Business Management - Sustainability

FutureMark Paper, the only company in North America producing recycled coated mechanical printing paper with up to 100% recycled content, built its plant just 12 miles from downtown Chicago, one of the top centers of magazine printing in the country. Instead of allowing recycled waste paper to be sent off to faraway mills, FutureMark harvests their raw material right there, in an "urban forest," of sorts.

And we're not talking a boutique recycling operation FutureMark has diverted 1.5 billion pounds of waste paper away from landfills since it began. By using waste paper to produce instead of virgin

Many area companies see the benefits of bringing sustainability to the fore of their operations, both economically and in terms of public relations. Take Ram Printing Inc., an East Hampstead (NH)-based, all-purpose printing company specializing in environmentally conscious products and services. Self-described “early adopters” of many now-standard green practices, Ram was launched in 1981 with approaches that quickly positioned it as a company ahead of its time.

What makes Ram different from other printing companies are the vegetable-based inks they use, virtually eliminating the toxins traditional printing methods expel into the environment. Similar companies use oil-based inks.

The amended U.S. Lacey Act has already impacted the wood industry, from the investigation of Gibson Guitars to a recently-reported seizure of Peruvian hardwood. Both of these cases involved solid wood products. But what about paper?

We sent samples from 32 imported paper products to an independent fiber analysis laboratory. Samples we had tested came from stationery, paper bags, cardboard boxes, toilet paper, facial tissue paper, wrapping paper, and books—including pages, glossy cover sleeves, and cardboard from hardback covers. All products were purchased from stores and outlets in the United States.

REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is a national outdoor retailer that provides quality outdoor gear and clothing. Entitled “Next Generation Environmental CSR,” REI’s program to create synergy between profit and planet is the result of a journey the company hopes others may learn from.

As a printer, you know partnership between marketer and printer is a powerful opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of direct marketing.

Join Printing Impressions and sister publication Target Marketing as we settle in for an hour to help marketing professionals understand intersection between (and case for) profitable print marketing and environmental responsibility.

As printers, you can also benefit as we discuss initiatives to make print jobs as environmentally responsible as possible, including:

* More efficient print designs
* Printing processes with minimum environmental impact
* The most sustainable paper, ink and binding materials
* Ways to keep your mailing environmentally efficient
* Strategies to streamline workflow and production processes to minimize your impact on the environment

Click here to view this free webinar!

Testimonies from two printers—Presswrite Printing and Lithographix Inc.—that recently made the decision to stop leaning on “the grid” for 100 percent of their energy needs. Making the move to solar has certainly left these businesses with a sunny disposition.

Printers around the world increasingly are paying attention to reducing the environmental impact of their operations.

Jobs, lower utility costs, and cleaner energy could be in the wind…Goss International, which operates manufacturing facilities in Dover and Durham (NH), created a buzz earlier this year when it announced it was getting into the turbine business. The company agreed to a contract with Massachusetts-based Aeronautica to produce electromechanical nacelle components for midscale turbines in North America.

"We see it as a growth opportunity," said Goss spokesman Greg Norris.

Nacelles are about the size of a school bus and create electricity when blades on a wind turbine spin. Goss is expected to begin production later this year.

The purpose of this new PrintCity 36-page guide is to facilitate the improved collaborative environmental performance of printers, publishers, brand owners and their suppliers. This follows two years of research and "connection of competence" knowledge sharing between members, partners plus external research and academic organizations.

Among the topics discussed, Tapella emphasized GPO’s sustainable paper achievements in the agency’s factory and paper options for federal agencies. GPO employees made history by printing the Congressional Record and Federal Register on 100% recycled newsprint. This accomplishment was recognized by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.