Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), a non-profit organization providing sustainability certification in the graphic communications industry, has announced the launch of its new outreach campaign, “Take Action.” The campaign will encourage members of the graphic communications industry — printers, print buyers, suppliers, and others — to take action by getting involved with SGP and reaping the benefits of Certification and sustainability.

The “Take Action” campaign is represented by a graphic element designed by Refractor Group, a division of SGP Certified printer Image Options. Thomas Mattingly, creative director for Refractor Group says, “I was very interested and excited to provide our creative team’s efforts in the develop of branding design for the ‘Take Action’ campaign. Sustainability and eco-friendly manufacturing is the future of our planet, and we are passionate about design and sustainability. We are very excited that our design was selected by SGP for this campaign.”

The “Take Action” campaign has several goals to achieve by early Q1 2013. These include: 1) raising the number of SGP Certified applicants; 2) increasing the number of print buyers that preference SGP Certified printers; 3) increasing the number of suppliers that sponsor SGP; and 4) significantly raising the number of organizations and individuals on SGP’s mailing list. Toward this end, the “Take Action” campaign will involve outreach via email, social networking, print, and traditional one-to-one phone calls with its target audience. 

“SGP Certification does more than just help companies become good stewards for the environment, it significantly improves a business’s value and its bottom line,” comments Heidi Thompson, SGP’s “Take Action” campaign leader. “Our goal is to put SGP in the forefront of everyday business, making it easy for everyone to benefit from all that it has to offer.”

According to SGP, members of the graphic communications industry can become involved in three ways:

– Print facilities can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by becoming SGP Certified. SGP’s publicly vetted set of criteria and third-party certification provides a strong return on investment by identifying operational improvements and waste reductions. SGP Certification also helps print facilities to meet the ever-growing supply chain requirements.

– Suppliers can show their support for environmental responsibility by becoming a Platinum, Gold, or Silver Patron of SGP. By becoming an SGP Patron, suppliers support SGP’s mission of encouraging and promoting participation in the movement to increase the social responsibility of the graphic communications supply network through sustainable green practices.

– Print buyers can recommend and develop a formal procurement policy that preferences SGP Certified print facilities. SGP Certified print facilities make sustainability claims for printed products credible and transparent. Preferencing SGP Certified facilities publicly demonstrates company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, which will resonate with customers, clients, employees, and stakeholders.

For more information about the Take Action campaign, contact Heidi Thompson at [email protected].