Sustainability

Climate Changes
February 1, 2009

When addressing attendees at the Sustainability in Printing conference held at the Doubletree Hotel in Philadelphia last June, Gary Jones, director of environmental, health and safety affairs for The Printing Industries of America, Sewickley, Pa., stressed there would be a culture change going forward. Instead of a policy, he cautioned, businesses of all sizes will need a formal management system, along with continuous improvement measures, put into place.

Finch Paper Earns SFI Certification
January 13, 2009

A fully-integrated manufacturer of conventional and digital printing papers, Finch Paper, Glens Falls, N.Y., has received SFI certification. The certification audit was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Finch Paper earned both the SFI forest management certification and the chain-of-custody certification.

Grossman Marketing Group Throws Caution to the Wind
January 13, 2009

Located in Somerville, Mass., Grossman Marketing Group, a full-service provider of marketing communications materials and promotional products, produced 200 million envelopes using Green-e certified wind power.

ABI Helps Businesses Avoid Greenwashing
January 1, 2009

Clearly defining a company’s sustainability position can be a major differentiator for companies today, but the dangers of greenwashing and commodification remain. ABI, New York, will conduct a workshop at PIRA 2009 Sustainability in Packaging Conference, March 2-4, in Orlando, Fla., on avoiding these pitfalls and creating business opportunities through green initiatives.

Green Printing
January 1, 2009

Eco-friendly, sustainable or “green” printing didn’t come into existence over the last year, but in many ways, it did come into its own. Here are just a few things that occurred in 2008, which made me feel really good about this industry.

ABI Helps Businesses Avoid Greenwashing
December 16, 2008

Clearly defining a company’s sustainability position can be a major differentiator for companies today, but the dangers of greenwashing and commodification remain. ABI, New York, will conduct a workshop on avoiding these pitfalls and creating business opportunities through green initiatives at PIRA 2009 Sustainability in Packaging Conference, being held March 2-4 in Orlando. Conducted by Alan Isacson, president, and Tim Colbert, director of ABI Marketing Public Relations, the workshop will give attendees one-to-one advice on: • How to shape corporate messaging and promote company-wide sustainability initiatives more effectively • The best ways to define sustainability and avoid claims of green washing by

Arthur Blank & Co. Introduces the AB HybridCard
November 4, 2008

Headquartered in Boston, Arthur Blank & Co. introduced the AB HybridCard into its GreenLine suite of environmentally friendly products. An industry first, the AB HybridCard is part recycled and part virgin PVC. The .030” thick material is comprised of a recycled plastic core sandwiched between two layers of traditional bright white PVC, resulting in a 50 percent recycled plastic and 50 percent traditional PVC product. The outer layers of traditional PVC provide an excellent printing surface while the recycled core provides all the environmental benefits associated with recycled material including helping to reduce energy consumption and reducing the amount of PVC entering

Ward/Kraft Expands Mag Stripe Options for Plastic Cards and Mailers
November 1, 2008

Ward/Kraft, Ft. Scott, Kan., expanded its plastic card offerings to include eco-friendly, holographic green coating; more mag stripe sizes; additional encoding options; and the ability to add a mag stripe to traditional and larger composite plastic products through proprietary improvements of its encoding equipment. The enhanced coating and mag stripe capabilities allow distributors to offer more mag stripe options and eco-friendly, holographic green coating on CR-80 and larger plastic composite materials. Distributors can also provide green plastic card hologram coatings and a mag stripe on a wide range of 20 mil and 30 mil plastic products, including postcard mailers in 4x5½”, 3½x7½” and similar

Grassroots Ecology
November 1, 2008

When it comes to eco initiatives, the real challenge isn’t devising sophisticated plans like wind energy programs, observed Gale Ward, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Minneapolis-based ecoEnvelopes, it’s developing practical, everyday products that help reduce our overall environmental footprint. This is exactly what Ward’s business partner, Ann DeLaVergne—ecoEnvelopes’ founder, CEO and president—did when she designed an efficient reusable envelope. A former organic farmer and beekeeper who cares deeply about the environment, DeLaVergne was in the habit of saving large envelopes for reuse—despite the complex camouflage they required to be mailed a second time. Then, one day in 2002 while sorting mail,

Xerox Corporation Unveils Erasable Paper
October 7, 2008

Xerox Corporation is unveiling its erasable paper to the public for the first time at WIRED NextFest—a showcase of global innovations transforming the world, taking place Sept. 27-Oct. 12 in Millennium Park, Chicago. Xerox’s erasable paper is coated with chemicals that react to light of a specific wavelength. When the paper is exposed to that wavelength, it creates visible text on the page.  Within 24 hours, the paper erases itself and can be used again; good news in offices where 40 percent of all printouts are discarded the day they are printed. Other breakthroughs in the Xerox display that minimize environmental impact include a