Commercial Printers Thinking Green

Graphics and Print, an award winning commercial printers, based in Telford, Shropshire, are very conscious of environmental issues associated with the print industry, and are therefore proud to confirm certification to the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of the Forest Certification) schemes. This means that all of the paper they use comes from recycled stock and/or well-managed sources that can be traced, something which is becoming more and more important to customers why rely on print.

In addition to the FSC and PEFC certifications, Graphics and Print also adopted a number of other initiatives, to maintain their focus on helping the environment. They manufacture from chemical-free printing plates by means of alcohol-free printing presses that use vegetable based inks, they offer soft proofing and FTP uploading of files to reduce materials and resources, recommend that at the end of their life all products can be recycled at their customers’ discretions and carry out duty of care visits with all their major suppliers to assess their environmental practices.

Managing Director Martin Kells, explains the companies’ commitment to thinking greener: “We are fully aware of the perception that the general public have towards commercial printers and so we set up a company commitment to address a number of these concerns. We continuously improve our environmental performance and integrate recognised environmental management best practice into all of our business operations as well as actively measure and take action to reduce the carbon footprint of our business activities.

"We proactively manage waste generated from our business operations according to the principles of reduction, re-use and recycling. We ensure environmental, including climate change, criteria are taken into account in the procurement of goods and services and maintain our certification to ISO 14001 through rigorous monitoring and review of our performance.

"To ensure we meet these commitments, we regularly review environmental policies and performance, and allocate resources for their effective direction and implementation. We set and monitor key objectives and targets for managing our environmental performance at least annually. We always communicate the importance of environmental issues to our colleagues and customers and we find that customers are really responsive to our suggestions and recommendations.”

In addition, Graphics and Print ensure that all hazardous waste is collected by a registered waste carrier in compliance with Hazardous Waste Regulations (2005), and over 90% is recycled. All Aluminium is recycled, from printing plates to drinks cans, along with paper waste from production and most office paper waste.

Graphics and Print provide an end-to-end service, when it comes to commercial printing services. They have four experienced Customer Relationship Managers who are only too willing to meet with customers to discuss their needs and explore the most appropriate environmentally friendly options available.