The first of such certification groups targeted paper. It is in the process of establishing certification processes for graphic arts firms to offer clients both a definition of green printing, and proof that their production and purchasing practices protect the environment.
To provide solid green definitions and metrics for the commercial and flexible packaging sector, three printing industry groups have formed a coalition?the Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership. A study by Heidelberg found 40% of its customers placing great value on environmental protection, whether in the shops themselves or in the print operations' impact on its surrounding environment. Wal-Mart established a sustainability report card, and calls on package printers to prepare sustainable offerings. The Book Industry Study Group has teamed with the Green Press Initiative in the book manufacturing arena to define sustainable printing for that sector. Several moves toward defining and encouraging sustainable printing are underway.
Initial findings are being presented in a keynote by DiVito at this month's National Environmental Health and Safety Conference in Indianapolis. But these printers are challenged to find a generally accepted definition of the term, says Mark DiVito, RBI Research, who is conducting the study. Those who are positioning themselves as sources for sustainable print offerings often do so as a result of customer demand. But the trend seems principally motivated by a drive for manufacturing efficiency, not sustainability for its own sake. A major research study now being conducted by Graphic Arts Monthly,Ĭo-sponsored by Day International and Xerox, does find printers moving toward sustainable print practices.
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