Being ‘Green’ Pays Dividends
To facilitate the recycling, waste paper is sorted into 24 different grades. Quad operates the largest waste/scrap paper collection system of its kind in the country at its plant in Sussex, WI.
Over the years, Quad/Graphics’ multi-faceted, holistic approach to environmental accountability has cost the company money, but it’s money well spent, with a return on investment that has been gratifying on many levels. It stands to reason, says Estock, “You can’t pursue business practices that aren’t sustainable, so you have to pursue things that are good for business, too.”
Blown Away by Wind Power
One of the most proactive of a growing crop of “green” printers, Sandy Alexander (Clifton, NJ) believes in holding its own feet to the fire. The company has in place a formal EMS that focuses on waste reduction, pollution prevention and conservation, in addition to a full-time environmental compliance officer who deals with ISO 14000 and environmental issues.
The company initiated its greenhouse gas reduction effort in 2005, and in 2006 pledged to further reduce its total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 100 percent per dollar of revenue through 2012, as part of its membership in the EPA’s Climate Leaders Program. Also in 2006, Sandy Alexander announced a seven-year commitment to use 100 percent wind power for all of the company’s electrical needs. The company initially spent more than $100,000 a year to convert to wind power.
Sandy Alexander is also active in EPA’s Green Power Partnership, which recognized the company as the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the printing and publishing sector, and was recognized by New Jersey as the state’s Clean Power Purchaser of the Year for 2006. The company’s reliance on wind power is just one facet of Sandy Alexander’s broader environmental agenda, which also includes the use of vegetable oil-based inks and recycled paper, and FSC chain-of-custody certification, as well as certification to ISO 9001 quality and ISO 14001 environmental standards.
