GREEN scene
Keep on Truckin’ Clean and Green MENOMONEE FALLS, WI—Arandell Corp. is continuing to forge ahead as an environmentally friendly catalog printer, recently becoming a partner in the EPA’s SmartWay Transport program. SmartWay partners use freight carriers committed to improving their fuel efficiency.
Arandell is also committed to understanding and reducing the environmental impact of its own shipping operations. The EPA gives it the tools to estimate emissions that result from shipping practices. Understanding its environmental footprint allows the printer to continue to improve the efficiency of its facility dock and shipping operations.
“Becoming a SmartWay partner further confirms our dedication to environmental sustainability,” states Don Treis, CEO. “We are constantly striving to find new ways of performing everyday tasks to improve the environmental impact of our business.”
PRINTERNEWS
Organic Promo, Eco-Friendly Ink
CANTON, MA—When your clients include the likes of Mercedes Benz, Harvard University, Donna Karan and Polo/Ralph Lauren—and require that their products be printed with eco-friendly ink—using low-VOC process color inks may not be green enough. That’s why commercial printer Dynagraf teamed with ink manufacturer Ink Systems to create Dynagreen Ink.
Dynagreen Ink is made with renewable plant oils and resins, and does not contain hydrocarbons or solvents, making it VOC-free. But, it’s also a high-end, four-color process ink for sheetfed printing that yields high-quality results—quality good enough to satisfy Polo/Ralph Lauren in printing the Lauren Spa organic bed and bath line marketing materials shown here.
“Increasingly, companies are looking to do the right thing when it comes to the environment, and Dynagraf has always worked to provide that environmentally suitable option,” says Bill Roche, Dynagraf’s president and CEO.
Moquin Press, Belmont, CA, is now offering clients the climate neutral printing process from ClimatePartner California. This is a process wherein CO2 emissions generated during the production of printed materials are neutralized by purchasing ecological, high-quality emission reduction certificates. Moquin is reportedly the first printer in the United States to offer the process, which is currently available at more than 45 print shops in Europe.
Morrisville, NC-based Cary Printing has purchased a new 2008 Toyota Prius hybrid electric car to make local deliveries. Triple-certified by the FSC, SFI and PEFC, Cary has many green practices in place, with the Prius purchase being the most recent.
Now Certified
The following companies have received chain-of-custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and/or Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
o Printed Specialties, Carrollton, GA: FSC and SFI.
o Artco Inc., Canton, MA: FSC.
o Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, MI, and Lillington, NC: FSC.
o ArborOakland Group, Royal Oak, MI: FSC and SFI.
o Sheridan Books, Chelsea, MI: FSC.
o The Garvey Group, Niles, IL: FSC and SFI.
SUPPLIERNEWS
NewPage Corp.’s Stevens Point, WI, mill has added FSC certification to its existing SFI and PEFC certifications.
SMART Papers is now offering FSC-certified premium cast-coated papers, such as Kromekote Recycled, which contains 50 percent recycled fiber content and 30 percent post-consumer waste.
Paper and packaging supplier Unisource Worldwide recently hosted a Supplier Sustainability Symposium at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, which was attended by more than 90 Unisource officials and its suppliers from across the country. The symposium featured guest speaker presentations on various green issues, including how to make operations cleaner and healthier for long-term sustainability; emerging customer requirements for environmental data and modeling; and the evolution of green cleaning.
A new White Paper titled, “The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline,” published by Pitney Bowes, replaces mail myths about the influence of mail on the environment and provides key findings, such as only 0.18 percent of U.S. CO2 emissions are the result of direct mail; increasingly more mail is being made from renewable resources, particularly sustainable forests; and the mailing industry has adopted many initiatives to reduce mail’s carbon footprint. The paper is available on Pitney Bowes’ Website at www.pb.com/mailimpact.
Turning Up the Heat with Biomass
ALPHARETTA, GA—In a recent green initiative, Neenah Paper has contracted an independent energy services company to convert wood and fiber waste into steam energy to power its Whiting Mill fine paper production site. The “Neenah Green: Change Comes from Within” environmental campaign inspired the development of this fossil-fuel-free, steam-energy-powered facility, which is scheduled for completion in Q3 2009.
Biomass is a green, sustainable resource consisting mainly of wood and fiber waste. Unlike fossil fuel combustion, which takes carbon that was underground and puts it in the atmosphere, the use of biomass as an energy source recycles carbon, so the net effect is that no new carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere.
The biomass energy project creates a closed-loop system where the source of the steam energy is waste that was originally identified for landfill disposal, as well as waste from the mill’s own production processes. As a result, the expectation is to emit zero net direct carbon dioxide at the Whiting Mill, ultimately reducing Neenah Paper’s carbon footprint by about 42,000 tons annually.
INDUSTRYNEWS
NAPL has published a new Executive Management special report that focuses on environmental strategies: “From Power Source to Process Mapping, Printers Strategize to ‘Go Green’ Profitably.” Sponsored by Kodak, the report provides in-depth coverage on a wide range of sustainability issues, including how printers can profit from being green; shrinking fossil fuel footprints; renewable energy/taking the green power initiative; five short steps to sustainability; voluntary programs, such as the many offered by the EPA; operations enhancements and lean environment opportunities; understanding energy use; and using lean methods/tracking basic environmental measures.
In the section “Affordable Resources: Who Can Help You Become Greener?” more than a dozen green organizations are listed, including some well-known groups such as SmartWood and SFI, as well as lesser known organizations such as The Carbon Fund, Conservation International and Nature Conservancy.
The report is free to NAPL members. Copies are available to non-members for $14.95. For more info, call NAPL at (800) 642-6275, ext. 5.
Green Printers Are Great Printers in MN
ROSEVILLE, MN—The Printing Industry of Minnesota (PIM) is gearing up to celebrate the certification of its 50th Great Printer. Currently at 48 Great Printers—which include companies like Ambassador Press, Continental Press, Japs-Olson Co. and John Roberts Co.—PIM recently launched a promotional campaign to help Great Printers get the word out about their environmental initiatives.
Linda White, PIM’s director of Marketing & Communications, sent out packets, called Toolkits, which contain a window cling (of the Great Printer logo, shown here), a marketing idea sheet, a PR template and other items that they can use to promote their certification as Minnesota’s greenest printing companies.
To be certified as a PIM Great Printer, companies have to commit to sustainable, environmentally responsible practices, as well as meeting all safety and environmental regulations. They also have to be certified through a third-party audit and pledge to completing ongoing projects (called Beyond Compliance projects) that will further green initiatives.
The Great Printer program, which was established in 1997, goes beyond the green paper printers use, and FSC and other chain-of-custody certifications. It also has to do with how much waste printers produce and how they treat their waste; their recycling efforts, energy usage and safety record; their use, non-use and handling of hazardous materials; and other ways they are minimizing their impact on the environment.
For more information on the Great Printer program, call Paul Gutkowski, PIM’s director of Safety & Environmental Services, at 651-789-5505, or visit www.pimn.org.
