Toronto (Graphics Canada - Booth #3412) - November 8, 2007 - Agfa Graphics today announced that Christian Press of Winnipeg, Manitoba has been honoured with an Environmental Recognition Award. The award program recognises and acknowledges customers that promote environmental awareness both through in-house programs and the effective use of 'green' prepress and printing technologies. Accell Graphics of Ontario also recently received an Environmental Recognition Award.
Agfa's recognition program is a reflection of the company's ongoing contribution to environmental efforts, most recently through its ThermoFuse CtP process. ThemoFuse physically bonds images to plates without any chemical processing and is the technology behind its chemistry-free :Azura and low-chemistry :Amigo plates.
Christian Press has been serving the printing industry in Manitoba for more than 50 years, using its collective skills and values to meet its objectives and the objectives of its customers. One of those objectives is to be a strong working model of the benefits of environmentally-friendly policies. The company is a not-for-profit, non-funded agency of the Canadian Conference of Menonite Brethren churches amd returns all surplus funds to various Christian ministries throughout Manitoba.
"We began to work toward our environmental goals in earnest five years ago. Our recent move to a new building motivated us to pursue those goals even more stringently," said Ron Wood, general manager at Christian Press. "We have not embarked upon this course as any kind of up-sell situation. We have done it because of our belief in protecting the environment whenever there is an opportunity to do so."
Christian Press had rigorous requirements for the construction of its new building, including insulated steel panels for all exterior walls; energy efficient heating, cooling and humidity systems; high efficiency windows; natural light wherever feasible; low energy flourescent lighting and more. The company also planted nearly 50 trees and many shrubs around the site.
In addition to using Agfa's chemistry-free :Azura plate, Christian Press recycles about 35 tons of waste each year and an additional ton of aluminium. They also do not use developer or fixer and whatever waste wash chemicals remain are held in an environmentally-sound waste barrel and sent to an environmental control company in Winnipeg. In addition, the company only uses vegetable-based inks.
In October, Agfa Graphics announced Accell Graphics of Ontario as an inaugural recipient of its Environmental Recognition award. Accell, in business for 21 years, is a full-service design and printing facility that goes to great lengths to promote environmental awareness in part by publicizing its own proactive approaches to the environment.
"We are pleased to see that many of our customers are eagerly adopting 'greener' policies. It shows that they are thinking about future generations. We continue to do our part with product research & development, and valued customers like Christian Press and Accell are doing theirs," said Jack Baraczek, director of Agfa Graphics, Canada. "We hope that our recognition program can be an effective tool in helping to move environmental efforts in our industry forward, and to strengthen those efforts along the way."