Pictorial Offset, a Passion for Sustainability
Pictorial Offset’s commitment to sustainability is apparent the moment you pull up to their corporate headquarters. There, right below their logo you see “Registered ISO 9002
& 14001. Indeed, Pictorial Offset was the first company in the world to achieve both ISO 9001:2002 and ISO 14001 certification.
Pictorial Offset’s dedication to the environment began in the 1980’s, when one of the 3 managing partners Donald Samuels saw a PBS special on the effects of chemical dumping by a Massachusetts company and the devastating effect it had on the surrounding community. He made a pledge at that time that, “Pictorial Offset would become the most environmentally conscious and responsible company in our industry.”
Donald, along with his two partner brothers Lester and Gary, made that pledge a reality.
Unlike some companies who make similar statements but fail to implement effective sustainability plans, Pictorial Offset took the opposite approach and incorporated sustainability into their core values. These values are:
- World-Class Manufacturing and Quality
- Passionate Customer Focus
- Environmental Leadership
- Corporate Social Responsibility
Along the way they became leaders in their industry and in their community in demonstrating the business value of a well-implemented sustainability plan.
What they also discovered was that increasingly many of their customers shared these values and wanted to partner with a printer who took sustainability seriously. They won projects when they were not the low bidder but because their customers valued their approach to sustainability. They also found their employees embraced their approach and participated in one of their key programs, planting 5,000 trees at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge to enable Pictorial to become carbon neutral. This effort marked them as the first printer to become carbon neutral through reforestation.
For Pictorial Offset this commitment also brought recognition and awards. Their list of certifications and program participation includes:
- ISO 14001
- ISO 9001:2002
- Rainforest Alliance Smartwood certification
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo
- “Go Zero“-carbon-zero program of The Conservation Fund
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
- USEPA National Environmental Performance Track Program
Throughout their operations you can see the effort that Pictorial has made to create sustainable practices and a responsible business culture. They use energy efficient lighting and motion sensitive lighting throughout the plant to further reduce their carbon footprint. They reduce wherever possible chemical usage, they recycle and they conserve. Most importantly they document their activities to ensure they are in compliance with their ISO 14001 EMS plan. This has enabled them to achieve and document the following milestones:
- VOC emissions reduced by 12% by switching to low-emission solvents
- Solvent reduction of 37% with automatic blanket washers
- Reduced water consumption by 95% over the past 15 years even while doubling the size of the company
- Nearly 12 Million pounds of paper recycled annually
- 25,310 pounds of aluminum recycled in 2007
- 11,000 pounds of ink waste recycled into new ink in 2007
- 16,280 pounds of waste ink sent to chemical processors for fuels blending in 2007
In a letter to his customers Donald Samuels describes Pictorial Offset this way.
“ Pictorial Offset is more than a socially conscious organization. Our management, our employees, and our customers are active participants in improving our community and our world. We hope you will join us in our quest to be responsible participants in our planet’s health and well-being.”
Hopefully, many of us will join.
-FR
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