Last summer the US-based Sustainable Green Printing Partnership announced it was launching a pilot scheme extending its sustainability certification to the UK. So has it taken off?
In case this information is yet to reach you, the SGP certification programme recognises top sustainability leaders in the printing industry - those that have have fulfilled rigorous certification requirements and completed a comprehensive facility audit evaluating three areas of sustainability - people, planet and profit. If that sounds a big deal, that’s because it is, yet it is gaining a certain amount of traction in North America where more than 50 operations are involved. In the UK, where a pilot scheme was launched a year ago, it’s yet to take off.
“After numerous enquiries, no UK printer applied to start the certification process,” confirms SJP chairman Jonathan Graham. “Being SGP certified takes commitment and resources. SGP certification typically requires one dedicated person to lead a certification committee for 6-12 months. While the certification itself costs under $4,000, applicants need to factor in the cost of staff and development of a sustainability management system and other documents.”
The drawbacks are obvious. But are the benefits becoming more so as the supply chain demands ever greener credentials? If you’re thinking that may be the case, bear in mind that the SGP - an all-volunteer organisation - comprises leaders from companies well-known for supporting a more sustainable future for the printing industry. With its sustainability management system (SMS) and annual improvement projects, SGP certified facilities are widely recognised in the US as industry leaders in providing sustainable printing and trusted by major brands by having independent validation of their claims to be part of a sustainable supply chain. Indeed, the state of New York and the Department of Natural Resources in Wisconsin require their printers meet the SGP certification criteria.
Sounding any more attractive?
The SGP’s certification criteria is revised every five years, and as such has undergone some changes in 2022 that are worth noting.
Version 4.0 of certification criteria, in addition to the mandatory environmental, safety and health and energy audits, now requires a mandatory solid waste audit, increased emphasis on employment issues in the workplace, and a new management system requirement to review impacts of change in the facility.
“The 2022 revision represents the programme’s continued commitment to moving the sustainability needle in the print sector. Now, facilities will be required to discuss possible end-of-life strategies with not only their supply base but their customer base as well. It is our biggest step yet towards a circular economy model that offers clear documentation for leaders in the sustainable supply chain,” points out Graham.
“Version 4.0 enhances its integration with the programme’s sustainability dashboard, the SGP Impact Tracker, to promote standardised metric reporting to help print customers their print production as optimised for sustainability.”
To continue to meet the needs of the industry, the SGP announced the expansion of the certification programme to include suppliers with Version 4.0. Primex Plastics was the first to achieve SGP certification in June 2022. The facility served as the SGP programme’s beta for this expanded programme which now opens the way for other printing industry suppliers to achieve the certification.
The criteria are accessible for any company and can be used as a blueprint for a more sustainable business. As SGP criteria are publicly vetted so public bodies can ask their suppliers to comply with criteria without having to go through the certification process. This is called a ‘self-declaration’ and is a formal statement from a company that the certification compliance is authentic and accurate. The actual SGP certification is granted through an independent, third-party auditor.
The full list of criteria guidance can be found at:
https://sgppartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-SGP-Certification-Criteria.pdf