Queensland printer Accent Press says it is saving money and attracting more clients by pursuing the PIAA’s Sustainable Green Print certification.

Neil Thurlow, Accent’s managing director, says the company already had much of the requirements in place, but was motivated to seek formal certification in response to inquiries from both existing and prospective clients.

“Some customers are less inclined to print with a company that doesn’t substantiate its environmental awareness claims or have supporting business actions, so we decided to formalise what we were doing and take our business to the next level,” he says.

“We were already recycling paper and plates and reducing chemical waste to an absolute minimum. All that we needed to do was introduce systems so we could quantify the amount of materials for recycling and those directed to landfill.”

“We made some minor adjustments to our processes and after implementing these we were able to successfully obtain the Sustainable Green Print level 2 audit certification.”

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Thurlow said implementing all of the SGP audit requirements has also directly improved the profitability of his business.

“We have gained cost reductions by reducing both our paper and consumables waste which in turn means that we are able to offer more cost effective products to our clients and also increase our margins, which makes us a more efficient and profitable business,” he says.

“With our SGP certification we are now able to proudly tell us customers that we are doing our bit towards a sustainable planet and we have the Printing Industries SGP certification to back our claim.”

Details about the Sustainable Green Print program are available from any PIAA office on 1800 227 425 or by visiting www.sustainablegreenprint.com.au

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