demonstrate they can identify certified products on inbound and outbound shipments, segregate certified from non-certified products, document their procedures, and report on certified transactions.

xpedx recently became the first North American paper merchant to receive national chain-of-custody certifications for both SFI and FSC. The SFI certification is for all coated and uncoated papers and the FSC certification is for writing, text and cover papers and all coated papers. The certifications cover all xpedx distribution centers and retail stores across the U.S., as well as xpedx.com.

Printers tell GAM their green efforts have helped gain better control of production processes and attract new clients, though not without additional costs. Alternative energy sources and eco-products can be more expensive, and training on new operating procedures is nonproductive time. But often, say printers, focus on eco-practices leads to reduction in materials usage, disposal costs and spoilage. Here are some representative printer snapshots.

Sandy Alexander, Clifton, NJ, invested more than $100,000 a year to convert to 100% wind energy, but gained $2 million to $3 million in business as a result. It also paid over $500,000 to replace natural gas-fired pollution controls with regenerative equipment, drastically reducing gas consumption. Overall, Sandy spent close to $750,000 on its eco-efforts.

“It takes a substantial commitment throughout a company to enact a meaningful environmental program, especially from a financial standpoint,” says Jonathan Fogel, senior VP. “You can't just wave a green flag with a few trees on it and convince people that you have taken substantive environmental steps. You have to put your money where your mouth is and make a serious commitment.”

Fogel says a number of corporate clients have adopted aggressive social and environmental missions and specifically cite print as an area that needs to fall under that umbrella. As corporations pare down their vendor base, environmental leadership makes his firm a valuable partner, he adds. www.sandyinc.com

Mercer Color, Coldwater, OH, has minimized the eco-impacts of its printing process. The company views green printing as a manufacturing process using products and procedures that reduce or eliminate Hazardous Air Pollutants, 313's (a Federal list of community right-to-know substances), VOCs as defined by test method 24, and California Proposition 65 chemicals (chemicals known to produce reproductive harm or carcinogens). The company named its process Ecologically Controlled Offset Printing, or Ecolith for short.

“While planting trees, using alternative power sources, printing recycled paper and obtaining environmental certifications contribute to an overall green program, they do not have any effect on the actual printing process,” says Pat Berger, co-owner of Mercer.

He says the company initiated green printing in 1990, when it eliminated alcohol and alcohol substitutes from its fountain chemistry and started printing with vegetable oil-based inks. The company lowered its VOC emissions to less than 75 lbs. per $1 million in sales.

“Our efforts taught us how to control each variable in the printing process without machine add-ons such as solvent distillers, fountain solution recycling systems, on-press coating units, extra chill and hot air bars and expensive reverse osmosis water systems. In addition, we've learned there are alternatives to hazardous pressroom chemistry and these products work better,” says Berger.

He reports impressive results: ink consumption decreased 25%, fountain solution from its circulating system has been dumped just three times since January 2003 and press wash consumption was cut from 165 gallons per year to a single 30-gallon drum. www.mercercolor.com

LAGraphico, Burbank, CA, took a proactive approach in complying with clean air laws, even exceeding requirements yet to be enacted. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the company's local regulatory agency for air quality, has a plan in place to reduce the concentration of VOCs in washup solvents to 100 grams/liter from the current mandate of 650 grams/liter. The law goes into effect in 11 months. At the federal level, the EPA is proposing 50 grams/liter VOC in washes for printers in areas not in compliance with clean air laws.

By working with a product supplier, the company developed a solution that surpassed both proposed limits and did not compromise the quality or production efficiency. The press cleaner is 34 grams/liter VOC and the company reports it works better than higher VOC products it once used and has improved efficiency. www.lagraphico.com

Anderson Lithograph, Los Angeles, adopted the tagline “Committed to a Sustainable Future.” The company makes available to interested parties a copy of its “Environmental Statement Letter,” similar to Corporate Social Responsibility reports by major corporations.

Anderson can also provide an Environmental Air Quality Impact Report for every print project produced in its facility, using standardized measurement techniques and calculation methods accepted by regulatory agencies. The report measures the actual or projected impact on air quality of any printed project. Several of these air quality impact reports have been generated for past Coca-Cola annual and citizenship reports that have been printed at Anderson.

The company's web offset heatset printing operation is equipped with a pollution control device that destroys ink and varnish VOC emissions generated by press dryers. The device uses VOCs captured in the dryer exhaust as fuel.

Anderson says it is the only printing facility in the U.S. to be certified by an air quality regulatory agency as a “totally enclosed” facility with near zero VOC emissions. wwww.andlitho.com

Pictorial Offset Corp., Carlstadt, NJ, supports numerous environmental initiatives.

“We captured over $1 million in new business because of our environmental commitment and sustainability programs,” says Donald Samuels, managing partner. “On our paper recycling initiative alone we realized a savings of over $500,000 each year.”

In 1998, the company obtained dual, simultaneous certification for both the ISO 9000 (quality) and the ISO 14001 (environmental) programs. The company invested about 2,000 work hours to attain the certifications.

The company received a Corporate Sustainable Standard-Setter Award from the Rainforest Alliance for its environmental leadership. www.pictorialoffset.com

Murray Print Shop, St. Louis, reports using soy-based inks and recycled papers before it was fashionable. While the company's business has more than tripled over the last 15 years, its waste reduction and production practices have kept disposal volumes in check. The company empties its dumpster one-third as often as it did in 1990. Installation of a Presstek 52DI press has reduced makeready waste by a factor of 10.

Murray officials report its environmental consciousness has won it business from a variety of environmental organizations. The company estimates donating tens of thousands of dollar in printing to environmental groups in the last 15 years.

Artisan Columbia Printing, Westbury, NY, is the first printer in New York to participate in the Long Island Power Authority's Green Choice program, which supports companies that add wind-generated power. The wind power costs the printer an extra $1,000 a year to power a quarter of its facility with wind. The company also offers its clients logos featuring a windmill and the words “Printed using new wind energy from Community Energy, Inc.” www.artisancolumbia.com

Stuyvesant Press, Irvington, NJ, prints with soybean oil inks, recycled paper and aqueous-based chemistries. In conjunction with the company's 30th anniversary, it will spin off a new division in the spring dedicated to green printing. It recently started a toner cartridge/ink cartridge recycling program in its community. www.stuyvesantpress.com

In addition to its green production processes, Olympus Press, Seattle, developed and annually hosts a “Print Green” seminar that gathers up to 300 industry leaders to advance eco-print specification. Started in 2005, the event brings together print buyers, designers and environmental experts. It presents eco-success stories from the likes of Starbucks, Nike, REI, local colleges and paper manufacturers.

The seminar includes a product and services display area featuring ink companies, paper companies and environmentally focused groups. www.olypress.com