By Doreen M. Monteleone, Ph.D., RadTech North America
At the 2016 Printing Industry Sustainability Conference, held at The Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, what happened in Vegas was definitely not meant to stay in Vegas! The conference, hosted by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) and sponsored by SGP Resource Partners – including RadTech, brought together print industry professionals from all links in the supply chain to share ideas and innovations regarding growth through sustainable printing.
The conference opened with a breakfast panel on sustainable innovations in fiber and non-fiber substrates. This was followed by an in-depth keynote speech from Katarina Tesarova, vice president of sustainability at Las Vegas Sands, who inspired attendees with details about sustainable initiatives at the Sands, Venetian and Palazzo properties in Las Vegas, as well as the group’s global efforts in corporate responsibility. Presentations from Advertisers Printing Company and Earth Friendly Products, both certified SGP Printers, shared the creative ways in which these two companies have boosted their bottom lines by eliminating waste and achieving extraordinary levels of sustainability. Before the conclusion of the presentations, representatives of International Paper, Digital Color Concepts and Ann Inc. spoke about the lucrative partnership formed by the three companies as active members of the SGP community, ensuring a sustainable supply chain from substrate to printing to retail.
In addition to receiving expert advice from leading innovators in printing supply and production, conference attendees enjoyed participating in four interactive brainstorming roundtable sessions. Participants discussed pressing issues and shared suggestions on the topics of leveraging SGP certification, best practices for printers and print buyers, and ways to advocate business growth through sustainability. SGP has already implemented many of the ideas that came out of these sessions, and many more will be incorporated into the organization’s 2017 business plan.
At the conference, SGP Patrons committed to environmentally responsible printing. Several RadTech members, including 3M, efi, DuPont Advanced Printing and the Flint Group, are already SGP Patrons. All RadTech members are encouraged to get involved as SGP’s board strives to make certification a valuable and attainable goal for print businesses with the support of a sustainable print supply chain.
SGP is the leading certifying authority for all types of printers in the United States and Canada that seek to reduce their environmental impacts and grow their businesses using sustainable best practices. The Printing Industry Sustainability Conference represents one of many outreach efforts SGP has taken to generate excitement surrounding green printing initiatives, and, by all accounts, it was a tremendous success.
For more information about SGP and upcoming SGP events, visit www.sgppartnership.org or contact info@sgppartnership.org.
