Special Report on Sustainability in Printing Embrace Certification, Conservation

By Ed Farley

An Early Adopter

Alonzo Printing was perhaps the first commercial printer in the United States to achieve “green” certification. President and Owner Jim Duffy has guided his 55-employee, $9 million, Hayward, CA-based company in implementing sustainable practices since 1988, focusing on its mission to achieve a negative carbon footprint.

Alonzo received certification in 1997 from the Alameda County Green Business Program for its environmentally responsible practices and has since been recertified twice. According to Duffy, the company is “committed to giving preference to vendors and papers that streamline our production process and partner with us to meet our goals for sus-tainability.”

For example, Alonzo Printing increased its percentage of post-consumer paper usage from 31.3 percent in 2005 to 42.4 percent in 2007. “We started printing on recycled papers with high post-consumer content that saved 25 million pounds in CO₂ gases from 2005 through 2007. For the past year and a half, we have had no chemistry in our papers.

“We educate our employees and customers on the benefits of sustainable print solutions,” Duffy adds. “We work with our vendors and manufacturers to supply products and materials that are cost-effective and sustainable. We implement programs and systems that reduce waste, save time and energy, and increase productivity. The end result is a sustainable environment.”

Alonzo has realized benefits from green printing such as: the non-existent use of alcohol, recycling as an integral function, improved handling of hazardous waste, automatic use of soybean/vegetable inks, as well as better acceptance of recycled papers (offering vastly improved quality, cost-effectiveness and greater availability).

The company started printing on recycled papers in 2000, began using process-free plates in 2006 and gained FSC certification in 2007. It has reduced waste 25 percent and is aiming for a 50 percent reduction in 2008.

IN THIS new era of environmental responsibility, the message of “green” implies that a company uses state-of-the-art business practices and promotes good corporate citizenship. For a print provider, going green can transform an ordinary printed product into a powerful marketing tool, even as it serves customers as their most durable and trusted communication vehicle.

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Special Sustainability Report: Embrace Certification, Conservation