Interview with the Author of Sustainability Studies in Print

Since Sustainability Studies in Print: Five Printers Discuss Their Journeys to SGP Certification, is the book of the month, we interviewed the author, Joe Deemer, about the content of the books and some of the methodology behind it. 

What level of understanding/commitment is Sustainability Studies in Print aimed toward? Is it for someone curious about embracing bits and pieces of sustainability? Or someone who wants to go all the way toward SGP Certification?

On its most basic level, Sustainability Studies in Print is aimed at the curious with the hopes that they will be inspired to follow in the footsteps of Alcom, Global Packaging, Monroe Litho, SunDance Marketing Solutions, and T-Formation. If a printer reads this book and decides to pursue certification with the Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership, then that’s a great thing. Certainly, many companies decide to make “green” claims in terms of promotion, and an SGP certification adds a solid level of credibility to such claims. But just like the whole “all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares” notion, you don’t need to be SGP-certified to actually be a sustainable printer. So, if a printer reads this book and decides to simply employ a more aggressive recycling program or maybe try out more eco-friendly materials because of the contents of Sustainability Studies in Print, I would still be thrilled with that result—and hopefully that hypothetical printer will be as well.  

What are some of the common pitfalls that the printers in Sustainability Studies in Print stumbled upon?

At some point nearly all of the printers mentioned that they were unsure of how to proceed in the face of the documentation and criteria supplied by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. Many of these issues, on their surface, were purely semantic, but in some cases, a slight miscommunication can have time-consuming ramifications in future.