Grant Summers got it right last month when he spoke about the speculation and conjecture that surrounds the print industry’s impact on the environment.

Grant did a great job of explaining why paper truly is a sustainable resource. I’d like to broaden the conversation this month by addressing some of the practical ways in which print suppliers are reducing the environmental footprint across the entire printing process, from using industry-accredited raw materials to employing new press technologies. In doing so, I’d like to use these initiatives as an example of how you can better judge the environmental performance of your industry suppliers, print or otherwise.

Industry accreditation

First up, what about all those ‘green’ accreditations and industry terms that get bandied about by suppliers? You may be surprised to find out that common accreditations like the FSC, PEFC and ISO 14001 certifications are not specifically targeted to or designed for any particular industry. These specifications are a set of parameters that can essentially govern the business practices of nearly any company in any industry. In the case of the printing industry, each of these certifications lacks the exhaustive specifics that are unique to print – and the same may be said for other industries. However, they still represent strong platforms for printers and other suppliers to work from. Thus, businesses looking to improve the environmental credentials of their supply chain should be looking to retain printers and other suppliers committed to these international standards. It’s a good way of telling whether a supplier is green by action and not just in words.

More innovative printers and suppliers, however, are developing their own environmental practices to supplement the guidelines offered by the FSC, PEFC and ISO 14001. For example, in the case of Southern Colour, we’ve developed Ecolour. Part internal philosophy and part protocol, Ecolour is a useful tool for identifying and monitoring in greater depth our organisation’s energy consumption, emission reduction and technology efficiencies. It also provides us with solid metrics to demonstrate to clients the improvements we are achieving. Businesses shouldn’t be afraid to ask their suppliers for a sustainability report, or similar, documenting their environmental charter, milestones to date and future goals.

New technologies

Technology upgrades are another way that suppliers can significantly decrease the energy requirements of their production processes and thereby minimise the direct environmental footprint of their businesses. For example, some of the new printing presses are approximately 40 per cent more efficient than previous models. This represents a significant energy saving and can result in a marked reduction in the resultant production of greenhouse gases. The decision to invest in these technology upgrades is supported by broader recommendations made to industry as a whole, which identify new technologies as a clear, effective and immediate way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Suppliers operating on the ‘transparency breeds trust’ principle will be more than happy for you to tour their premises so you can judge for yourself the technology they have in place.

The way forward

Investing in new technology, employing international standards and developing internal polices and procedures are all sound environmental practices that enable suppliers to enact real and measurable change in their organisation today, rather than deferring responsibility for emission production to the next generation through intangible future offset schemes.

The decisions we, as producers of end products, make today to address the issue of climate change might not have any direct impact on the environment in which we currently live, but they will be critical to future generations. That’s one philosophy you’ll want to make sure your suppliers believe in.

Read more

To read more about how printers can address their environmental impact and develop a successful competitive business strategy in a period of ecological uncertainty, call (03) 9829 0088 for a copy of Think–Act, a book produced by Southern Colour in collaboration with leading industry expert, Phillip Lawrence.

Rod Dawson is Managing Director of Southern Colour, the first Australian printer to achieve FSC certification. Southern Colour is also proud to have PEFC and ISO 14001 certification.