11 In-plants Earn FSC Certification
Eleven in-plants have just achieved Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification through the new InGreen group certification program for in-plants. Managed by Printers Green Resource LLC, the InGreen (In-plant Graphic Reproduction for the Environment, Ecology and Nature) program allows U.S. in-plants with annual print sales of less than $5 million to get certified for about half the cost of doing so independently. At the same time, InGreen handles many key administrative and compliance requirements, such as documented procedures and training.
“InGreen’s Rick Huntoon coordinated a significant part of the busy work and coordinated employee training workshops for my staff,” remarks Bill May, director of University of Alabama Printing Services, one of the in-plants that just received FSC certification. “The cost was less than half. Overall, I think group certification through InGreen is a great value.”
InGreen’s first group certification class includes nine first-time certifications and two recertifications. Recent FSC recipients are:
- Bucknell University Office of Publications, Print and Mail
- California State University-Chico Print and Mail Services
- Oregon State University Printing and Mailing Services
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Printing Center
- University of Alabama Printing Services
- University of Alaska-Fairbanks Printing Services
- University of California-Davis Reprographics
- University of Central Florida Printing Services
- University of Houston Print and Postal
- University of Virginia Department of Printing and Copying Services
- Vanderbilt University Printing Services
“We felt FSC certification dovetailed well into the university’s sustainability and recycling programs,” adds May. “Printing Services actively participates in these initiatives, so FSC certification seemed to be the next logical step in our responsibility to help protect the environment.”
“OSU is well known for its innovative commitment to sustainability, and Printing and Mailing Services shares this commitment,” remarks Ari Grossman-Naples, of Oregon State University. “Working with InGreen was a breeze. It was inexpensive and took about three months.”
The InGreen program offers full FSC chain-of-custody certification for an all-inclusive price of $1,695, while providing extensive assistance to members as they work towards certification. This makes the process faster and much easier. Professional marketing support is also provided to assist members with the promotion of their FSC status and services.
“The UAF chancellor is a supporter of sustainability efforts, and when I told him that we were getting certification he was very supportive,” says Warren Fraser, of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
“We decided to get the certification for several reasons,” he continues. “Recognition for what we were already doing in using recycled and certified paper; to differentiate our shop from other print shops in the minds of our customers; to show the students and staff that we do support their sustainability efforts; and to use certification as a marketing and selling tool. We had our first FSC job lined up a month before we got the certification.”
For more information about InGreen, contact Rick Huntoon at (214) 228-1448, rickh@ingreenprinter.com or visit www.ingreenprinter.com.
- Places:
- U.S.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 170 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
