Pittsburgh, PA, May 14, 2008—The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership) welcomes two new partners in the effort to further the sustainability movement within the graphic communications industry—the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) and the Envelope Manufacturers Association (EMA).

The SGP Partnership recognizes that the interest in sustainability spans all aspects of the printing industry, and it aims to be the focal point for both printers and their customer base regarding sustainable business practices for a printing facility. With the addition of these two associations, the partnership expands its breadth and takes great strides towards reaching this goal.

Ink systems are critical to the future of the printing industry, and the demand by print customers requesting “green” inks makes the participation of NAPIM in the SGP Partnership essential to its success. NAPIM is the only trade association representing the United States manufacturers of letterpress, gravure, lithographic, flexographic, and non-impact printing inks. The association was formed in 1917 and represents more than 70% of U.S. manufactured printing inks. Membership also includes companies who are suppliers to the ink industry. The association recognizes the growing interest in green and sustainable printing and the importance of developing and maintaining strong relationships with the printing community. NAPIM joins as a Partner Association and, as such, will be in a position to represent the ink community as SGP programs are developed.

EMA is the world’s largest association devoted exclusively to the growth and prosperity of the envelope manufacturing and paper-based communications industry. For 75 years, EMA has provided its members with powerful advantages to enable these world-leading companies to thrive and prosper in a dynamic global business environment. The EMA and its members provide an essential component to printing and will be joining the SGP Partnership as a Supporting Association.

On September 12, 2007, the Founding Partners, the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, Flexographic Technical Association and the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, held a joint press conference in Chicago, IL announcing the formation of this exciting new partnership program. The alliance was formed in response to their members’ requests and need to define sustainability as it relates to the printing industry. Since then, the Partnership has created a list of criteria for printers wishing to be listed as either a Candidate Pending Verification (CPV) or an SGP Printer. The criteria are currently in the beta-testing phase.