Minneapolis, MN - The John Roberts Company, a fullservice web, sheetfed and digital printing company located here, has recently been certified as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody company by SmartWood, a leading sustainable forestry certifier. Chain-of-Custody certification is bestowed upon qualified companies following a verification process that is accredited by the FSC. The certification period is for five years, and grants the company permission to use SmartWood and FSC logos. As a certified Chain-of-Custody company, John Roberts is now permitted to process certified wood from other suppliers certified to FSC standards. Collectively, the initiative assures that a finished wood-based product in the marketplace has been handled only by FSC-certified companies. Through Chain-of-Command documentation, these products can be traced backward through each manufacturing step all the way to the raw material in the forest. According to Michael Keene, President of The John Roberts Company, environmental stewardship is an important aspect of the company’s continued success. “It’s a corporate goal of ours to reduce our impact on the environment,” said Keene. “These efforts have a secondary benefit of reducing risk to our company and our employees. We believe our certification as an FSC Chain-of-Custody company reflects our commitment to safe and environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices.” Chain-of-Custody certification is the latest environmental initiative for The John Roberts Company, which has a long track record of environmental stewardship. In 1993, the company initiated an Environmental Management System (EMS) as one of its prime tools for attaining and assuring responsible environmental stewardship. In 1997, the John Roberts Company was one of the first in Minnesota to have achieved the Minnesota Green Star status. Companies are recognized by the Minnesota Green Star program for voluntarily releasing a summary of their environmental audit. John Roberts has continually renewed its status under this program.