Environmental Sustainability — The Greening of Print

Hi-Tech is walking the walk to greener printing in several ways. It’s FSC certified. It’s using soy-based inks. It recycles its waste paper and printing plates, and has recovery systems on its processors. And, it’s converting to a new blanket/roller wash system that will reduce VOCs by 35 percent.

“To truly be a green company, you must change your corporate culture, the way your employees think,” explains Kass. “We have notified our employees that by Q1 ’08, we intend to be as green as a printer can be. All chemistry, ink and water waste from the presses are hauled off by a third-party vendor. Nothing from our pressroom goes down the drain.”

The centerpiece of Hi-Tech’s greening process is its recent FSC certification. The impetus for becoming certified was an unexpected (and profitable) request.

“We have been recycling for years, but were never really aware of the certification process,” she recalls. “When a major client issued an RFQ requiring FSC-certified stocks, I started doing my homework and discovered that just buying FSC (certified) stock did not allow you to use the FSC logo. We discovered that many printers have been using the FSC logo on their clients’ work in error, unaware of the chain-of-custody requirements.

“Corporate social responsibility issues are becoming a core component of corporate brands,” Kass concludes.

“Dealing responsibly with your company’s footprint not only reduces risk, it can also enhance your brand—if you walk the walk and know how to talk about it.” PI