The first-ever Environmental Printing Awards featured Dr. David Suzuki as our
keynote speaker. To an audience of more than 250 people, Dr. Suzuki spoke
about the importance of reducing humanity's impact on the environment and
emphasized how conservation can coexist with business practices.
The night's attendees also saw seven companies take home awards for their
innovation in reducing environmental impact in their operations.
"The important thing about a worldview is realizing
that it is connected to everything else. Nothing exists
outside of it. Everything is connected."
Dr. David Suzuki at the Inaugural Environmental Printing Awards
Environmental Innovator (Gold)
JETRION LLC (FLINT GROUP) for its inkjet ink development; low
VOC continuous inkjet ink and HAPs-free wide-format inkjet ink.
This development solves the environmental concern of using
durable solvent inks for outdoor print displays. Print shops using
these new inks no longer need expensive extraction technology
to deal with paint fumes. Flint also turned to using acetone in its
formulation of continuous inkjet inks so that they are biodegradable.
Community Environmental Involvement (Gold)
ST. JOSEPH COMMUNICATIONS for its Partners in Growth program.
St. Joseph's Partners in Growth program plants three seedlings
for every ton of paper used in its operations. It has resulted in
over two million non-harvestable trees planted in Canada since
the program's inception in 1990.
Community Environmental Involvement (Silver)
HEMLOCK PRINTERS for its Off Cuts for Charity program.
Hemlock's program provides support for charities by donating
the unused white space inherent in printing projects. Since its
inception, it has produced work for the Vancouver Native
Health Society, Victoria Cancer Research Centre, BCSPCA and
C.H.I.L.D. Foundation.
Most Environmentally Friendly
Corporation or Vendor in Canada (Gold)
HEWLETT-PACKARD CANADA. Through better design, not only
are fewer parts used in the construction of HP products, but the
products are made so that they can be disassembled at end of
life. Secondly, HP participates in an Electronics Product
Stewardship, which reclaims obsolete electronics.
Most Environmentally Friendly Printing
Company in Canada (1-49 Employees) (Gold)
THISTLE PRINTING. With tighter budgets, implementing
environmental changes in a small company can be difficult.
By making sure all resources are used to peak efficiency (such
as in its ColorMatic ink system), Thistle not only saves money,
but also reduces environmental impact.
Most Environmentally Friendly Printing
Company in Canada (50+ Employees) (Gold)
HEMLOCK PRINTERS. Hemlock uses environmentally sound paper
stock and improved technology to recycle and reduce pollution,
and it has continued in its environmental efforts despite the
resistance of print buyers.
Best Environmental Printing Project (Gold)
WARREN'S IMAGING for the Yale School of Forestry &
Environmental Studies Viewbook. Printed on a waterless press,
Warren's production of this book for Yale is also printed using a
low-VOC blanket/roller wash system and on paper without any
virgin fiber. Coupling these processes with a 6-colour print
process at 175 lpi results in a very impressive print piece.
Best Environmental Printing Project (Silver)
THISTLE PRINTING for its Greenpeace Canada magazine. This
edition of Greenpeace Canada was printed on 100 percent
post-consumer recycled paper and processed without the use
of chlorine. The simply designed, two-colour project used
canola/linseed-based inks.
Best New Environmental Process (Gold)
HARRIS PRINTING for its installation of Agfa Azura chemistry-
free technology. Chemistry-free plates may cost more than
conventional plates, but removing chemicals from the plate
development stage means helping the environment. By taking
the initiative in adopting this emerging technology, Harris has
shown a commitment to cleaning up the printing process.
