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In our commitment to sustainability, we have adopted the following concepts: • PRINT ON
DEMAND. Creating documents only when needed to save warehouse space and
resources, as well as reduce waste of obsolete materials. • SEEK
EQUIPMENT DESIGNED FOR REMANUFACTURING OR RECYCLING. Utilizing Xerox
devices which are designed with recycle and reuse in mind.
• ENSURE WE ARE WORKING WITH ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE SUPPLIERS. Communicating with suppliers to find out what they are doing to reduce their environmental impact.
GREEN PAPER CERTIFICATIONS
FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC)
RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED PRODUCTS
CHLORINE FREE CERTIFIED PRODUCTS
EPA-CPG
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• MAKE THE
MOST OF EVERY SHEET. Printing as many images as possible on a single sheet
of paper. • KNOW
WHERE OUR PAPER COMES FROM AND RECYCLE THE PAPER WE USE. Seeking
environmentally preferable papers, such a FSC-certified papers and
recycled content papers; and installing bins around our shop to collect
paper and unused prints for recycles or reuse.
The mission of the Rainforest Alliance is to protect the ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Companies, cooperatives and landowners that participate in RA programs meet rigorous standards that conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods. RA sets standards for sustainability that conserve wildlife and wildlands and promote the well-being of workers and their communities.
SFI certified products are produced at mills which utilize fiber certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program. Fiber coming from this program is certified based on a comprehensive system of principles, objectives, and performance measures developed by professional foresters, conservationists and scientists that combines the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water quality. Under the SFI program, participating companies plant or grow more trees than are harvested each year. This is mostly a North American initiative.
The Green-e logo is the nationally recognized symbol for certified renewable energy. Green-e is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and companies that use renewable energy. Green-e provides an easy way for consumers to quickly identify environmentally superior products made from renewable sources of electricity such as wind energy. Wind energy is the fastest growing source of electricity in the U.S.
Papers qualifying as “recyclable” have no attachments which prevent them from being entered into conventional recycling programs. Paper can only be marked as recyclable if it can be collected, separated or otherwise recovered from the solid waste stream for reuse in the manufacture of another product through an established recycling program.
Paper or products made with paper can contain post-consumer or pre-consumer recycled fiber or both. Post-consumer waste (PCW) fiber is generated from consumer end products that have been separated or diverted from the solid waste stream. Items that make up this type of fiber include office wastepaper, mail and magazines from people’s homers, and used packaging from delivered products. Pre-consumer waste fiber is generated from materials that have not met their intended end-use by a consumer. Examples include waste from manufacturing, and converting and printing processes.
Process chlorine free papers or products are certified by the Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA). The CFPA is an independent not-for-profit accreditation & standard setting organization. Process Chlorine Free (PCF) is reserved for recycled content paper. This included all recycled fibers uses as a feedstock that meets EPA guidelines for recycled or post-consumer content. PCF papers have not been rebleached with chlorine containing compounds. A minimum of 30% post-consumer content is required.
Minimum requirements for Green Seal Certified papers specify that uncoated printing and writing papers shall either: 1) contain at least 30% post-consumer material, or 2) be manufactured without using chlorine or chlorine derivates. Green Seal is an organization which works with manufacturers, industry sectors, purchasing groups and governments at all levels to “green” the production and purchasing chain. Products can only become Green Seal certified after rigorous testing and evaluation, including on-site plant visits.
The EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (EPA-CPG) programs are part of EPA's continuing effort to promote the use of materials recovered from solid waste. Buying recycled-content products ensure that the materials collected in recycling programs will be used again in the manufacturing of new products. The CPG was published to encourage the use of material recovered through recycling, and thereby help to reduce the amount of waste that must be disposed of, Congress directed government agencies, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Executive Order 13101, to increase their purchases of recycled-content products. Once a product is designated as an EPA-CPG item, procuring agencies are required to purchase it with the highest recovered material content level practicable. Under the RCRA, the requirement to purchase an EPA-designated product containing recovered materials applies to "procuring agencies" that spend more than $10,000 a year on that item. Procuring agencies include all federal agencies, and any state or local agency or government contractor that uses appropriated federal funds. Updated requirements for paper and paper products were published in May 1996 and June 1998.
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