Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), a non-profit organization providing sustainability certification in the graphic communications industry, today announces the Gold Patronage of Laird Plastics, the largest independent plastics distributor in North America. Laird recognizes that when leaders of various industries come together, they can collectively raise the bar for all. By supporting SGP, Laird is aligning with an organization and its Patrons that are devoted to encouraging and promoting participation in the worldwide movement to reduce the environmental impact of printed materials and increase social responsibility.  

Sustainable distribution and industry stewardship is important to Laird Plastics. The company has been involved with several associations and their environmental committees for years, including the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), International Association of Plastics Distribution (IAPD), National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), and the American Chemistry Council (ACC). Laird is committed to sustainable supply chain dynamics, and believes it has a responsibility to validate manufacturing claims for the end user, while passing consumer concerns back upstream. 

"Laird Plastics operates its business by incorporating a clear view of how we interact with the natural environment, which is why our partnership with SGP is so important," Brett Thompson, Director of Environmental Affairs, Laird Plastics. "We will continue to reduce our environmental impact and consumption of non-renewable resources, increase the impact of our market wide recycling efforts, and add environmentally preferable products to our portfolio."

"We are very excited to have Laird Plastics join the SGP community. Laird has been in the forefront of plastics recycling, and many of their customers are SGP Certified printers. Their commitment to helping customers establish in-house recycling programs speaks for itself," Marci Kinter, Chair, SGP Program.

Plastics are inherently recyclable, but dozens of material types make the identification of specific ones difficult. For this reason, Laird helps educate its customers to improve the public perception of plastics. Its recycling strategy is based on a "reverse distribution" concept, whereby collected materials are returned to its vendor partners to be re-incorporated into new product.