Being a printer today places a certain responsibility on the shoulders of the company for being as environmentally friendly and responsible as possible, while still fulfilling the needs of our customers. Our concern for the environment has always been at the forefront when making purchasing and operational decisions. For many years, Forward Litho has employed as many natural and environmentally friendly products and procedures as possible to keep our facility as safe as possible for our employees, customers and the environment. Since the late 90’s we have used only soy-based, EcoSmart inks from Braden Sutphin Ink Company. We for years have utilitized press chemicals that are also environmentally friendly, emitting little to no VOCs, and we have eliminated all prepress and darkroom chemicals by installing a computer to plate system. Paper is a major concern, and it’s the key ingredient that is required to serve our customers and produce the printed materials they require. The vast majority all of the paper we promote, buy and print on is recycled. By far, the majority of paper we use is 50% or more post-consumer recycled paper. Our customers specify those papers for their projects. Congratulations to them! Lastly, for many years now, before it was even popular, we recycle all of our waste paper. We recycle our chemicals, our inkjet cartridges, our plates and our inks! There are many “green” certifications available to our industry that market themselves as being necessary in order to demonstrate to our customers that we are environmentally conscientious. While they may be important for some, they are costly to implement, and to date we have not found one that we think will elevate our level of consciousness or improve our procedures, or lead us to any more sound practices than we employ right now. We believe FSC Certification and the like are more appropriate to the paper manufacturers, for it is they who are stewards of the land and the forests. Ultimately we believe it all comes down to each individual to be a good steward of our precious natural resources.
paul@forwardlitho.com
lisa@forwardlitho.com
