SGP Impact Tracker Demonstrates Reduced Environmental Footprint for SGP Printers

SGP certified printers lead the way in growing profits through sustainability initiatives.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), the leading authority in sustainable printing certification for print manufacturers, is pleased to announce findings from the first year of the SGP Impact Tracker. The dashboard tracks metrics in sustainability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for SGP certified printers, and has begun to document significant monetary and environmental accomplishments.

Digital Color Concepts (DCC), a fully integrated graphics company based in New Jersey, was SGP certified in 2016. The organization targeted and eliminated waste at all levels, making zero landfill waste its first continuous improvement project. Driven by a strong sense of corporate responsibility and concern for employee and environmental health, the organization achieved zero landfill status in 2018. As an added benefit, Digital Color Concepts (DCC) earned $146,327 from recycling. Though some training was required to ensure proper sorting of office recyclables, Digital Color Concepts (DCC) Director of Quality Assurance Bon Wan says the transition to zero waste did not cause significant changes in the production workflow and the results have been overwhelmingly positive both financially and ethically.

Similarly, Dprint, a print-on-demand manufacturer of decals, auto wraps and signage located in Florida, has uploaded sustainability data going back to 2012 into the SGP Impact Tracker. The organization’s incredible improvements include:

• 34% reduction in VOCs
• 21% reduction in water waste
• 33% reduction in total waste
• 14% reduction in energy consumption
• 36% reduction in natural gas consumption

Not only are these achievements impressive in their scope, but they have also led to significant cost savings at Dprint’s facility.

The SGP Impact Tracker, powered by Sustainability Dashboard Tools, LLC, helps SGP certified facilities like Dprint and Digital Color Concepts monitor sustainability performance and benchmark efforts against other facilities. It launched in 2018 and as more data is added, the tracker will serve as a valuable asset for the print community as well as for brands that are committed to working with more sustainable suppliers.

The Impact Tracker is particularly useful for measuring progress on SGP’s required continuous improvement projects. These yearly initiatives ensure that SGP certified facilities deliver the most sustainable, profitable print solutions the industry has to offer. As part of continuous improvement, SGP printers have developed unique partnerships with suppliers to monetize recycling, incorporated higher quality substrates and inks into the printing process, and reduced emissions, energy and water consumption along with other operational expenses. As a result, the average certified facility saves $43,000 a year, with many sustainable leaders saving far more.

To start turning sustainability into profit with SGP certification or to learn more about working with our printers to reap the benefits of a more sustainable supply chain for your organization, contact the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership at [email protected] or visit www.sgppartnership.org.

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About Digital Color Concepts

Digital Color Concepts (DCC) priorities are to produce work of exceptional quality, provide clients with a premium experience, and support the highest social and environmental standards in the printing and graphics industry. Beginning as a boutique retoucher in 1987, the company grew its services to meet client’s needs. Digital Color Concepts (DCC)’s business now includes equipment to cover every aspect of image production. The organization takes on jobs at any scale and at any quantity, always putting image quality first. Digital Color Concepts (DCC)’s commitment to color consistency guarantees its customers` creative vision will be met from prepress to publication to printed page. http://www.dccnyc.com

About Dprint

Dprint, formerly Douglass Print, is a multi-technology graphic communications company with a worldwide clientele headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. From its inception, Dprint was first to market with the latest inks, materials, equipment and processes. By 1990, the company was among the first in the industry to move into digital design and print technologies and had won over sixty awards for innovation and design. Dprint was the first screen printing contractor to NASA, a relationship now spanning over thirty years and is a top screen printer to the U.S. Government Printing Office. Dprint is a leader in social and environmental responsibility and became Florida’s first SGP-certified digital and screen printing facility. www.mydprint.com

About Sustainability Dashboard Tools, LLC

Sustainability Dashboard recognizes the challenge facing organizations that are striving to become sustainable and want to use performance data to help drive that process. The company created a set of online tools and data gathering services to assist organizations of all sizes with the challenges of gathering and analyzing accurate data. Collecting this information can be difficult, but ensuring it is accurate can prove to be an even bigger obstacle for both suppliers and organizations. The goal of Sustainability Dashboard is to transform this data into meaningful information that can help make informed decisions, report on finite results and create a culture of sustainability. www.green2sustainable.com

About SGP

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is a non-profit organization that certifies printing facilities’ sustainability best practices. SGP advocates best practices and innovation among print community stakeholders, aligning the printing industry and its customers in the pursuit of a more accountable sustainable supply chain. SGP works with patrons such as 3M, Cooley Group, ECOR, FLEXcon, Laird Plastics, Piedmont Plastics, Gilman Brothers and numerous other leading brands. www.sgppartnership.org