Summer Reading to Help Printers Go Green

School may be out for our kids, but it’s never out for business owners and managers. Here is a short reading list to help you along the path to sustainability. Summer reading, anyone?

Environmental Impacts of Print - Current Practices
The Rochester Institute of Technology explored the assessment of the environmental impacts across the printing industry to establish a baseline for the current state of adoption and implementation of sustainability practices.

The good news: 73 percent of respondents have a sustainability policy in place. The bad news: 46 percent—nearly half—are not actively developing sustainability-related metrics. What's the old saying? That which gets measured, gets managed.

Carbon Footprint & Energy Reduction for the Graphic Industry Value Chain
PrintCity’s new “Carbon Footprint & Energy Reduction for the Graphic Industry Value Chain” special report will facilitate the improved collaborative environmental performance of printers, converters, publishers, brand owners and their suppliers.

From the shared “connection of competence” knowledge of PrintCity members and partners, this report can drive greater industry confidence in the future of print in the complex multimedia world by focusing on:

• Carbon Footprinting—how to understand and use this beneficial measurement tool
• Energy Reduction—examination of complete process chain + best practice advice
• International Harmonization—understanding and achieving global standards harmonization

Go Green Profitably
Uncover proven environmental strategies for printers, from forest certification to renewable power, plus ideas for achieving printers’ and customers’ environmental aims while still making a profit.

This special report looks at a wide variety of initiatives that can help turn socially responsible objectives into bottom-line boosting results.

Emerging Strategies: Green Printing and Sustainability
InfoTrends’ inaugural “Emerging Strategies in Production Printing” program focused on green printing and sustainability strategies and policies of in-plant printers and print-for-pay companies. The “Emerging Strategies” program is a quarterly survey conducted by InfoTrends that focuses on market trends, strategic issues, and hot topics in production printing. This first survey was conducted in partnership with Printing Impressions and In-Plant Graphics magazines.

Lean Printing: Pathway to Success
In today’s competitive environment, it is mandatory for printers to find new ways to reduce costs, waste and setup time, while adding value to the products they offer their customers. By examining proven techniques, “Lean Printing: Pathway to Success” shows the benefits that come from engaging the entire workforce in recognizing value-adding processes and eliminating waste—whether that means wasted material, wasted motion, or wasted time.

Print is Green Report
The third edition of “Print is Green,” a report from WhatTheyThink’s Economics and Research Center, is full of information that will help commercial printers to become environmentally sustainable and responsible.

The goal of the report is to offer a value proposition for sustainable printing. As the report repeatedly stresses, “The more printers who don’t see the value in sustainable print themselves, the more it reinforces the belief of those who feel that print is an environmentally unfriendly medium.”

As we emerge from the recession, slowly but surely, environmental sustainability will become an increasingly important issue—especially among young people.