A New Green World For Printers

When Progress Printing realized it had printed more than 1 billion impressions on its web presses over the past several years—enough paper to string back and forth to the moon several times—a wry observer strolling through the web roll warehouse remarked: “That’s a lot of trees.” 

In fact, the advertising, publishing, printing and packaging are among the larger industrial users of energy in the world. In the U.S. they are also heavily dependent on imported petrochemicals and paper, which results in the output of vast quantities—literally tons and tons—of waste paper. And they emit tens of millions of tons of greenhouse gases annually, says Don Carli, sustainability editor for Graphic Arts Online. 

“The intensifying calls for protecting the planet’s ecology prompt a key question for printers: What is green print?” asks Lisa Cross, senior of Graphic Arts Monthly. “As companies of all sizes are pressured to manufacture in an environmentally friendly fashion, printers must follow suit. And they must have ready answers for clients seeking green credentials.” 

Phil Pryor, the purchasing manager at Progress Printing who has been the driving force behind the company’s certification by the Forest Stewardship Council, looks at it this way: 

“We really do feel better about ourselves when we are buying wood or paper that is made from responsible wood harvesting,” Pryor says. “Our employees feel the pride when we put the FSC logo on jobs we’re printing. We know we’ve done something that will impact the environment for future generations.” 

Some call all-the-rage in green advertising and printing the “new green.” 

“The new green is not based on moral or ethical imperatives, or on purely emotional appeals. It is based on a conceptual framework called ‘sustainability’ that is being used to redefine the way business is done,” explains Don Carli of Graphic Arts Online. “Increasingly it will change the nature of demand for printing services, printing equipment and supplies. 

“While historically being ‘green’ referred to environmental regulatory compliance, the new green goes beyond compliance,” adds Carli. “Sustainability, in print or any field, seeks to continually improve the environmental, social and economic performance of a business, a product or a service. 

Carli, who is also a senior research fellow for the non-profit Institute for Sustainable Communication, sees evidence of change in the so-called “LOHAS” consumer trends. 

An estimated 63 million adults in North America are considered “LOHAS” Consumers. LOHAS, for “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability,” describes a $226.8 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living.. 

For example, Carlin notes that “Wal-Mart was able to identify sustainability as a ‘game changing’ business growth strategy by the overwhelming response it has received from consumers for organic goods and concerns by its workers for Katrina victims.” 

As the big presses turn and churn, Progress Printing customers can rest assured that they are working with a company with its roots in a quarter-century of sustainable practices and committed to wise environmental stewardship for the future.