(July 24, 2008) UD Print AG in Lucerne, Switzerland, has recently begun production operations using the world’s first certified carbon-neutral Speedmaster XL 105-5+LX sheetfed offset press from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The greenhouse gases produced in manufacturing the press have been calculated and offset. Environmental impact experts PE International took account of all relevant parameters, from extracting raw materials and material production to press manufacture, testing, and transportation to the print shop.

According to a study by PE International, manufacture of a Speedmaster XL 105-5+LX equates to emissions totaling 320 tons of carbon dioxide. That is roughly one tenth of the volume of carbon dioxide generated each year from manufacture of print products on such a press, with the proportion of paper making up around 90 percent of the total carbon dioxide volume.

"This certificate underlines our environmental responsibility and we are proud to be pioneers in sustainability," explains Ulrich Bigler, Manager of UD Print AG. In this way, the company is a model business in terms of its energy efficiency.

Carbon dioxide emissions are offset through purchasing and cancelling 320 emission credits (1 = 1t CO2e) which come from the Te Apiti wind farm WWF Gold Standard CDM climate protection project in New Zealand. The project is in line with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which is entrenched in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol. Te Apiti is the first wind farm in New Zealand that provides consumers with electricity directly and covers a total of 45,000 households. Wind power is a renewable energy source and thus ensures sustainable environmental development.

Emissions savings are regularly verified and certified by TÜV Süd. Cancellation certificates are recorded and issued by the Swiss National Emissions Trading Registry.