Verdigris, the environmental initiative from Digital Dots, the graphic arts research group, has announced that Xeikon, a division of Punch Graphix, is supporting the project as an associate member.

Verdigris is a not-for-profit research initiative designed to help printers and their customers understand more about the environmental impact of print media. The goal is to raise awareness of print's positive environmental impact, through cooperative content development shared with an international network of trade publishers.

Xeikon considers environmental care to be a social responsibility and of the utmost importance for the future of the company. Its environmental policy encompasses all aspects of the business and stimulates each employee to act and think in an environmentally conscious manner.

"Punch Graphix is more than committed to a greener future and ecology plays a key role in the design of the end-to-end printing process: from toner production and packaging, through to printing and paper recycling," says Frank Van Meenen, global marketing manager at Punch Graphix. "Also, corporate social responsibility has always been a key focus point for our management. Therefore we are honored to support the Verdigris Project and pay our contribution to stimulate all printing companies worldwide to strive for a greener future, and to further improve the 'green image' of our industry."

Laurel Brunner, managing director of Digital Dots, says: "We welcome Xeikon's participation in the Verdigris Project. We are particularly impressed with the way it considers the environmental aspect of each project before embarkation and look forward to working together towards our common goals."

Verdigris is the only environmental initiative of its kind. It provides free research and content to a global network of industry publishers on a regular basis. Participants in the Verdigris Project can use Verdigris content to educate their printing communities about print's environmental impact, and to help raise print's positive profile. Verdigris content development is independently managed by people who know and understand print technology. Verdigris operates globally and in partnership with industry and media.

Verdigris articles analyse the issues facing publishers and printers to help them manage their carbon footprints, while continuing to conduct a profitable business. Verdigris is also a major contributor to the development of an ISO standard for measuring the carbon footprint of print media.