Schaumburg, IL – July 23, 2008 - INX International's Sacramento, California office has earned Gold Certification as a Sacramento Sustainable Business (SSB) in a program sponsored by the Sacramento County Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC).  The 9,000 square-foot facility provides ink blending, warehousing and technical support services to customers throughout northern California.

INX-Sacramento is only the second area business to achieve Gold status, the highest level in the SSB program.  Businesses are evaluated in five categories: Energy Conservation, Water Conservation, Pollution Prevention, Solid Waste Reduction, and Green Building.  Business Practices, as well as physical Facility features and equipment, are included in an extensive checklist of more than 160 items that apply to INX.  Results of a July 1st inspection by BERC indicated INX easily exceeded requirements for Gold certification, after initially becoming one of seven area businesses to earn basic SSB status about two months earlier.

"We are pleased to be designated a Gold Sacramento Sustainable Business," said INX Sacramento General Manager Jacob Sheaffer.  "Our goal was to reach 'Gold' status by July 31st so we are happy to have made it a month sooner.  The achievement recognizes outstanding efforts by everyone in our operation, in particular, lab specialist and Quality Control Manager Jonathan Troup, who has served as our Green Team Leader.

"Much of what we are doing requires little expense," Sheaffer added.  "Investment of time and effort by our people is the key."

High marks in all areas, with major advances in Solid Waste management

"Getting involved in this program quickly opened our eyes to the many 'little things' we could do in all areas," Troup concurred.  "One area where we have made major strides is Solid Waste Reduction, an improvement clearly noted by the recent BERC inspection.

"You see, we have been regularly recycling our corrugated material," Troup explained.  "But we do a lot of proofing in the lab, and until a few months ago, we didn't even have a recycle bin for that.  The paper from proofs was being 'tossed'; in fact, we had to pay to dispose of it.  But there's no need to let this go into a landfill or be incinerated.

"Now we're recycling about 95% of our materials.  A recycle center near here pays us for it.  They turn it into paper towels or other recycled products that someone else can use."

"Green" sustainability effort funds growth, improvements

According to Troup, this recycling effort has made a huge difference far beyond keeping material out of landfills and reducing waste disposal costs.

"The funds we get from recycling can be used for other improvements around the facility," he noted.  "We plan to use recycle monies to fund a Customer Open House in the near future, which could also include prospective customers from nearby businesses.  We also intend to work with BERC, officials from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and others to make brief presentations regarding the SSB program, our efforts here and how it benefits everyone in the area.  This would not have been possible months ago, at least not without special outside funding."

Many requirements for becoming a Sacramento Sustainable Business were met during BERC's initial inspection.  The facility itself had a jump-start on the SSB "Green Building" checklist.

Green Building reflects INX corporate sustainability commitment

"When it comes to meeting SSB 'Green Building' requirements, we have to credit John Hrdlick, head of INX Field Operations and the company's proactive commitment to sustainability," Sacramento GM Sheaffer asserts. "They were thinking ahead, looking toward the future when this facility was built and incorporated many environmentally-advanced items from the start."

For example, low-emission building materials were used, and interior carpets and furnishings incorporate a high percentage of recycled content.  Skylights in the warehouse reduce interior lighting requirements and tinted windows in the front offices offset heat gain.  A high-efficiency HVAC system also saves energy and money on a daily basis.

BERC's July inspection noted the "unique water runoff system" that was developed, which filters out product before it enters the storm drain.

Noting that quality improvement is an ongoing task, Sheaffer said there are "items in progress" for each SSB program Facility and Practice area.

"We expect next year's annual audit by BERC to not only verify continuing compliance with what we've achieved so far, but to also note new improvements that we'll complete between now and then. Environmental issues historically are big in California, and the standards here are pretty high.  BERC certification that we're exceeding them is a real tribute to INX, especially to all of our employees here.  They made the decision to take on this program, reaching their goal and pushing past it."

INX International Ink Co. is the third largest producer of inks in North America with over 30 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and is a global supplier as part of Sakata INX worldwide operations.  For more information, contact:    The Drucker Group  •  312.867.4960