Our green practices include:

FSC-COC (Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody) Certification, the labeling requirement for products carrying the FSC name or label. We comply with FSC-COC guidelines every step of the way — from the management of forests and the felling of trees, to the pulping of the wood and the manufacturing of paper.

Our 5R principle — to Replace, Reduce, Reuse, Reform, and Recycle materials, equipment, and other resources at all times works in conjunction with programs governing waste, pollution, water, and energy use.

Joint government programs, such as the Environmental Protection Department's Clean Manufacturer Program, highlight our leadership as a pioneer in environmental conservation in the printing industry.

We received ISO14001 certification in 2001. We comply with all requirements under this international quality standard. This certification measures most of the procedures described above.

Waterless printing provides a dramatic saving in water and forest resources by using around 30% to 40% less paper during a press run. The process is also virtually VOC-free.

Soft-proofing uses the latest digital technology to provide an electronic proof on-screen, replacing paper-based proofing methods. Without the need to print hard-copy proofs, massive savings in paper, inks, oils, and other raw materials are achieved. It also avoids the production of VOCs and other similar substances.

Sustainable papers provide countless options for the environmentally-conscious. In addition to re-useable and recycled paper, there are also FSC-certified papers, as well as paper made using renewable energy sources, - and with natural plant and tree fibers. These grow quickly and can be recycled more often because of their strong fiber content.

Making sure that we turn our beliefs into action, we carry out a number of initiatives to reduce the consumption of energy in our operations.

These activities include the installation of a heat-pumping system that captures heat generated from the central AC system for the supply of hot water. This has resulted in the saving of about 40,000 gallons of fuel a year. We also have a centralized vacuum pump system, which reduces electricity usage by 1,000,000 kWh a year. The simple replacement of T8 fluorescent lighting with the more energy-efficient T5 version also resulted in energy savings of 15%—25% a year.

To reduce harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), we installed automated wash up systems on our printing presses. This has resulted in a reduction in wash up solutions by over 200 gallons a month. We also redesigned the ventilation system in our screen-printing area which, together with the addition of active carbon filters, has reduced VOCs by an estimated 50%—80%