Sustainability

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership)—a collaborative effort by the PIA/GATF, SGIA, FTA and NAPI—officially opened the application process for printers to become registered members. The independent recognition organization provides benchmarking tools applicable to the industry, as well as verification of green and sustainable business practices based on published criteria available at www.SGPpartnership.org. Verified printing facilities will be recognized on the website and permitted to display the SGP Partnership logo. The registry will also benefit members of the print buying community by giving them access to sustainable printers in their area and across the country. There are two categories of

McCourt Label, Lewis Run, Pa., achieved the prestigious ISO 14001 accreditation, illustrating its current and future commitment to minimizing environmental impact. The ISO 14001 international standard provides both a model for streamlining environmental management, and guidelines to ensure environmental issues are considered within decision-making practices. McCourt Label is one of the first label manufacturing companies in the United States to achieve the ISO 14001 accreditation. McCourt Label attained the accreditation after a series of audits by NSF at its Lewis Run facility. The site will be assessed annually to ensure continual development of the Environmental Management System (EMS) that is currently in place.

The January GreenPiece debut column contained a sidebar featuring a few suggested websites for learning more about green initiatives. A recent visit to two of the sites uncovered information addressing carbon emissions and green designing—both noteworthy issues. Carbon Emissions’ Calculated Risks Researchers at Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Institute posted an article on the Printers’ National Environmental Assistance Center (www.pneac.org), calling for more stringent measures for calculating global warming-causing carbon emissions. An edited version of the article is reprinted here with permission. There is no universally accepted way of calculating carbon footprint. Many accepted frameworks rely on “tiers” of increasingly

Cincinnati-based Storopack has developed a new program to help companies in pursuit of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The program aims to assist companies in protecting their products with environmentally friendly in-the-box packaging that also protects the environment and the bottom line. Developed as a result of assisting numerous companies fulfill their “green packaging” directives, the program is detailed in a new two-page brochure available at www.storopack.com/csrprogram. Storopack reduces change-over risk with multiple choices. Combining packaging materials with hybrid packaging techniques provides multiple ways to save money and reduce damage. With consultative help from Storopack engineers, companies can choose

Headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio, Glatfelter has launched a new, FSC-certified digital carbonless line of products. Known as Xcelerator PLUS, the line is specially engineered to perform in today’s most advanced digital equipment, while also giving the peace of mind of environmental responsibility offered by Glatfelter’s chain-of-custody FSC certification. Long an outstanding choice when using digital equipment, Xcelerator Digital Carbonless now adds the FSC mark of responsible forestry to its pedigree. “Glatfelter customers will get a powerful combination of environmental excellence and outstanding digital performance. We are proud that our dedication to sustainable forestry initiatives and product development can meet in one excellent carbonless product,”

Creative Automation, Hillside, Ill., has obtained chain-of-custody certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The FSC and SFI certifications will be valid through July 14, 2013 and July 21, 2013, respectively. Chain-of-custody certification is the process of tracking and recording the possession and transfer of wood and fiber from the forests of origin through the different stages of production. “Having these certifications in place not only allows us to do something positive for the environment, but they also give us the ability to offer our clients more options when it comes to accomplishing their own green initiatives,” stated

By Maggie DeWitt Environmental awareness is growing by leaps and bounds—or by leaves and bonds, if you will. Manufacturers are rushing to market with exciting, new additions to their product lines created from eco-friendly stocks. Because the current demand for eco-friendly products is originating at a corporate level, manufacturers and distributors must be able to supply appropriate solutions to maintain key accounts—which brings us to this month’s mystery feature. A traditional product and an industry staple, it continues to serve a variety of applications, but with a new attitude. Check out the following clues to guess what the product is: • It can

A recent seminar on green initiatives had some distributors and suppliers in the audience seeing red—and others, gray. The occasion was Indianapolis-based IBSA’s 2008 Conference, held July 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis. While industry professionals certainly support the sourcing of fiber from well-managed forests, they are less than thrilled with the thousands of dollars associated with obtaining chain-of-custody (CoC) certification. Some wondered where the money was, in fact, ending up. Others complained end-users—the group driving certification in the first place—will frequently opt for non-certified stock after realizing it can increase costs. Still, others pointed out that projects printed on CoC-certified stock can ultimately

Verso Paper, Memphis, Tenn., announced it is providing a $100,000 grant over two years to the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands (TCNF) to expand participation in the organization’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) group certification program. The program seeks to identify small, family forest land owners and certify their lands to the FSC forest management standard. The Verso grant will provide resources to expand the program throughout the six states currently covered under the group—Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont—with a goal of 100,000 additional acres certified after the first 12 months. “Certification is the most effective tool

In a recent installment of Going Green Digest for Lexington, Kentucky-based WhatTheyThink, editor Gail Nickel Kailing responded to a reader wondering if paper vellums are inherently environmentally unfriendly. She sought assistance from Sabine Lenz, founder of PaperSpecs, Palo Alto, Calif., for the answer. Here is her response: “Transparent papers—or vellums—are basically made from the same fibers as opaque sheets. In the case of translucents, the fibers are more fibrillated, creating a net of fiber that is more loosely bonded than your average paper fiber. Also, no fillers are added, which the paper needs to become opaque. In the naturally translucent sheets, the air pockets