The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP Partnership) revealed the criteria on how to become a sustainable, green printer at the National Environmental Health and Safety Conference (NEHS) on March 12, in Indianapolis, IN, USA.

The criteria is intended to guide printers towards attaining sustainability. Printers who meet these requirements and are verified will be listed on the SGP Partnership registry web site (www.SGPPartnership.org), which can be used as a resource for print buyers. The partnership was formed last year by Printing Industries of America, the Flexographic Technical Association, and the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association.

The SGP Partnership announced the two categories of registration – Candidate Pending Verification (CPV) and SGP Printer. The CPV category will give a facility a 12-month time frame in which to meet all criteria for an SGP Printer. Facilities that already meet the criteria for an SGP Printer may bypass the CPV category and apply for recognition under that category. Among other requirements, SGP Printers will have to complete an annual progress report and will be
subject to periodic verification by an accredited third party.

SGP Partnership says it is important that printers understand that sustainability encompasses more than just environmental
issues. Corporate social responsibility is another major component. As a result, the criteria are based on all three key elements of sustainability – people, planet, and profits, SGP says.

The criteria will be beta tested during the upcoming months and modifications will be made as needed prior to the registry launch this summer. SGP has set up a comment section on its web site and is encouraging feedback on the criteria from the printing community and other interested parties during the project’s beta-testing phase.