Kodak has reported a record 14 winners of its 2017 SONORA Plate Green Leaf Award. The programme recognises printers around the world whose products, services and operations set an example for sound operational initiatives that reduce their environmental impact.
The 2017 SONORA Plate Green Leaf Award winners are: Alcom Printing (US), Mitchell Press Ltd. (Canada), Druckerei Lokay (Germany), School Lane Colour Press (UK), Litotec (Ecuador), Cartocor S.A. (Argentina), Southern Colour Print (New Zealand), Colour King (South Africa), Zühal Ofset (Turkey), ASCON CO., LTD. (Japan), Hongbo Co., Ltd. (China), Golden Cup Printing Co., Ltd. (China), Changsung P&T Co., Ltd. (Korea), and Vivar Printing Sdn Bhd. (Malaysia).
All of these printers use KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates, putting them at the leading edge in their respective markets by deploying a technology that reduces their environmental footprints.
Beyond that, the companies earned the awards by taking a range of additional energy efficient and resource management measures, from waste management to advanced training and compliance programs. Many were also lauded for helping support sustainability programs in their home countries and communities.
Richard Rindo, general manager of worldwide sales, print systems division, and vice president of Eastman Kodak Company, expressed pride in this latest group of award recipients. ‘It’s clear that the printing industry’s adoption of sustainable business solutions is not only about good environmental stewardship, it’s about sustaining and growing each printer’s business,’ Rindo said. ‘The adoption of SONORA Plates is just one step in a continuum of integrating environmentally friendly materials and managing a clean, healthy business environment.’
As noted, the award is named for KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates, known for yielding dramatic environmental and economic benefits for customers without sacrificing quality and output. SONORA Plates cut out the processing phase of plate making, which requires chemicals, water, and energy while generating waste. SONORA Plate volumes continued to grow in 2017 as the industry ramped up its demand for clean printing solutions.
With both economic growth and environmental sustainability determinedly front-of-mind when it comes to printers’ strategic investments, Kodak is forecasting this trend to continue and anticipates that 30% of the company’s plate volume will be process free by 2019.
