Sustainable Printer Standards—N. America

Re-nourish does not include printers or other supply chain providers in our Sustainable Graphic Design Standards^©.

However, to be included in the Greener Printer directory printers must not only meet minimum state and federal compliance requirements for environmental responsibility, but also must meet the following additional criteria:

General policies

• Has a formal and publicly accessible energy reduction policy in place.
• Has a formal and publicly accessible waste reduction and recycling policy in place.
• Has a formal and publicly accessible toxic reduction/processing policy in place.
• Has a formal and publicly accessible environmentally-preferable purchasing policy in place.
• Must permit on-site third party verification of sustainability claims.

Employment

• Has at least one dedicated staff member who manages sustainability policies and has a decision-making mandate from the executive/ownership level.
• Provides safety training to all employees on a regular basis.
• Provides sustainability training to all employees on a regular basis.
• Provides livable wages to all employees.

Equipment and operations

• Uses certified energy-efficient equipment in the press room.
• Uses a closed reclamation press system to minimize VOC emissions.
• Does not use isopropyl alcohol in press cleaning operations and fountain solutions.
• Recycles all waste ink in-house or through external services
• Has specific procedures in place to reduce makeready waste.
• Uses nontoxic or chemical-free plate processes whenever possible.
• Uses FTP to transfer files rather than hard copy.
• Offers PDF and/or online proofing.

Materials

• House stock includes at least one 30% minimum PCW-content paper in multiple weights.
• House inks are low-VOC (10% or less), and at least 50% bio-based.
• Has a specific inventory control system to minimize waste.

Certifications and Awards

• Awards and certifications are not mandatory to be included into the Re-nourish Greener Printer directory however legitimate certifications such as FSC, LEED, and ISO are considered when determining company practices.

Note: We do not currently consider certification from SFI or PEFC.