Being ‘Green’ Pays Dividends
An Environmental Bellwether
When Pictorial Offset (Carlstadt, NJ) became the first commercial printing company in the world to earn both ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certification in 1998, it forged a very public link between quality and environmental responsibility and became a bellwether for the industry. Pictorial’s involvement with environmental issues affecting commercial printing predates its ISO accreditation by several years, and continues in full swing today.
According to Lester Samuels, managing partner, “We have a long list of environmental initiatives here at Pictorial Offset. For example, in 2006, we reduced our VOC emissions by 12 percent and our hazardous waste by 37 percent. And, we reforested 10 acres of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge to become the only commercial printer in the United States to become carbon-neutral via reforestation. Our efforts in 2006 included installing automatic blanket washers on our web presses and using low-VOC solvents in our manufacturing process. All materials printed at our facility are within the carbon-neutral footprint of Pictorial Offset.”
The company is both FSC and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) chain-of-custody certified, designations that enable it to provide customers with the assurance that the paper products used in their projects are produced and sourced responsibly. Pictorial Offset was also recently elected to the U.S. EPA National Environmental Performance Track Program and was honored with the EPA Environmental Quality Award.
And, the company is no slouch when it comes to recycling—and, we don’t mean just paper products. In 2006, according to a third-party audit, in addition to nearly six tons of printing, corrugated and office paper, the company recycled 12 tons of aluminum plates, 440 gallons of waste oil, 322 tons of wood scraps and pallets, 3.5 tons of aluminum cans and bottles, 605 gallons of waste solvent, 340 units of toner cartridges, 12 drums of waste absorbent socks, 600 lbs. of nickel tubing and nearly 14 tons of ink waste. The company employs a full-time compliance officer.
