Environmental Compliance — Being ‘Green’ Reduces Red Ink
• What are the costs of complying with rules vs. the costs of non-compliance?
• Are there secondary benefits to compliance that can realistically reduce or even eliminate some compliance costs?
• Are there marketing opportunities in voluntarily implementing “sustainable methods?”
In terms of the costs of compliance, these are often difficult to identify. The reason is that often a “cost” of complying is directly offset, at least in part, by a benefit. An example of this is the “cost” of a waste-paper baler system to help a printer better manage recyclable waste, which is then sold to a re-processor. Is the baler, in this case, a cost or an investment? Clearly, it is an investment, with its own revenue stream. So, this is a good example of how the emphasis on “sustainable” policies actually is providing financial benefits to printers. If it were not for the growth and acceptance of recycled paper, this opportunity to recapture costs, which was previously treated as simply waste, would not exist.
- Places:
- Southern California
Gerry Michael is a CPA/consultant who has focused his practice on the printing industry for nearly 35 years, first as the founder of GA Michael & Company, and later as Graphic Arts lead partner at Carlson Advisors. Currently, he is a consulting principal with the firm of Falco, Sult Inc., and works with printers across the country on management and strategic planning issues, and is a frequent speaker at industry meetings, and contributor to various industry publications.
