The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership), a collaborative effort by the PIA/GATF, SGIA, FTA, and NAPIM, recently opened the application process for printers to become registered SGP Printers. Registered printers will be listed on a registry for print buyers and customers to use when searching for sustainable operations.

The SGP Partnership is an independent recognition organization that provides benchmarking tools applicable to the printing industry, provides verification of green and sustainable business practices based on a published list of criteria, and publicly recognizes facilities that meet established criteria, which are listed on the SGP Partnership registry Website, www.sgppartnership.org.

Accepted printing facilities will be considered Sustainable Green Printers, be recognized on the SGP Website, and be permitted to display and use the SGP logo. The registry will also allow print buyers access to sustainable printers in their area and across the country.

“Based on the level of interest printers of all platforms have expressed thus far, we expect there will be a huge response to the opening of the application process,” says Marcia Kinter, vice president of government and business information at SGIA. “In the future we expect that the SGP Partnership Website will become an important resource for print buyers wishing to place projects with green print-service providers.”

Two categories of registration are now open for applications: Candidate Pending Verification (CPV) and SGP Printer. The CPV category gives a facility a 12-month time frame in which to meet all criteria for being an SGP Printer. Facilities that already meet the criteria for being an SGP Printer may bypass the CPV category and apply directly for recognition under that category.