The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), North America’s leading authority in sustainable printing certifications, is pleased to announce the data collected through its SGP Impact Tracker demonstrate continuous improvements to sustainability indicators generated by SGP certified printers. Data shows the print community significantly reduced water and energy consumption, carbon footprint and waste produced.
The SGP Impact Tracker helps SGP certified printers monitor sustainability performance over time and benchmark efforts against an aggregate of other facilities. Since its launch in 2018, the SGP Impact Tracker has been compiling data including historical data to gauge the performance of SGP’s print community’s various sustainability efforts over time.
Currently, there are more than 50 SGP certified printers accounting for more than 9 million square feet of facility space. With SGP’s certification program emphasis on continuous improvement, on average, SGP certified facilities reduced:
• Electricity consumption by 60 percent
• Water use by 52 percent
• Carbon footprint by 63 percent
• Solid waste from 76 percent to 83 percent. (1)
These accomplishments mean monetary savings for SGP printers as well as substantial reductions in environmental impacts. For example, a 90,000 square feet operation saves $26,000 per year for energy and water when compared to a 2010 baseline. (2) The average annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for SGP certified printers is equivalent to planting about 2,700 trees and letting them grow for ten years. (3)
“What is most exciting is the number of SGP certified printers is projected to double in the next year. Because of the support of print buyers, the demands of consumers, and the desire for printers to have more efficient and sustainable operations, SGP is experiencing the biggest growth period of its history,” said Doreen Monteleone, SGP treasurer and Flexographic Technical Association representative. “Our results are truly exciting and testify to the commitment of our certified printers to create a more sustainable future.”
1. All metrics are 3rd-party validated by Sustainability Dashboard Tools, LLC and compare performance from 2010 to 2018.
2. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a
3. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
To learn more about becoming SGP certified or working with SGP certified printers to reap the benefits of a more sustainable supply chain, contact the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership at info@sgppartnership.org or visit www.sgppartnership.org. For more information on the SGP Impact Tracker, please contact Katrina Saucier at katrina@green2sustainable.com.