Sustainability Watch - November 2012
SGP Launches 'Take Action'
BOHEMIA, N.Y.—Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), a non-profit organization providing sustainability certification in the graphic communications industry, announced the launch of its new outreach campaign, "Take Action." The campaign will encourage members of the graphic communications industry—printers, print buyers, suppliers, and others—to take action by getting involved with SGP and reaping the benefits of Certification and sustainability.
The campaign has several goals to achieve by early first quarter 2013. These include: 1) raising the number of SGP Certified applicants; 2) increasing the number of print buyers that preference SGP Certified printers; 3) increasing the number of suppliers that sponsor SGP; and 4) significantly raising the number of organizations and individuals on SGP's mailing list.
"SGP Certification does more than just help companies become good stewards for the environment, it significantly improves a business's value and its bottom line," comments Heidi Thompson, SGP's "Take Action" campaign leader. "Our goal is to put SGP in the forefront of everyday business, making it easy for everyone to benefit from all that it has to offer."
WS Packaging Division Receives L.I.F.E.
GLOUCESTER, Mass.—Mason, Ohio-based WS Packaging has recently been awarded L.I.F.E. (Label Initiative for the Environment) certification from TLMI. The Project L.I.F.E. program was developed in order to assist TLMI members to find cost-effective ways to reduce their companies' environmental footprint. The Mason, Ohio division of WS Packaging is the 34th company to achieve TLMI L.I.F.E. certification.
"More and more of our customers are being asked, or mandated, to evaluate the sustainability of their packaging," commented Terry Moede, corporate director of environment and safety for WS Packaging. "Having the third-party L.I.F.E. certification shows our customers that we operate in an environmentally sound manner and can provide documentation to meet their chain-of-custody requirements. We have implemented several processes and procedures to reduce waste and energy consumption throughout all our locations. We are currently pursuing L.I.F.E. certification at several other plants."
xpedx Gets ENERGY STAR
CINCINNATI—xpedx® has been awarded the ENERGY STAR at its locations in Fairfield, Ohio; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Phoenix, Ariz. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The three xpedx sites earned the ENERGY STAR by scoring in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency, based on the EPA's energy performance rating system. David Wallace, xpedx's director, sustainability, said that xpedx's work with ENERGY STAR is an important part of its company-wide commitment to responsible stewardship of natural resources. "xpedx continues making great progress in maintaining sustainable operations, offering sustainable products, and providing leadership in sustainable business practices for our customers and suppliers," he said.
Compostable Coffee Bag
ATLANTA—Pistol & Burnes, a leading Canadian coffee roasting company, has introduced a fully compostable pack, for its Fair Trade, organic Farmer First brand, incorporating cellulose-based, NatureFlex™ from Innovia Films.
The organic coffee is packed in a paper bag laminated to transparent NatureFlex film. According to Roy M. Hardy, president, Pistol & Burnes, "Most roasted coffee sold in the world is packaged in either foil bags (coated in plastic) or paper bags (with a plastic liner). These usually end up going straight to landfill as they can prove difficult to recycle. However our enviro–friendly coffee bag can be organically recycled (composted), which means it breaks down in a home compost bin."
The bags were developed by Genpak, a Canadian-based converter. Bill Reilly, technical manager, explained, "We recommended NatureFlex to Pistol & Burnes for several reasons. First and foremost, the film performs well technically, having high barrier properties and good seal integrity that enhance shelf life, keeping oxygen out and aroma in—very important for packaging coffee. Secondly, NatureFlex is perfectly aligned with the ethos of their Fair Trade, organic Farmer First brand." pP
