SGP Certified Facility Spotlight: DCM

With sustainability an expectation of customers, DCM (Data Communications Management) is quietly excelling at making it a reality. With decades of experience helping major brands streamline communications, DCM has embraced sustainability not as a sideline project but as a core business driver.

It’s one reason we’re proud to feature them as the first company in SGP’s new Certified Facility Spotlight series.

How Certification Becomes Strategy

With ten SGP-certified facilities across Canada, DCM is applying third-party verified sustainability practices at scale. These sites don’t just meet environmental and safety benchmarks; they follow a formal Sustainability Management System, pushing improvement in everything from energy use to chemical handling.

More importantly, the company doesn’t wait to be regulated into action. DCM has set ambitious targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, including a 44 % reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (compared to 2020 baseline). Progress is tracked and measured on an annual basis.

“True sustainability comes from actionable insights and verifiable progress,” said Theresa Vanna, Past Chair (2022–2024) of the SGP Partnership. “DCM’s commitment to our certification framework exemplifies how print facilities can integrate robust environmental management with their core operations, leading to real, quantifiable results.”

Turning Paper Into Forests

Recognizing that paper consumption is an inherent part of print, DCM partnered with PrintReleaf, an SGP Resource Partner. This innovative software platform measures paper usage and calculates the equivalent number of trees harvested, ensuring that for every 83 pounds of paper printed, a tree is planted. This impact is traceable, allowing DCM’s clients and their customers to view their contributions through custom dashboards, public profile pages and QR code tracking.

This proactive approach allows DCM to mitigate its paper footprint by replanting trees in certified reforestation projects globally. Since partnering with PrintReleaf in November of 2021, DCM, on behalf of its clients, has reforested over 2.7 million trees in North America and other locations across the globe.

“We believe it’s our responsibility to operate more sustainably, and we recognize that we’re a major part of our clients’ supply chains, which is why we’re happy to make programs like PrintReleaf available to them,” said Richard Kellam, President & CEO of DCM. “It makes good business sense, and it’s good for the communities in which we live and work.”

Practical Tools for a More Efficient Future

As proud as DCM is of its sustainability milestones, its strongest asset may be the technology it puts in clients’ hands. Proprietary platforms like DCMFlex, ASMBL and OptiChanl help companies consolidate marketing content, reduce waste, and personalize messages across print and digital.

One example involved a financial services client with strict geographic compliance needs. DCM created a scalable communications platform that integrated approval workflows, customizable templates, and synchronized print-to-digital output. The result was stronger data security, streamlined workflows, and less environmental waste.

Culture, Not Compliance

DCM’s dedication to sustainability flows into its operations, its people and its supply chain. The company has held FSC certification since 2007 and now tracks over 9,000 raw material SKUs by sustainability criteria in its enterprise systems.

DCM also works with suppliers to create change upstream, with a goal for 75% of suppliers by spend to adopt science-based targets by 2026. The company invests in facility upgrades such as lighting retrofits and actively promotes DEI initiatives, creating social impact through employee well-being, health & safety, indigenous reconciliation, transparency, and community engagement, emphasizing DCM’s broader responsibility.

Raising the Bar for the Industry

What makes DCM’s SGP certification so impactful is how well it aligns with the way the company already works. The framework provides structure, but the culture is already there, making the results durable and scalable.

For SGP, it’s this kind of leadership that sets the tone for what comes next in print.

Learn more about DCM’s work at www.datacm.com and explore how SGP certification can help transform sustainability commitments into business advantage.