FSC CoC Certified

Making the choice to be an environmentally responsible print supplier is a vital part of business practice in today's market place. Our customers want to know if we have an environmental policy and if we produce their printed products in a way that will not endanger depletion of vital resources.

Do we have policies and procedures in place to protect our water and wildlife?
When you do business with Pearl Pressman Liberty Communications Group (PPLCG) you can be assured that your printer is committed to environmental responsibility. PPLCG is independently certified to an environmental stewardship standard. Our chain-of-custody certification indicates that we print on paper manufactured in a sustainable way, and our paper suppliers ensure its fiber comes from sustainable forests.

The following is information about our commitment to sustainability, forest certification and environmental conservation. We hope you find this information valuable. We want you to feel confident about choosing PPLCG, an industry leader and FSC CoC certified company.

What is FSC?
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international nonprofit organization whose membership includes representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous people's organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organization from around the world. The FSC enjoys the support of major environmental groups including the World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council and National Wildlife Federation. Membership is open to all who are involved in forestry or forest products and share its aims and objectives. PPLCG is certified by the SmartWood™ division of the Rainforest Alliance to the FSC Chain-of-Custody manufacturing and material handling guidelines. PPLCG is audited for this certification every year by SmartWood ™ in order to maintain the FSC CoC standards.

For PPLCG clients that specify FSC certified paper stock for their printing work, PPLCG can proudly display the FSC logo on their printed piece and identify themselves as being FSC Compliant.

The Trademark of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), indicates that the wood used to make the product comes from a forest which is well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. The forest of origin has been independently inspected and evaluated according to the principles and criteria for forest management, agreed and approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. By buying products with an FSC label you are supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.

Environmental Accomplishments

• Business for the Bay Program: Businesses for the Bay is a voluntary team of forward-looking businesses, industries, government facilities and other organizations within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, who are committed to implementing pollution prevention in their daily operations and reducing their releasing of chemical contaminants and other wastes into the Chesapeake Bay. The overall goal of Businesses for the Bay is to contribute to the long-term improvement of the quality of the Bay and its rivers through widespread, voluntary implementation of pollution prevention and control practices throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Since 1997, B4B members have reduced or recycled more than 8 billion pounds of waste and saved more than $500 million.


• EPA Energy Star: In an industry where demand for environmentally-conscious products is high, PPLCG knows that good environmental decisions are also good business decisions. PPLCG completed energy-efficient upgrades to join EPA's Energy Star program. In just one month, PPLCG completed energy efficient lighting upgrades which reduce energy equivalent to removing 28 cars from U.S. highways, or planting 56 acres of trees in U.S. forests. All light fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient T-8 fluorescent lamps and integrated with energy-saving electronic ballasts. In addition, 52 incandescent lamps were replaced with compact fluorescents, and 124 new lenses and reflectors were added to distribute light more efficiently and effectively. Overall, including the pressroom, bindery, and warehouse, the wattage per fixture decreased by more than half (decreasing the use of energy). PPLCG also changed exit signs from 25-watt incandescent to 9-watt compact fluorescents. The company replaced 1,000-watt security lamps that are on 24 hours a day with 70-watt high-pressure sodium lamps.

Pollution prevented:

• 406,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
• 4,600 pounds of sulfur dioxide
• 1,450 pounds of nitrogen oxide

• Chemical VOC Reductions: PPLCG is continuously evaluating operations to eliminate and reduce VOC's. PPLCG has eliminated fixer and developer chemistry by installing computer-to-plate equipment that eliminates the need for film output. PPLCG has installed Baldwin Impact blanket wash systems on our presses. This reduces our VOC emissions by 8,000 pounds per year.


• Recycling Efforts: All office paper, printing-plates and makeready stock for printing jobs are recycled. All trim-offs of press sheets along with strip-outs on die-cut projects and trim from bindery waste is recycled. Excess print inks are also recycled.