Printer Leadership Profiles

Printers as Leaders in Forest Conservation: Case Studies

EarthColor

EarthColor has one of, if not the most, comprehensive forest resources policies among printers. Highlights from EarthColor’s 2009/2010 Sustainability Report include:

- High-integrity framing of the true impact paper usage has on forests

- Transparent reporting using GRI principals

- 46% of the paper purchased in 2009 was FSC certified

- Recycling 98% paper waste from sheetfed and web presses, totaling 14,285 tons

- Compliance to their environmental and social responsibility policies is a condition of employment

-12,547 tons of carbon offsets were purchased in 2009 to support the Makira Forest Initiative in Madagascar

- Their Client Education Program is designed to proactively work with clients to help them understand the benefits of choosing certified and recycled materials over virgin and non-certified fiber

Hemlock Printers

Hemlock Printers was Canopy’s first printer signatory.  Over the years Hemlock has received many industry accolades for their leadership on environmental issues.

An influential and very active advocate for progress within the paper supply chain, Hemlock has been encouraging mills and merchants to adopt Forest Stewardship Council standards and to increase the level of post-consumer content in its papers. The company also avoids papers and mills which may be associated to illegal logging, poor forestry practices and the destruction of high-conservation value forests.  Hemlock knows paper deserves special attention as a resource with the potential to deeply affect the balance of world’s natural resources and has therefore designed many programs to reduce the impact of paper while supporting recovered paper markets.  These programs include The Off Cuts for Charity Program and the Zero Program.

Hemlock was also the first printer in Canada to do an environmental report, starting in 2008.  Hemlock’s forthcoming 2010 Sustainability Report highlights the following achievements:

Hemlock's average across all purchased paper by weight was 27% post-consumer waste (PWC) and 78% FSC certified! This grew from 22% PCW and 54% FSC in fiscal 2009.

Hemlock saves about 21,000 trees a year through the use of this percentage of post-consumer fiber, diverting over 600 metric tonnes of paper from landfill on average annually.
 

The Zero Program and Forest Conservation
The lifecycle of paper emits CO2 emissions at every stage - from carbon impacts and release in the forest, to pulping at the mill, to transportation and disposal/recycling.

Since 2007, Hemlock has measured their carbon footprint and put in place practices to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 33% below their 2007 levels. Hemlock’s goal is to meet this target by the year 2020.

Hemlock works with clients to reduce the impact of paper by educating them about the benefits of using recycled content paper and offsetting the remaining footprint with Zero offset purchases. For most paper grades, choosing 100% PCW recycled fiber can make a 15% reduction in the lifecycle carbon impact of paper transported to the printer's gate. In grades manufactured within 500 Km of the printer, choosing 100% PCW can produce about a 30% reduction in carbon impact.

Transcontinental

Transcontinental has had a paper procurement policy, developed in collaboration with Canopy, since 2007. One of their most recent forest conservation leadership acts was to use their purchasing power to encourage Forest Product Association of Canada (FPAC) member companies to sign on to the groundbreaking Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement with Canopy and eight other environmental organizations.

In 2010, 45% of their paper purchases were Gold or Gold Plus. Their target is 55% Gold and Gold Plus by the end of fiscal 2012.

Read Transcontinental's 2010 Sustainability Report.

Webcom

Community Involvement - Recognized with an ‘Environmental Print Action’ Award in 2010

Word On The Street (WOTS) is a national festival that celebrates literacy and the written word. As an Official Print Sponsor, Webcom funded and manufactured the festival program and children’s activity books on recycled FSC-certified paper, made of 100% post-consumer waste (104 trees saved). With over 200,000 people attracted to the festival annually, Webcom took the opportunity to use the program to promote environmental responsibility among WOTS readers, informing readers of what to look for in a “green” book – describing FSC certification, the Ancient Forest Friendly designation, inks, and drying processes.

Webcom’s Green Publishers Gallery was also featured on the webpage. The interactive gallery engages visitors and spotlights Webcom’s top eco-friendly publishers (based on their usage of recycled paper in the past year) and their efforts in minimizing their impact on the environment.

Click here for further environmental leadership examples and ideas in the North American print industry

Click Here for a list of Printers with Ancient Forest Friendly Paper Procurement Policies

Photo: USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service)