PIAA calls on the print industry to go green

National Recycling Week may have ended on Sunday, but the Printing Industries Association of Australia (PIAA) believes that’s no excuse for the printing community to stop looking for ways to reduce its environmental footprint.

In particular, the organisation is encouraging members and non-members in the print, packaging and visual communication fields to consider becoming Green Stamp or Sustainable Green Print certified.

PIAA’s Sustainable Green Print (SGP) is the Australian printing industry’s own certification program, designed to help printing companies meet their environmental responsibilities. The program can assist businesses starting with waste, storage, handling and recycling, all the way to SO 14001 certification.

The Green Stamp Program, launched in 2003 in conjunction with the WA Department of Environment and Regulation, is meanwhile considered an industry leader in environmental commitment. The program can be tailored to any printing, cleaning or signmaking business and can assist with waste minimisation, reductions in energy consumption, hazardous chemical storage and handling, baseline audits and more.

PIAA CEO Jason Allen said the programs not only allow businesses to go above and beyond their environmental legal obligations, but can also give small to medium-sized businesses a competitive edge within their industry and appeal to the growing demand for environmentally friendly services.

“According to Nielsen’s 2014 global survey on corporate social responsibility, a growing number of people are taking a company’s sustainable practices into consideration when making their purchases,” said Allen.

“With results showing that 55% of global online consumers are willing to pay more for products from companies they know are making a conscious effort to reduce their carbon footprint, I encourage the printing industry to harness this momentum and implement environmental practices that will help them move towards achieving industry best practices.”

According to PIAA, benefits from going certifiably green include:

• reduced operational costs, as well as streamlined, more efficient processes;
• being able to get grants and other incentives for going green;
• greater brand recognition within the industry and with customers; and
• improved employee satisfaction through working towards a common purpose.

“Customers want this, and we as an industry continue to listen and adapt to changing needs,” said Allen. “These certifications will reward those who are incorporating environmentally sound practices by defining them as industry leaders in environmental management.”