Green Print Partnerships

The intensifying calls for protecting the planet's ecology prompts a key question for printers: What is green print? As companies of all sizes are pressured to manufacture in an environmentally friendly fashion, printers must follow suit. And they must have ready answers for clients seeking green credentials.

A major research study now being conducted by Graphic Arts Monthly, co-sponsored by Day International and Xerox, does find printers moving toward sustainable print practices. But the trend seems principally motivated by a drive for manufacturing efficiency, not sustainability for its own sake. Those who are positioning themselves as sources for sustainable print offerings often do so as a result of customer demand. But these printers are challenged to find a generally accepted definition of the term, says Mark DiVito, RBI Research, who is conducting the study. Initial findings are being presented in a keynote by DiVito at this month's National Environmental Health and Safety Conference in Indianapolis.

Several moves toward defining and encouraging sustainable printing are underway. The Book Industry Study Group has teamed with the Green Press Initiative in the book manufacturing arena to define sustainable printing for that sector. Wal-Mart established a sustainability report card, and calls on package printers to prepare sustainable offerings. A study by Heidelberg found 40% of its customers placing great value on environmental protection, whether in the shops themselves or in the print operations' impact on its surrounding environment.

To provide solid green definitions and metrics for the commercial and flexible packaging sector, three printing industry groups have formed a coalition—the Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership. It is in the process of establishing certification processes for graphic arts firms to offer clients both a definition of green printing, and proof that their production and purchasing practices protect the environment.

The first of such certification groups targeted paper. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the European Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) administer programs for verifying paper originating from sustainable, legal and verified logging sources—avoiding harvests that would have negative environmental effects or destroy slow-to-revive, old-growth forests.

These groups accredit independent certification organizations to audit and certify that paper makers, paper sellers and printers meet its rigorous standards. The certifiers verify that companies claiming to sell certified products can document the chain-of-custody of substrates back to their 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.

More than 850 print centers have achieved FSC designation (see list on pages 33-44) and may display the FSC logo on products.

But paper is only one component of a printer's environmental footprint. To provided printers with a tangible way to prove to clients that print products are produced using green practices, three industry associations (PIA/GATF, FTA and SGIA) formed the SGP Partnership last June. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Audubon International and GreenTrack Strategies are providing regulatory insight as it creates a certification process and national registry that will allow customers to locate green printers.

Sustainability for a printer, says the group, encompasses three elements: the “Product,” which includes the materials used to produce it, such as substrate, inks, coatings, adhesives, etc., and the actual product itself; the “Process” used to produce the product, i.e. prepress, press and postpress equipment and supporting technology; and the “Envelope”—the building, grounds, energy consumption, employees and other supporting activities.

At the NEHS Conference, the partnership will unveil its criteria and procedures for certifying a green printing operation. SGP is still hammering out the final details, but a January meeting that drew 50 industry members agreed to five criteria:

• Meet all applicable federal, state and local environmental health and safety regulations, and have no significant outstanding violations.
• Have a written Environmental, Health and Safety Policy signed by a responsible party (e.g. owner, president, etc.) that is publicly available and accessible to employees and customers.
• Complete and submit a self-verification form with payment. Payment will be forfeited if program requirements are not met within 12 months of receipt of application. SGP Printer verification must be achieved within a year of application.
• Candidates for certification cannot use or display the SGP logo, but will be identified on the SGP Website.
• Firms apply as single company sites.

A print facility could remain a candidate for the SGP designation for one year, after which it would need to apply as an SGP Printer requiring full verification of its sustainability efforts. Criteria for the program will be updated every two years.

SGP is also developing a glossary of terms to provide a common understanding regarding the applicability and use of these terms within the printing sector. The criteria for SGP certification is set for beta testing in this month, with the full program launch expected this summer.

ONLINE: graphicartsonline.com/sustainability