A Different Shade of Green

Published October 24, 2010

As the leaves change from green to shades of amber and crimson, so, too, is the Going Green blog changing.

Green Printing: Alive and Well in PNW

Published October 20, 2010

The green scene is definitely in high gear in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s the scoop latest on a pair of initiatives and one emerging technology that could significantly influence the future of green printing nationwide.

ENGO Activism Over Paper Continues

Published October 19, 2010

Though frequently dismissed as “treehuggers” by many in forest-products-related industries, ENGOs tend to consist of dedicated grassroots members led by some very intelligent, very well-spoken, and very strategic leaders, many of them holding law degrees. They are a force that is not to be trifled with, and they continue to make an issue of the responsible sourcing of paper. Here's an update on the current campaigns.

New Guide to Look at GHGs in Graphics Industry

Published October 17, 2010

In early 2011, a new, 36-page report entitled, “Carbon & Energy Reduction for the Graphics Industry Value Chain” will be released by the PrintCity Alliance. We preview some of the report's findings.

Recycling Applies to Ideas, Too

Published October 12, 2010

Printing Industries of America's “Green Guide for Graphic Communications” has been sitting on their cyber-shelves for more than a year. It's free to PIA members. So how come you haven't used it?

Paper Pyramids Foil Dastardly Delivery Driver

Published October 12, 2010

Can paper really protect two light bulbs and two coffee mugs from a brick and a renegade delivery driver? The power of the pyramid is real, and I'm a believer!

Can You Say “Greenpucky”?

Published October 7, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission has released its long-awaited Green Guides revision draft for public comment. It's a big step in the right direction, but how far will it go to stop greenwashing in its tracks?

Is Passé the New Green?

Published October 6, 2010

What's that they say about not hiding your light under a bushel? In a market that is moving toward increasing sustainability, it is only natural that green claims become woven into the fabric of sales presentations and literature. I only wished they had not been woven-in so deeply at this Graph Expo.

The Fourth R of Green Printing

Published September 29, 2010

As we look forward to the bells and whistles of Graph Expo, let's not forget the roots of printing. How far we have come. How far we have to go.

Sustainability from a Cost-Profit Perspective

Published September 28, 2010

Sustainability isn't just about "going green" -- sustainable business is sound business. A new book by Jonathan Scott and the EFMD offers a lot of insight into the strategic, tactical, and catalyst components of a whole-business approach to sustainability. And guess what? The book is FREE.

Do Green Teams Deliver ROI?

Published September 27, 2010

Sustainability advocates have promoted the concept of "green teams" as a path to improved performance and value. But do they really deliver on that promise? A new report indicates that green teams can be a bit of a mixed bag.

More Alphabet Soup: SGP Adds BFLL Certification

Published September 22, 2010

This week, the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) announced the launch of its certification program for Binding, Finishing, and Loose Leaf (BFLL) operations. Clunky acronyms aside, what else does SGP have up its sleeve?

What We Have Here is Failure to Communicate | IMHO

Published September 20, 2010

People love forests in a deep, almost spiritual manner. So how come the forest and paper industry continues to break people's hearts by the way it speaks about trees?

Habitat Takes the Stink out of Ink

Published September 15, 2010

Indoor air quality is a big issue for even the smallest offset printer. Here's a clean-air solution that just doesn't make scents! (And that's a good thing!)

Make Your Pressroom Less HAPpy

Published September 14, 2010

The conventional pressroom ranks pretty high on the list of places you don’t want to be if you want to avoid exposure to toxic materials. Here's how one company is working to help you keep HAPs, S.A.R.A.Title 13 materials, and Calif. Prop 65 materials out of your workplace.

C-Suite-ers Talk Green at PrintCEO Forum

Published September 13, 2010

Want the C-suite's take on how (or if) going greener works for printing businesses? Then don't miss our no-holds-barred panel discussion on Sustainability & Profitability, Saturday, 2 October at PrintCEO Forum.

Stop mixing so darn much ink!

Published September 8, 2010

No doubt about it. Printers order up more spot-color paste ink than they use. That costs money and creates waste. Now an equipment manufacturer and an ink company have teamed up to fix that, and to give printers of all sizes a cost-effective way to go a little greener.

Unisource Scorecard Program Helps Suppliers Make the Grade

Published September 7, 2010

Scorecards are nothing new - they've been used to see how corporations and products stack up on everything from responsible fiber sourcing to carbon footprint. Sometimes, a report card is all you get. But Norcross, GA- based Unisource Worldwide is using a scorecard program to move its entire supply chain toward greater sustainability.

Ink - Reduce, Recycle, Remanufacture

Published September 2, 2010

Only a year old, Minnesota's Discount Recycle Ink is making a name for itself by promoting the underutilized practice of remanufacturing waste ink.

Making Green by Going Green at PrintCEO Forum

Published August 31, 2010

It’s payback time at this year’s PrintCEO Forum, October 2-3 at the prestigious University Club in Chicago! You won’t see a grudge match, but you will hear from a panel of printing execs who have woven sustainability throughout their operations and are realizing very impressive returns as a result of doing so.

The Great Deinking Kerfuffle

Published August 19, 2010

While two associations jockey over a deinking standard, we take a look at how makers of recycled paper get the ink, and other stuff, out in the first place. Oh. And mom says she's real sorry about the turtle.

Recycling? Now, you take that back! | IMHO

Published August 16, 2010

Can recycling become easy enough, profitable enough, or important enough for large-format print customers to overcome the inertia of business as usual and the convenience of the dumpster outside just waiting to be fed?

Crazy Chris and the 5 Vs of Going Green

Published August 11, 2010

“How does a business become green?” Every journey toward sustainability has to start someplace. How about starting with Christopher Columbus?

Act Locally. Think Generationally.

Published August 6, 2010

Small, scrappy, and more nimble than ever, Finch Paper is a sustainability giant in the uncoated freesheet sector. Its cadre of professional foresters for hire is just one reason why.

Carbon Neutral Printing. Easy? Yes. Completely? Well...

Published August 3, 2010

What if you could quickly, easily and accurately calculate the carbon emissions any printing job as part of the estimating process? And what if you could shift the burden of neutralizing those emissions to the client? With a couple of tweaks, a new online tool might be just what you are looking for.

DMA Environmental Initiatives - That's Not an Oxymoron | IMHO

Published July 28, 2010

The Direct Marketing Association has put in place a number of environmental responsibility initiatives that look really, really good. So why haven't more direct marketers jumped on the bandwagon?

B2B Green Packaging Web Directory Launched

Published July 28, 2010

A new web-based resource targeted at sustainability-minded packaging purchasers promises to cut through the clutter and hyperbole of green claims and help professional buyers achieve their sustainable packaging goals.

Paper Ring Binding Offers Eco-Alternative to Wire

Published July 23, 2010

Bind me. Use me. Recycle me. A new concept in binding – paper rings – allows printers of reports and presentation materials to offer their customers the environmental value-add of total recyclability.

2010 Aveda Awards - How Green is Your Magazine?

Published July 21, 2010

Entries are now being accepted for 2010 Aveda Environmental Awards, a competition designed to recognize superior environmental performance by magazine publishers, in partnership with their printers and distributors.

PP Wall Graphic Film: Green Alternative to PVC

Published July 15, 2010

Fujifilm North America's polypropylene wall graphic film promises to be a high-performance, more environmentally benign alternative to PVC-based wall graphic substrates.

Life Box: The Seedy Side of Packaging

Published July 14, 2010

There are a lot of quirky green products out there in eco-land. Some of them are dismissible. Others actually grow on you. Find out how the Life Box is cultivating the seedy side of corrugated - in a good way.

IMHO: Green Stuff I Just Don't Get

Published July 9, 2010

I like to think that I am pretty knowledgeable about “green” – at least as it relates to the graphic communications business. But once in a while I read something that leaves me thinking I am as dumb as a post. So here's my list of supposedly green stuff that, for one reason or another, just doesn't make sense, In My Humble Opinion.

New FSC Labels: Less is Definitely More

Published July 6, 2010

The time is getting closer when FSC Chain of Custody certificate holders will have to conform to a new set of on-product labeling standards. This time, thankfully, the powers that be in Bonn have made things more simple.

NGOs Sue to Stop Genetically Engineered Tree Planting

Published July 1, 2010

Six NGOs have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop field trial planting of genetically engineered, cold-tolerant eucalyptus trees in seven southern states by ArborGen, a joint venture of International Paper, MeadWestvaco, and Rubicon.

Greenerprinter Uses Iron Horse to Cut Carbon

Published July 1, 2010

A Berkeley, California printer is taking to the rails with a hybrid plan to cut the carbon and particulate emissions associated with its paper deliveries.

FSC Makes Group Certification More Accessible to Printers

Published June 30, 2010

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has revised its guidelines for group Chain of Custody (CoC) certification, making the COC more accessible to a greater number of printing facilities and other smaller enterprises.

Giant Soccer Ball Printed with HAP-Free Inks

Published June 28, 2010

A giant, six-meter World Cup soccer ball in Melbourne is covered in graphics printed with water-based, HAP-free HP Latex inks. Is the big ball truly a green winner? Or will it fail to advance to the next round?

Which Certification Scheme Will Win in the Boreal Agreement?

Published June 24, 2010

The ink is hardly dry on the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), and, already, the various certification factions are claiming victory for their respective schemes. Will FSC, SFI and CFA all emerge as winners, or will the management guidelines that ultimately emerge from the CFBA process throw a monkeywrench into third-party certification?

New Mohawk Software Takes Mulligans Out of the Digital-Press Photo Merchandise Game

Published June 23, 2010

The new Mohawk Maestro photo-merchandise design software makes the organizing and layout of photo books and other image-rich products fast, easy, and virtually goof-proof. Less waste equals more green.

PEFC CoC System to Include Labor Provisions

Published June 22, 2010

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) is developing a mechanism for including social issues – especially labor rights issues – into it's chain-of-custody system. This is big news, as Chain-of-Custody systems have historically dealt only with tracking of materials, not how those materials were made into value-added products.

Everything I Learned about Energy Saving, I Learned from My Father

Published June 17, 2010

You don’t have to build a new “green” facility to take advantage of the energy cost savings afforded by some of the latest technology. Here's a a quick look at what you can do to reduce the cost of lighting your facility.

Children's Books Linked to Rainforest Destruction? How Do They Know?

Published June 16, 2010

Rainforest Action Network’s recent analysis of the paper used in children’s books published by the top-ten U.S. children’s book publishers revealed that 90% of these publishers had published at least one in three books on paper containing tropical wood fibers linked to the clearing and conversion of Indonesia’s rainforests. But how do they know? And why should you care?

Recycled Rhetoric: A Green Glossary

Published June 14, 2010

RAN Issues List of "Rainforest Safe" Kid's Books

Published June 9, 2010

In the wake of a report that links children’s picture books by U.S. Publishers that are printed in China to timber harvested in the rainforests of Indonesia, San Francisco-based ENGO Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has released a list of 25 children’s books that it considers “rainforest-safe.”

Swimming Upstream With Eyes Wide Open

Published June 9, 2010

Each of our actions, processes, and purchase decisions has downstream and upstream implications. It's easy to focus on downstream impacts, such as waste generation. But taken in aggregate, the upstream impacts of our decisions can be quite substantial.

FAO Forest Report Available

Published June 7, 2010

The State of the World's Forests, a report on the status of forests, recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues concerning the forest sector, is available for download in PDF format from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) website.

Know Your NGOs: CANOPY: Transforming Publishing, Printing & Paper

Published June 7, 2010

While some environmental groups conduct high-profile campaigns against brands, Canada's Canopy takes a more low-key, behind the scenes approach. Find out how this tiny ENGO is creating big waves in the publishing, printing, and paper industries.

The Case of the Missing Ink: Enviro. Benefits from Better Instrumentation?

Published June 4, 2010

Web printers that feed multiple presses from ink totes and tanks are using a lot more ink than they are accounting for – and that “missing” ink is cutting into profits, increasing manufacturing and shipping costs, and putting extra burden on the environment. Here's how one manufacturer has solved "The Case of the Missing Ink."

Know Your NGOs: Dogwood Alliance- Regional Focus, National Bite

Published June 3, 2010

Based in North Carolina, the activist Dogwood Alliance is an NGO with a regional focus and a national impact. Small in number, this group is tackling industry giant IP by targeting America's most-famous fried chicken brand.

IMHO: Tipping the Scales through Green Leadership

Published May 26, 2010

Experts and experience tell us that selling on price is a losing proposition. But all things being equal, what else is there? Maybe you should be in the business of "giving good weight," and making your customers greener in the process.

Know Your ENGO, and Keep Him Close

Published May 24, 2010

The recent collaborative agreement reached by environmentalists and members of the Canadian forest products industry, a public campaign targeting the packaging-sourcing practices of KFC, and other actions are focusing attention on environmental non-governmental organizations (or ENGOs). But who are they? And what are they up to?

PPI to Launch Responsible Direct Mail Initiative

Published May 20, 2010

Pacific Printing Industries (PPI) has announced plans to launch the Responsible Direct Mail Initiative, a self-certification program for printers, catalog publishers and other direct-mail providers seeking to earn recognition for responsible direct mailing practices. Could this proactive initiative obviate the need for Do Not Mail legislation?

D. Eadward Tree Chimes in on Canadian Boreal Agreement

Published May 19, 2010

D. Eadward Tree, Chief Arborist of the Dead Tree Edition, has weighed in on the landmark truce announced yesterday by Canadian forestry companies and green groups. It's a very interesting read, and really worth the investment of a few moments of your time.

Canadian NGOs & Forest Industry Agree on Boreal Moratorium

Published May 18, 2010

Twenty one member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and nine leading environmental organizations have jointly unveiled the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement – a three-year conservation landmark that applies to 72 million hectares of public forests.

USDA Approves Planting of Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus in U.S. South

Published May 13, 2010

The USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service has green-lighted the planting of more than one quarter million genetically engineered eucalyptus trees across seven states in the U.S. South by a joint venture of IP and MeadWestvaco. Not everyone is happy, however.

Green Talk: Stakeholder Communication-Part 2

Published May 12, 2010

Regularity, Substance, and Relevance. These are the three keys to effective communication with stakeholders - the people who make your business *their* business.

Government Greening is Focus of Pitney Bowes White Paper

Published May 11, 2010

Pitney Bowes Government Solutions has released a new white paper focusing on the three key areas in which government agencies can improve their sustainability performance: energy consumption, waste and productivity. The white paper also recommends some immediate steps that government agencies can take to begin the process of “greening” their activities.

Green Talk: Stakeholder Communication-Part 1

Published May 10, 2010

Demonstrating transparency is central to building a printing company’s credibility, and one way to do so is to engage in frequent dialog with stakeholders. But, just who are your stakeholders and what do they hold dear?

Ricoh Unveils Carbon Footprint Tracker for Printing

Published May 9, 2010

Ricoh Americas Corporation has introduced @Remote Green Reports, which allows businesses to monitor, assess and report imaging fleet performance and employee printing trends in support of internal sustainability and/or cost reduction goals.

PURE Labels: Going Beyond Green

Published May 7, 2010

PURE Labels and other products from Distant Village Packaging are environmentally low-impact, but there's more to the story than being green.

SGP Opens Comment Period for Finishing and Loose Leaf Criteria

Published May 5, 2010

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) has announced the opening of a 45-day public comment period for its Binding, Finishing and Loose Leaf (BFLL) Certification Criteria document.

Sappi N.A. Launches "Green" eQ Tool

Published May 5, 2010

Sappi Fine Paper North America has launched its “eQ Tool” – an interactive section of its website that presents the environmental attributes of its papers in an interesting graphical format. It's more sales tool than green tool, but it's worth a look.

Commentary: How Green Was My Washing?

Published May 4, 2010

EoF: Two APP Fiber Suppliers Accused of Illegal Logging

Published May 3, 2010

Two wood-fiber suppliers to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) violated Indonesian law by conducting harvest operations in deep peat forests and conducting natural-forest harvest operations during a provincial-government-imposed moratorium, according to a report just released by the NGO coalition, Eyes On The Forest.

Catalyst Paper Mill Threatened by High Recycled-Paper Prices

Published April 30, 2010

High prices for recycled paper are threatening to shut down what may be North America’s premier recycled-newsprint mill, Catalyst Paper.

SGP Partners with PR Firm to Promote Program

Published April 27, 2010

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership and ACE Public Relations LLC have announced a partnership to promote environmental stewardship through SGP certification.

Green Power: Reckoning with RECs

Published April 27, 2010

Printers are realizing business and environmental benefits of increased reliance on green power. And the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits - RECs - is proving to be a smart choice for printers on the path toward greater sustainability.

New Study: US Had Highest Percentage Forest Loss

Published April 26, 2010

The United States lost a greater percentage of its forest cover during the 2000-2005 period than did Brazil and Indonesia, according to a new study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Enviro NGO Blasts EU Ecolabel

Published April 22, 2010

FERN, a UK-based environmental NGO, released a report condemning the EU Ecolabel as lax and inadequate in assuring the environmental credentials of paper products bearing the seal. FERN’s report investigates the award of the EU Ecolabel to two photocopy brands, Golden Plus and Lucky Boss, which are manufactured by Pindo Deli, part of the Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) supply chain.

IP's 'Earth' Brochures Available for Co-Branding by Printers

Published April 20, 2010

Customizble templates of International Paper’s "Down to Earth" environmental educational series from are now available for use by printers, end-users and other organizations. According to IP, the initiative provides an for printers false claims about paper, printing, and the forest products industry.

SGP is Poised for Growth

Published April 19, 2010

Now 20 months old, the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership appears to have found its legs and a direction forward. Will SGP really become the certification that printers can't live without?

RePaper Guide Helps Campuses Reduce Paper Waste

Published April 19, 2010

The RePaper Project's new resource guide helps campuses cut paper costs, paper waste, and reduce their carbon footprints.

Op-Ed: CoC Certification - What's wrong with this picture?

Published April 15, 2010

It's called the “certification shakedown.” Without a CoC certificate, a printer can’t make the bidding short-list. With it, a printer wonders if there will be enough incremental work to break even. But why should printers subsidize the promotion of their client’s environmental credentials?

Going Green through Carbon Offsets? Now, Wait Just a Minute!

Published April 12, 2010

Some very notable members of the printing community have jumped on the carbon offset bandwagon as a means of demonstrating their “greenness.” But before you whip out that MasterCard to make your carbon footprint fade into the oobie-doo, remember this: not all carbon offsets are created equal.