New Report Profiles Leaders in Sustainable Printing

Since “being green” came into vogue, green claims and corporate sustainability initiatives have proliferated. But not all environmental policies are as eco as the next. In this now cluttered landscape, it can be difficult to choose the right strategic partners to help your company meet its sustainability goals. To help solve that conundrum, a leading conservation organization, Canopy, has just released its Green Print Leadership Report, a resource designed to help companies choose printers that match their sustainability commitments***.*** Canopy’s 2013 report demystifies sustainable business practices in the commercial printing sector and shines a spotlight on printers that have distinguished themselves.

It is a well-worn axiom that the “medium is the message” and that for many leaders in the green business community, paper is an important medium. Consequently, printers not only have a significant influence on a brand’s environmental footprint, they also have the ability to support a brand towards its sustainability goals. In Canopy’s work to help improve the environmental performance of more than 700 large companies, it was evident that North American printers were gatekeepers for much of that success. What also became evident was that many printers emphasize different performance criteria, making it difficult to pick the best performers.

To assist its corporate partners, Canopy has identified leadership in the print sector. Given that 50–80% of a printer’s carbon footprint is attributable to the paper stocks it uses, Canopy’s report focuses on ecopaper use and forest conservation. Also under the microscope was the practice of sustainability reporting and transparency, which is vital to help customers make an informed assessment about which print partners are achieving measureable progress.

North America’s Green Print Leadership Report highlights actions companies can take to support protection of the world’s endangered forests. Rather than rank companies in any order, the report profiles leaders by paper volume and features companies with rigorous policies and making progress towards their sustainability goals. Thirty-six printers completed the survey, providing the foundation for the report. Printers varied in size and specialization — with three of the top five North American printers by sales on the list: RR Donnelley [1], Quad Graphics [2] and TC Transcontinental [4].

Printers setting the pace with leading sustainable actions to protect forests are:

• Adopting strong paper procurement policies with a focus on ancient and endangered forest conservation;
• Actively engaging with their suppliers and environmental organizations such as Canopy to advance protection in forest conservation hot spots;
• Setting targets and timelines for increased recycled and ecopaper use;
• Supporting innovative solutions such as using paper made from straw left over after harvest instead of tree-based paper; and
• Sharing detailed, transparent reporting of their sustainability initiatives.

While 94% of survey respondents stated that they have sustainability policies in place, less than half currently post their policies on company websites. In a world where green claims abound, a brand should be able to review a printer’s sustainability policy to ensure that it is meaningful and a good match for its own sustainability objectives. Given how quickly this space is evolving, eco-policies should ideally be developed with input from independent environmental organizations to ensure that they are meaningful from both an ecological and business perspective. This year, just under half of the printers with sustainability policies in place had developed forest conservation policies with input from Canopy.

Some highlights reported in the printers’ sustainability policies:

• 70 percent give preference to Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper;
• 61 percent have policy language to support protection of endangered forests;
• 52 percent support using paper with cleaner (less toxic) bleaching technologies;
• 79 percent offer 100% recycled house sheets;
• 91 percent educate customers about the benefits of using paper with maximized post consumer recycled content.

Leading brands have an opportunity to influence and support their printers to make further progress towards environmental sustainability. Each time a company prints materials this is an extension of the brand and a chance to advance progressive and responsible printing practices.

As a sustainability leader in an organization, consider these five things to help reduce your company’s paper footprint, support a greener print sector and help protect endangered forest ecosystems:

1. Encourage your printer to develop or update their environmental policy with input and support from an environmental not-for-profit such as Canopy, much like EarthColor and Standard Register have done;
2. Ensure your printers address their carbon footprints with environmental commitments and actions to shift away from paper that originates from biodiverse, carbon-rich forest hotspots;
3. Urge your printer to offer 100% post consumer recycled or straw-based papers as house sheets and to educate customers on the environmental and business benefits of these papers;
4. Urge your printer to make its sustainability policy public and report on sustainability objectives regularly, as TC Transcontinental and EarthColor do;
5. Ask your printer to participate in Canopy’s annual Green Print Leadership survey to share their practices and help move the industry forward.

Read more about leaders in the printing sector in Canopy’s North America’s Green Print Leadership Report and see which printers are working with their supply chains towards the protection of the world’s last remaining intact forests.