James McNaughton Group wins environmental award ... more

Dual certification for Howard Smith Paper Group ... more

FSC certification for Mitsubishi papers ... more

DSPA seminars ... more

James McNaughton Group wins environmental award

Paper merchant and converter James McNaughton Group was proclaimed Environmental Supplier of the Year at the Quality in Print (QIP) Awards 2007.

Held at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square on 2 July, the QIP Awards are designed to reward excellence across the print media supply chain

McNaughton was recognised not only for its commitment to the environment and on-going improvements, but also for educating its customers and suppliers in how they can take action to reduce their own environmental impact.

Tony Porter Group, marketing director, said: “McNaughton's are delighted to have been recognised by this award for all of the initiatives undertaken as part of our sustainable solutions programme.” He added “In just two years we have made significant progress in a broad range of aspects within our business, such as reduction in energy use and conversion to green energy, waste management, recycling, distribution - reduced by over a million road miles and the order of our first electric lorry. The group has also reduced its CO2 emissions by 28%.”

Future plans, said Porter, "are to put up a wind turbine on our Hilltop Central Distribution Centre, which will make the site self-sufficient in electricity"

Contact: www.jmcpaper.com

Howard Smith Paper Group has attained Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) accreditation. Last October it achieved accreditation Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, so it can now offer products that are certified under one or both systems.

Group marketing & purchasing director Dave Cooling said, “Our objective is to only source papers from sustainable well-managed forests, and by attaining PEFC accreditation, this enables us to offer our customers even more environmental choices.

“Customers are increasingly demanding products that offer an increased environmental feature, and we want to provide those products to better service their requirements.”

Contact: www.hspg.com

Mitsubishi HiTec Paper’s mills in Bielefeld and Flensburg have received FSC Chain of Custody certification in recognition of responsible forest management.

“Users can now rest assured that our papers, as well as being of excellent quality, are produced using environmentally responsible methods,” said says Gerhard Schoon, sales director for both companies.

The FSC certification means that selected grades from the Thermoscript (thermal paper) and Jetscript (digital imaging paper) product ranges can be marked with an ecolabel and a unique certification number with immediate effect.

Contact: www.mitsubishi-paper.com

Delegates at the Digital & Screen Printing Association’s seminars in Oxford were offered topics information on how to go green and get profitable.

Regulatory consultant and environmental print expert Paul Machin presented tips on developing a workable environmental policy that is linked to profitability. He provided delegates with a sharp reminder about how end customers are now becoming more aware of their suppliers’ carbon footprint, with confirmation of a growing divide now taking place as fewer solvents are being used for interior applications.

He also discussed the growing demand for recycled and recyclable materials and how screen printers and digital bureaux must keep their ‘green’ customers happy. Finally, he tackled the issue of waste and the problems incurred, particularly when large sized short-term jobs end up in land-fill sites.

Contact: www.dspa.co.uk

As part of its on-going corporate and environmental initiatives, The James McNaughton Group, one of the UK’s leading paper merchanting groups has become the first company from within the paper and print industry to be approved as a member of the Corporate Responsibility Group (CRG).

The Corporate Responsibility Group is made up of over 80 of the UK’s leading companies and corporations, all of whom are committed to adopting a social, ethical, and environmentally responsible approach to business practice and have a strong track record in developing corporate social responsibility initiatives. Its members include blue-chip companies such as Accenture, BBC, Barclays, Sky, The Body Shop, Bp, British Airways, DHL, The FA Premier League, Royal Mail, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Zurich.

The McNaughton Group’s application to join CRG was approved by its board of members following a long and extensive assessment process. James McNaughton’s membership was based on being able to demonstrate its commitment to business responsibility, and its on-going corporate responsibility agenda and environmental activities.

Howard Browning, McNaughton’s Director for Corporate Responsibility commented ‘We were very proud to be accepted as members of the CRG, as it gives us a great opportunity to be directly involved with like minded companies focused on delivering a more responsible approach to business.  We’ve already cut our total carbon emissions by 30%, reduced our energy usage by 20% and made significant progress in other areas, thanks to the total support of our colleagues throughout the Group’. 

The CRG provides a forum for discussion on corporate responsibility issues and brings together corporate responsibility practitioners from a wide range of business sectors, and enables members to talk across commercial divides, share their experiences and develop strategic thinking.

For more information about CRG and their activities, view their website at www.crguk.org

The James McNaughton Group has chosen to produce their printed matter in conjunction with the CarbonNeutral Company.

The first two items to be produced are the first in a new style of family swatch for Recycled Products and Uncoated stocks.

"These collection swatches make it easier for our customers to see all of the grades available in particular type of product in one place, rather than having a swatch for each individual brand," explains Tony Porter Group Marketing Director. "It will cut the numbers of swatches by half, making storage easier and improving ease of use for our customers," Porter continues.

"As a Group, we have made significant progress over the past 12 months with our environmental activities. This includes completely switching to using green energy at all our sites, reducing the numbers in our distribution fleet, gm2, which has cut CO2 emissions significantly. We have also implemented a variety of recycling schemes in both our offices and warehouses. “

Porter concludes, “We felt that by moving to Carbon Neutral print production it was another step to improve our environmental performance." 

Swatches are available from all McNaughton Sales Centres.

gm2 Logistics, the distribution formed by The James McNaughton Group, has undertaken considerable environmental improvements to its national distribution network through the last six years, whilst still maintaining its standards of delivery support to its customers.

In addition to reducing its fleet of vehicles by 36 to a fleet total of 72, road miles have also been reduced by 1,036,000, diesel usage has come down by 114,048 gallons, and more importantly this has resulted in a reduction of CO2 emissions across the fleet by 975 tonnes.

Howard Browning, McNaughton Director for Corporate Responsibility states, “This is a major reduction in our environmental impact. Significant strides have been made in other areas of the business with activities such as installing lighting control systems, which will reduce our energy consumption by up to 40% and improved recycling schemes for paper, packaging, wood, mobile phones, toner cartridges etc. We have also installed video conferencing at the two main Central Distribution Sites in Kent and Leicestershire, which has significantly reduced the number of miles being driven to attend meetings.”

In terms of future developments, gm2 Logistics is undertaking new initiatives for 2007. These initiatives include the use of electric trucks, using pioneering battery, technology for its central London deliveries. The Group has also converted all of its electricity supply to green renewable energy from wind turbine farms and hydro electric stations. This means gm2 Logistics can recharge any of these electric vehicles using green renewable electricity, which means deliveries are achieved on a carbon neutral basis.

Other initiatives include the use of GPS software. This enables gm2 to automatically route deliveries to ensure that the most fuel and mile efficient journeys are undertaken, whilst still ensuring that customers’ specific delivery requirements are met. Additional environmental benefits have been achieved by undertaking 3rd party deliveries with the existing fleet of vehicles, reducing the number of vehicles on the road and the quantity of fuel which would have been used to make the deliveries.

Tony Porter, James McNaughton Group Marketing Director commented, “Our initiative to combine logistics for more than one merchant was a first for the UK Paper Merchant industry. It is very interesting to see other merchants now following suit. We felt that, with the environmental progress made over the last six years, a more modern identity to reflect these changes would be appropriate. The new gm2 Logistics image illustrates the innovative ways in which we have approached environmental issues.”

Every working day gm2 Logistics are responsible for the distribution and delivery of 600 tonnes of paper, board and display products to around 1,350 customers.

gm2 Logistics operates for McNaughton from two main Central Distribution Centres (or CDC’s) at Hilltop in Bardon, Leicestershire and Erith in Kent. These CDC’s are used to supply Regional Distribution Centres (RDC’s), which are strategically positioned around the UK to handle the daily deliveries to the James McNaughton Group’s extensive customer network.

The combined capacity of the gm2 Logistics warehouses is nearly 500,000 sq feet, with the capability of storing over 37,000 tonnes.

UK, 11 August 2006 – A successful event last night (10 August 2006) at London Zoo’s Bug House heralded the launch of Charterhouse innovative CarbonNeutral Print Production Programme. ING Direct was announced as the first print management client to adopt a CarbonNeutral policy for its marketing related print purchasing. Vince Cable, Member of Parliament for Twickenham and acting party leader of the Liberal Democrats, supported the event as the keynote speaker and presented ING Direct with a certificate in recognition of their commitment to the initiative.

Working in collaboration with the leading climate change business, The CarbonNeutral Company, Charterhouse has developed its CarbonNeutral Print Production Programme using their bespoke software calculator that measures the carbon dioxide (CO2) impact of any print job. Steps to avoid and reduce emissions are then suggested, with the remaining unavoidable impacts being offset by supporting projects. These include renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry programmes, that will save or absorb 1 tonne of CO2 emissions from every tonne the print production job creates.

The CarbonNeutral Print Production Programme is the first such initiative to be undertaken by a print management company and is an important part of Charterhouse ongoing strategy to maintain high levels of environmental responsibility both internally and as a service to its environmentally conscious clients. The company has become innovators in the world of ‘greener’ print management. Holders of the Environmental ISO:14001 certificate, Charterhouse was the first print management firm to become CarbonNeutral internally.

Nigel Thomson, Customer Relationship Manager, ING Direct said: “ING Direct is delighted to support the Charterhouse Print Production Programme and applaud the lead role it is taking on this issue.”

Print production creates CO2 through the energy consumed during three key stages – the manufacture of the raw materials, the machines used in the printing process and the delivery of the product. Charterhouse emissions tool calculates CO2 output throughout the supply chain – from the manufacture of the raw materials (substrates) to the final delivery of the product.

This innovative programme is very timely as companies are taking positive action and increasingly focussing on methods to reduce their impact on the environment. This has lead to an upturn in demand for recycled paper, for example, as well as printing methods which use no or low chemicals. CarbonNeutral Print Production is now another major way for companies to be more environmentally responsible.

Jonathan Shopley, CEO of The CarbonNeutral Company, adds: “Climate change is the most pressing issue facing society today and needs immediate action from all quarters. If we are to achieve the 60-80% reductions in CO2 emissions needed to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change, leadership from forward thinking businesses will be crucial.  Charterhouse is setting the standard for the print industry by showing that action is possible and through products such as CarbonNeutral print production that it is not only good for the environment but for business as well.

The scheme is a straightforward way to make companies ‘greener’. However, it is also of commercial benefit to the client as CarbonNeutral print production is now automated through software – reducing admin time and therefore cost for the client. The CarbonNeutral calculator is very versatile and can be used on any type of marketing print from press inserts to premium mugs.

It is an important endorsement of our strategy that ING Direct has adopted our CarbonNeutral Print Production Programme, and we expect to announce more companies joining the project over the next few months,” said Guy Meyers, who has been at the forefront of this initiative for Charterhouse. “As a leading European print management company, it is important that Charterhouse not only responds to the drive for environmentally sound specifications, but that we provide our clients with the tools to take positive action that not only increases their environmental responsibility but helps them stand apart from their competitors in terms of business solutions”.

Companies who wish to evaluate the carbon impact of their print production can obtain an audit from Charterhouse. Email: guy.meyers@charterhouse.tv  or call: 01732 226120.