The Printing Office is the first privately owned printer in Queensland to achieve ISO 14001, the international standard that certifies companies with the highest levels of environmental responsibility.
Printing Office founder Joe Clouston (pictured on right with Andrew Robb) said it was evidence of the company’s commitment to green principles dating to its inception in 1985. Clouston is chairman of the Printing Industries (Queensland) Sustainable Green Print steering group.
“Printing has traditionally been seen as a dirty business, but it doesn’t have to be,” Clouston said.
“Our goal has been to operate with as little impact on the environment as possible and to do this in a way that can be measured and with the benefits passed directly on to customers.”
“Not only can we help customers reduce their own carbon footprint, but also we can do it without them having to pay any more for their printing.”
It won the Edmund Rice Business Ethics Award for the Environment in 1998 and has been a Green House Challenge Member since 2000 and an EPA Ecobiz member since 2008.
Key green steps the business takes:
- Retraining staff in power saving habits;
- Recycling timber pallets, plastic strapping and wrapping and paper waste;
- Using soy-based inks;
- Not using VOCs in the print process;
- Installing low energy lighting in production areas;
- Cutting air-conditioner use;
- Switched to notebook PCs and LCD screens;
- Installed three 27,000-litre rainwater tanks.
“The Printing Office has shown that you can make very substantial improvements to your environmental performance simply by being thoughtful and dedicated in the way you go about your business,” Federal MP Andrew Robb said during a tour of its Eagle Farm facility.
“Some of TPO’s success has required thinking of new ways to do things, but it has also involved applying sensible and well thought out processes for minimising waste, energy and water use.”
TPO is also FSC, PEFC, SGP Level 3 and ISO 9001 certified.
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