Support for Verdigris, the environmental initiative from graphic arts research group Digital Dots, is growing, with EcoPrint Europe 2012, the new European platform for sustainable print, becoming the latest associate member supporting the initiative.
Verdigris is a not-for-profit research initiative designed to help printers and their customers understand more about the environmental impact of print media. The goal is to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact through cooperative content development shared with an international network of trade publishers.
With a focus on Retail, Interiors, POP/S, Packaging and Promotional Print, the content for EcoPrint Europe (Berlin, 26th and 27th September 2012) is designed to provide practical answers, guidance and solutions for any business from the world of print that wants to make a strategic investment in sustainability. Featuring practical and inspiring content that focuses on reducing waste, minimising cost and increasing profit, EcoPrint participants will benefit from connecting, discussing and discovering ideas and innovation for successful green print production.
Marcus Timson, director of EcoPrint organiser FM Brooks, said, We fully support Verdigris’s focus on gathering and disseminating the facts about the environmental impact of specific media products, which is in line with EcoPrint’s position as a forum which will provide print professionals with a defined, practical guide to implementing and enhancing profitability through a sustainable approach to the print business. Both Verdigris and EcoPrint share the belief that hard, empirical data is essential to achieving this.
Welcoming EcoPrint Europe’s support, Verdigris founder Laurel Brunner said, In important respects EcoPrint and Verdigris share the same philosophy about how to prove and promote print’s sustainable credentials, an issue that for the most part industry events have so far addressed in a haphazard fashion. Too often sustainability has been a sideshow, but EcoPrint Europe puts it centre stage, where it belongs, and where print producers and print consumers can begin to really understand the issues and evaluate suppliers’ offerings.
As an example of how EcoPrint differs from other events, she cites the EcoPrint Exhibitor Review Committee, which provides an independent review process for the products, services, applications and solutions at the exhibition, ensuring that exhibits are consistent with EcoPrint’s objectives of enhancing awareness of print’s sustainability, low carbon impact and competitiveness.
Launched at drupa in 2008, Verdigris’ aim is to investigate the environmental impact of print media, helping print buyers, printers and publishers evaluate the carbon footprint of different media. Verdigris provides free research and content to a global network of industry publishers on a regular basis. Participants in the project can use Verdigris content to educate their printing communities about print’s environmental impact, and to help raise print’s positive profile. Verdigris content—which is independently managed by people who know and understand print technology— explores and analyses the issues facing publishers and printers to help them manage their carbon footprints, while continuing to conduct a profitable business. Verdigris is also a major contributor to the development of ISO 16759, the standard for measuring the carbon footprint of print media products.
The Verdigris website provides a single point of reference, not only to access Verdigris data and information about other environmental developments, but also for links to other useful environmental websites. The Verdigris site also has a growing list of the world’s printers compliant to ISO 14001, the environmental management standard.
