Serigraph Inc., West Bend, WI, announced it received the Environmental Excellence Gold award for the most environmentally conscious printer in the 100 employees or more category. The Environmental Excellence Awards program, presented by American Printer magazine, recognizes commercial printers who are leading the industry in environmentally conscious manufacturing.

Serigraph received the award at a ceremony held Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Graph Expo in Chicago, IL. The company received the gold award based on significant achievement in environmental sustainability. Serigraph uses an EPA-approved biofilter that has reportedly prevented more than 165 tons of VOCs from being discharged into the air since 2000. The company also has implemented numerous corporate-wide recycling programs and strives to stay abreast of green materials and processes that can provide further environmental benefits.

“Focusing on pollution prevention instead of detection makes good environmental sense and good business sense,” says Nick Leifeld, Serigraph’s vice president of quality and compliance. “We not only work with our clients to use sustainable materials but we also recommend layout configurations that lead to less waste. This not only reduces the environmental impact, but it also saves money by reducing scrap.” Serigraph’s recycling programs for solvents, metals, and other materials reportedly has diverted more than 2,000,000 lbs of solid materials from landfill to re-use.